UN Women Representative in Somalia

Dr. Syed Sadiq brings over 20 years’ senior level experience serving with the United Nations on global policy issues and programme management on gender equality, human rights, peace and security. He has been working with the UN Women since its inception and since held the positions of Deputy Regional Program Director in the South Africa Regional Office, Country Representative in Iraq, Deputy Country Director for Afghanistan, and most recently, Regional Program Manager, Ending Violence against Women and Girls of the UN Women East & Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) and has led the EU-funded Spotlight Initiative Stream 1 in the region. Currently he is serving as the Head of UN Women Office in Somalia. In his earlier career, Dr. Syed worked with the United Nations (OHCHR and UNFPA) in Ethiopia, Eritrea, East Timor, India, Liberia and Sudan. He served at the National Commission for Women, Government of India and also as a faculty at the Indian Law Institute-India, visiting fellow at the Clark University and also contributed to the fellow’s paper of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government-USA. Dr. Syed is the exponent of the ‘Coordinated Responses Approach (CRA) in Addressing GBV’ in 1997 and received awards at the international and national level for contribution to women’s rights. He has authored and co-authored several publications on human rights and gender. He holds LL.M. in International Human Rights Law and PhD in Women’s Rights Law. (e-mail: sadiq.syed@unwomen.org).