Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque is the former UNICEF Representative in India, where she served for 4.5 years leading UNICEF’s program including supporting the response to the tragic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and spear-heading innovative initiatives to support and engage children and young people.
Prior to taking this position, she was Deputy Director of UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Operations where she played a lead role in the programming and policies for an effective UNICEF response for children in humanitarian crisis. Dr. Haque served as the first UNICEF Representative in South Sudan (2010-2013) and UNICEF Representative in Ghana (2007-2010). As Deputy Representative in Sri Lanka (2004-2007), she was responsible for guiding and coordinating the UNICEF programme of support as well as the emergency response to the 2004 Asian tsunami.
Dr. Haque’s leadership and professional experience spans over a wide range of fields including policy analysis, strategic planning for women’s & child rights, child-centric development programming and large-scale responses for children in a humanitarian crisis. She is a strong believer in the power of collaborative action in accelerating results for children and the critical need to invest in the leadership potential of women professionals.
Dr. Haque first joined UNICEF in Bangladesh in 1996. During this tenure, she contributed significantly to national policy analysis and strategic planning for maternal health and maternal mortality reduction in context of the human rights based approach. Dr. Haque is currently chairing the Portfolio Advisory Committee for UN Girls’ Education Initiative on a process to develop its 2023-2027 strategy and portfolio. UNGEI is a global partnership and platform for gender equality in and through education.
A national of Bangladesh, Dr. Haque holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh, and a Master’s of Science degree in Health Systems Management from London University.
