Today, Ms. Melanie Hauenstein officially assumed her functions as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) new Resident Representative in Lebanon, succeeding Ms. Celine Moyroud of France, who completed her assignment on February 14.

“I am keenly aware that I arrive at a time of daunting challenges for many Lebanese. But the enormous capacities of the Lebanese people and the great potential of this beautiful country give me hope that together we can work on protecting livelihoods, strengthening institutions, investing in women and youth and ensuring a sustainable recovery. I look forward to working on development with Lebanon, for Lebanon”, Ms. Hauenstein said.

Ms. Hauenstein brings over 17 years of experience in development and peacebuilding. In her latest assignment, she served as a Regional Adviser in UNDP’s Regional Bureau Arab States in New York, where she was responsible for overseeing and supporting UNDP’s country programmes in Algeria, Djibouti, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen.

Prior to this, Ms. Hauenstein served as Senior Stabilisation Adviser in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she supported the first democratic elections and advised the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator – a function she also fulfilled in a similar position she held in Sudan. She also served as Deputy Head of Office and Team Leader for Stabilisation & Recovery in Gao and as Regional Head of Office in Mopti in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali. At UN Headquarters in New York, she worked with UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Ms. Hauenstein holds an MSc in Population and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She studied politics, sociology and economics in Regensburg, Leipzig and Paris. She speaks English, French, German and Spanish.

UNDP is working in Lebanon since 1986 as a development partner supporting economic recovery, including working with municipalities to deliver basic services to host communities, promoting clean energy and solid waste management, strengthening governance and rule of law, providing support to elections and working on empowering women and youth.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon