Natalia Kanem

Havana, Oct 18 (RHC) The United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Natalia Kanem, is visiting Cuba from Monday to Wednesday, invited by the Cuban government.

According to the Fund's representation on the island, during her visit, she will meet with national authorities, tour the projects developed by United Nations Population Fund in Cuba and participate in the Cuba-Health 2022 International Convention, inaugurated the day before.

The senior official has a track record of more than 30 years of strategic leadership in the fields of medicine, public and reproductive health, social justice, and philanthropy.

Her academic career began at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Columbia University School of Public Health.

From 2014 to 2016, Kanem represented t   United Nations Population Fund in the United Republic of Tanzania, and in July of that year, she was appointed United Nations Population Fund's Deputy Executive Director responsible for programs.

She also served as founding president of ELMA Philanthropies Inc, a private institution whose work primarily targets children and youth in Africa, and held the position of senior associate at the Lloyd Best Institute of the West Indies.

She holds a medical degree from Columbia University (New York) and a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Washington (Seattle). Her specialty is Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. She also graduated with honors from Harvard University, where she studied History and Science.

Natalia Kanem is the fifth Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund since the Fund began operations in 1969. (Source: PL)