Lebanese-American Ted Chaiban. (Credit: UNI180371/UNICEF)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Lebanese-American Ted Chaiban as under-secretary-general, deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), his spokesperson Farhan Haq announced at a press briefing Tuesday. Chaiban will succeed Fayaz King of Zimbabwe in this role.
In his most recent role, Chaiban worked as the lead global coordinator for the preparation and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine to countries.
Prior to this latest appointment, Chaiban held a variety of senior positions at UNICEF, including regional director for the Middle East and North Africa; program director; emergency program director; representative in Ethiopia, Sudan and Sri Lanka; regional emergency advisor for eastern and southern Africa; and deputy chief of operations for the Operation Lifeline Sudan consortium based in Nairobi.
Prior to joining UNICEF in 1997, Chaiban was the country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Haiti, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. He also worked as a program manager with Catholic Relief Services, focusing on food security and child survival.
Chaiban holds a bachelor of science in biology and political science from Tufts University and a master of arts in development and Arabic studies from Georgetown University, both in the United States. He is fluent in English, French and Arabic.
This article was originally published in French by L'Orient-Le Jour.
