Please join us in welcoming Jenny Karlsen as UNFPA Deputy Director, Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean based in Bridgetown, Barbados.
She is a passionate development professional with almost two decades of progressive programming, management and leadership experience in UNFPA and the UN Development System including UNDP, WFP, UNOPS and UN Coordination.
Ms. Karlsen champions the urgency to achieve pace and scale of targeted multi-sectoral investments to address the unfinished business for women, adolescent girls and young people working across government, civil society, academia and the private sector.
In her most recent role as Deputy Representative of UNFPA Mozambique, her commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable women, girls and youth made Ms. Karlsen instrumental in doubling the size of the new Country Programme (from $40 mln to $90 mln) and tripling the humanitarian programme to respond to the triple Cs of conflict, cyclones and COVID-19.
Ms. Karlsen also led several joint programming efforts on gender-based violence, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights and data, including to position UNFPA as lead entity on new initiatives such as the EU funded Spotlight to end gender-based violence and harmful practices and the multi-donor trust fund for census support.
Before joining UNFPA, Jenny has served in other middle income contexts including as Head of UN Coordinator Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of China and as Head of Strategic and Private sector partnerships for UNDP Brazil.
As a Sami (indigenous peoples in Norway), Ms. Karlsen has been a passionate advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples from a young age, starting off as a volunteer for indigenous rights movements in Peru. Ms. Karlsen holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and Economics (Stockholm School of Economics) and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (London School of Economics). Originally from Norway, she is the mother of two girls.
Welcome to the Caribbean Jenny!
