RCNY International Breakfast at the UN

RCNY International Breakfast at the UN - December 18, 2025 at the UN Church Center

Guest Presenter: Ms. Diene Keita, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Ms. Diene Keita has recently been appointed as Executive Director of the

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, with the rank of Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. She succeeds Natalia Kanem of Panama, Ms. Keita has served as Deputy Executive Director (Programme) of UNFPA since 2020, bringing over three decades of leadership in international development and public service.

Her career includes service as Minister for Cooperation and African Integration of Guinea, alongside extensive experience within the United Nations. She has held senior leadership positions within UNFPA, including as Representative in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She has acted as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mauritania, Benin and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ms. Keita began her United Nations career in 1990 with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Throughout her career, Ms. Keita has worked extensively on the empowerment of women and youth, including demographic issues and sustainable human development. She has focused on addressing sexual and reproductive health, as well as on ending gender-based violence in humanitarian settings.

Ms. Keita holds a doctorate in law and advanced degrees in international economics and development law and international relations from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France. She is fluent in English, French, Italian, and some local languages of West Africa, such as Malinké, Bambara, Sousou and with notion of Fulani.