16 February 2026 21:35 UTC · UN Secretary-General · UN SG Press Release · Source · Email X Link

UN Secretary-General appoints Awa Dabo Deputy High Commissioner

Key points

Appoints Awa Dabo as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
Awa Dabo succeeds Nada Al Nashif

TL;DR

Awa Dabo of Gambia is appointed Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights; she succeeds Nada Al Nashif and has extensive UN experience in human rights, crisis recovery, peacebuilding, humanitarian affairs and development; holds an LLM in international human rights law from the University of Nottingham and speaks English, Krio, Mandinka, Pidgin and Wolof.

Original text

Secretary-General Appointments United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Awa Dabo of Gambia as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. She will succeed Nada Al Nashif of Jordan, to whom the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights are deeply grateful for her contribution to the Organization, and particularly her dedicated stewardship during a period of exceptional challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent financial crisis, as well as for her committed leadership in advancing key United Nations management and partnership reform priorities. Awa Dabo has extensive experience in human rights, crisis recovery, peacebuilding and prevention, humanitarian affairs and development. She has held several senior level positions within the UN, at country and headquarters levels, most recently as Director and Deputy Head of the UN’s Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office, where she has been leading and managing efforts to develop peacebuilding strategies and initiatives and building a strong interface with internal and external partners. Ms. Dabo previously served as Chief of Country Oversight and Support for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa, Senior Adviser and Head of the Crisis and Fragility Policy and Engagement Team for the Crisis Bureau of UNDP, Country Director for UNDP in the United Republic of Tanzania, and Regional Programme Manager and Team Leader at UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. Ms. Dabo, who started her UN career as a UN Volunteer, also worked with other UN and non-UN entities, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the African Society of International and Comparative Law. Ms. Dabo holds a Master of Laws in international human rights law from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. In addition to her native English, Krio and Mandinka, she is fluent in Pidgin and Wolof.

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