Operations Chief for the Middle East and North Africa Section
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in NY
Paola Emerson is the Operations Chief for the Middle East and North Africa Section of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in NY since 2015. She is responsible for providing strategic and operational support to Syria (including Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon hubs and the RHC Syria office), Yemen (including Amman and Ryadh hubs), Iraq, oPt and Libya and the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa to ensure effective humanitarian response. From mid 2014 to mid 2015, as Deputy Head of OCHA in Juba, South Sudan, Ms Emerson coordinated humanitarian assistance to people in need as result of the civil conflict that erupted in December 2013. As Head of the Resident Coordinator Office in Yemen, Ms Emerson provided strategic advice to the head of the UN in Yemen on development and transition issues. Ms. Emerson received her Master’s Degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University and her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Near East Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
