Secretary-General Appoints Ted Chaiban of Lebanon Global Lead Coordinator for COVID-19 Vaccine Country-Readiness, Delivery

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Ted Chaiban of Lebanon as Global Lead Coordinator for COVID‑19 Vaccine Country-Readiness and Delivery, at the level of Assistant Secretary-General, in UNICEF.

Mr. Chaiban will lead a senior inter-agency team to ensure an effective global response to the pandemic, supporting COVID-vaccine country readiness and delivery.  He will coordinate inter-agency efforts to forecast vaccine needs, as well as provide financial and technical assistance to overcome bottlenecks in country-level implementation.

Working for UNICEF since 1997, Mr. Chaiban has served as Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa; Director of Programmes; Director of Emergency Programmes; Country Representative in Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and Sudan; Regional Emergency Adviser for Eastern and Southern Africa; and Deputy Chief of Operations for the Operation Lifeline Sudan consortium based in Nairobi.

Before joining UNICEF, Mr. Chaiban was Country Representative for Catholic Relief Services in Haiti, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.

Mr. Chaiban holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and political science from Tufts University and a Master of Arts degree in development and Arab studies from Georgetown University.  He speaks English, French and Arabic.