Diene Keita becomes the sixth Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), holding the rank of Under-Secretary-General.
She brings over 30 years of leadership in international development, including ministerial and senior UN roles across Africa.
Keita highlights demographic shifts, gender equality, and reproductive rights as central to her agenda.
Diene Keita of Guinea has been appointed Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. She will serve with the rank of United Nations Under-Secretary-General, becoming the Fund’s sixth Executive Director.
Keita has been Acting Executive Director since July 16, 2025, and has served as UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director (Programme) since 2020. Her career spans more than three decades in public service and development, including as Guinea’s Minister of Cooperation and African Integration and as UN Resident Coordinator in Mauritania, Benin, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Within UNFPA, she has led country programs in Nigeria and the DRC, two of the organization’s largest operations. She began her UN career in 1990 with the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
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“I am deeply honoured to lead UNFPA at this pivotal moment,” Keita said. “In a world marked by rapid demographic shifts and uncertainty, UNFPA’s work to uphold rights and choices and help countries navigate change is more essential than ever. By safeguarding sexual and reproductive health and rights, we not only save lives—we lay the foundation for healthier, more resilient, and more prosperous societies. When women and young people thrive, entire nations prosper.”
Keita holds a doctorate in Law and advanced degrees in International Economics, Development Law, and International Relations from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is fluent in English, French, and Italian.
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