Jessica Faieta is UN Assistant Secretary-General and has been UNDP Director for Latin America and the Caribbean since May 2014. Previously, she held the position of Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean starting in October 2012.

Ms. Faieta was formerly the Senior Country Director in Haiti, leading UNDP’s recovery and reconstruction efforts on the island after the January 2010 earthquake. Prior to her assignment in Haiti, she was the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in El Salvador and Belize from 2007 to2010. From 2005 to 2006, she served in the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, first as Principal Officer to the Chef de Cabinet, then as Director of the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General. Ms. Faieta was also the Deputy Director and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the UNDP Administrator.

She started her career with UNDP in 1991 as a UN Volunteer programme officer in Guyana. She joined the Management Training Programme in 1993 as Policy Officer and subsequently became Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Finance and Administration. In 1997, she was appointed Deputy Resident Representative (DRR) in Cuba. She also served as DRR in Panama from 1998 to 2001 and in Argentina from 2001 to2002. Before joining the UNDP, she worked for the Canadian Embassy in Ecuador from1987 to1991.

Ms. Faieta is an Ecuadorian national and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and another in International Affairs, both from Columbia University. She is also a Yale University World Fellow.