Yves Sassenrath brings over 30 years of expertise in humanitarian and development work with international NGOs and multilateral organizations. He began his career as a volunteer in Romania and India, followed by assignments with Médecins Sans Frontières in the areas of humanitarian health and water/sanitation programs in Colombia and the Amazon basin. 

After a stint at a European investment bank in Luxembourg, Yves joined the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Senegal as Assistant Resident Representative in 1999, focusing on local governance, decentralization, and microfinance. 

In 2001, he joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York where he held several managerial positions, including External Relations and Resource Mobilization, Head of Operations & Advocacy of the Human Development Report Office and as special advisor of the Millennium (MDG) Trust Fund. As Chief Operating Officer covering the RC system, he contributed to the development of the BOS and the Common Back Office model, which is now implemented across many UN country operations.

Yves joined UNFPA in 2015 as Deputy Representative in Brazil, addressing the Venezuelan migrant crisis, and as Resident Representative in Haiti, where he managed the country’s fifth census and programs in maternal health and community violence reduction. Most recently, as Representative in Mali, he directed initiatives in health, protection, and youth peace and security.

Yves holds an MA in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Glasgow. Fluent in several languages, he is married with three children and has joined UNFPA in Egypt as Country Representative effective 1 August 2024.