DIPLOMAT CORRESPONDENT
When Fatou Aminata Lo took up her post as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Gabon in November 2025, she brought with her more than two decades of experience working across the UN system and on development issues in Africa.
As the UN Secretary-General’s designated representative in the country, Lo leads the United Nations Country Team and coordinates the work of various UN agencies in support of Gabon’s national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
A Senegalese national, Lo began her professional career in the private sector before joining the United Nations Millennium Project in New York in 2004. She subsequently worked with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, building expertise in governance, development policy and programme management.
Much of her career has been spent on the African continent. Since 2013, she has held senior leadership roles in Sudan, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, including serving as UN Women Resident Representative. Her work has focused on governance, gender equality, sustainable development and partnership-building.
Lo has consistently emphasised the importance of collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society in advancing development goals. She views the private sector as an important partner in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals through investment, innovation and strategic partnerships.
Her academic background reflects the breadth of her experience. She holds qualifications in business law, development studies and international relations from institutions in Senegal and the United States.
Beyond her professional work, Lo has long championed youth participation and women’s empowerment. In 1995, she represented Senegal as a youth delegate at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. She later received the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for Social Justice Award and was recognised among the Woodrow Wilson Center’s “Faces of the Future”.
Today, her role places her at the centre of the United Nations’ development efforts in Gabon, helping to ensure that the organisation’s agencies work together effectively while supporting the country’s development ambitions.
At a glance
Position: United Nations Resident Coordinator in Gabon
Nationality: Senegalese
Appointed: November 2025
Previous assignments: Sudan, Rwanda and Zimbabwe
Areas of focus: Sustainable development, governance, gender equality and partnerships
Education: Business Law, Development Studies and International Relations
