Asmaa Shalabi
Resident Representative
United Nations Development Programme – Bahrain
Asmaa Shalabi assumed her duties as the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Kingdom of Bahrain in November 2024. She leads UNDP’s strategic engagement with the Government and partners to advance sustainable development, economic diversification, institutional effectiveness, climate action and innovative development financing.
She brings two decades of United Nations experience across development, humanitarian affairs, political, crisis response and strategic planning. Prior to Bahrain, she served in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General, where she led the development of the inaugural UN Global Risk Report, bringing together global expertise to strengthen understanding of interconnected risks and preparedness for future challenges.
Ms. Shalabi has held leadership and advisory roles with UNDP and OCHA, with experience spanning Yemen, Sudan, Libya, the occupied Palestinian territory and the Gulf region, Asia and the Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Yemen, she led pioneering work assessing the impact of war on development, using strategic foresight and futures approaches to examine the consequences of conflict and inform policy and recovery planning.
Her areas of expertise include strategic foresight and risk analysis, crisis and resilience, sustainable development, strategic partnerships, resource mobilization and programme leadership. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
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