Ms. Varsha Redkar-Palepu

UNDP Rwanda Deputy Resident Representative

Prior to her appointment as UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Varsha served as Head of the United Nations' Resident Coordinator's Office & Senior Policy Advisor for Ethiopia 2018-19, and was UNDP Head of the Regional UNDG Secretariat Arab States/ MENA in New York 2013-2017. 

Varsha served as UNDP Assistant Resident Representative for Armenia 2011-13 and UNDP Governance Advisor for Somalia 2009-12. Varsha supported the first generation One UN pilot countries as Programme Specialist UNSSC 2007-09, prior to that she was UNDP's Learning & Capacity Development Specialist at Headquarters in New York from 2003-07. 

Varsha has worked as an educator in Community Health promoting youth and women’s empowerment and with the Canadian Ontario College of Teachers 1998-2002. She was a Gender Researcher in Sri Lanka with the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, and the University of Guelph 1996-97.

Varsha is a Senior Executive Fellow, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, and holds a Master of International Public Administration, New York University, Bachelors of Education from the University of Toronto and a Bachelors of International Development & Philosophy, University of Guelph, Canada.