Ms. Varsha Redkar-Palepu

UNDP Rwanda Deputy Resident Representative

Varsha brings over 25 years of diverse international and community development experience and 20 years as a UN professional, spanning from serving at UNDP Headquarters in NY, Africa, Arab States/MENA, Europe/CIS and Asia.  Varsha has been a leader in governance, gender equality, sustainable inclusive growth and is passionate about youth empowerment and leadership development. Whether supporting governance platforms for women, sustainable financing for development or advancing policies that leave no one behind, Varsha brings a seasoned approach to partnership engagement.  Varsha has led programmes that have proven impact through embracing collaboration, innovation and digital transformation as enablers to fast-track solutions that improves people’s quality of life.   

In previous roles Varsha served as Head of the United Nations' Resident Coordinator's Office & Senior Policy Advisor for Ethiopia and was UNDP Head of the Regional UNDG Secretariat Arab States/ MENA.  Other roles included UNDP Assistant Resident Representative and Head of RC Office in Armenia, Constitutional Development Team Leader as a UNDP Governance Advisor for Somalia, supporting the inaugural One UN pilot countries at the UNSSC , and serving as a Capacity Development Specialist within UNDP Headquarters in New York.   Varsha has worked towards empowering communities through Community Health advocacy in Canada and as a Gender Researcher in Sri Lanka.

Varsha is a lifelong learner and is a Senior Executive Fellow - Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, and holds a Master of International Public Administration, New York University, USA, and Degrees in Education- University of Toronto and International Development & Philosophy from the University of Guelph, Canada.  She is Canadian, and a proud citizen of her mother countries India and Sri Lanka.