Natalia Kanem
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Natalia Kanem | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| 5th Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund | |
| In office 3 October 2017 – 29 August 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Babatunde Osotimehin |
| Succeeded by | Diene Keita |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 November 1954[citation needed] |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Columbia University University of Washington |
Natalia Kanem is a Panamanian-American medical doctor who served as the executive director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, from 2017 to 2025.[1][failed verification] In this capacity, she was among the highest-ranking women at the United Nations and the first Latin American to head UNFPA.[2]
Kanem attended Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and science. She became involved in issues relating to women's rights as a Harvard undergraduate when she attended the first UN World Conference on Women in 1975.[3] She went on to earn a medical degree from Columbia University in New York, and a Master in Public Health with specializations in Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine from the University of Washington, Seattle.[4]