Manuel Fontaine was appointed UNICEF Director of the Office of Emergency Programmes in early January 2017. Previously Regional Director for the West and Central Africa Region (WCAR), Manuel has more than 25 years of experience with UNICEF that combines managerial and technical leadership in both development and emergency contexts. In his role as Regional Director for WCAR, he was responsible for overseeing UNICEF’s programmes in 24 countries. Prior to that, he served as WCAR Deputy Regional Director, Representative for Algeria, Senior Advisor Child Protection in New York Headquarters, Deputy Representative for Afghanistan, Somalia and Albania, and Head of Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Prior to joining UNICEF, Mr. Fontaine worked for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Mr. Fontaine is a national of France. He holds a DEA (post-graduate diploma) in International Public Law and International Organizations from the University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne).