Dr. Jacqueline Olweya holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Economics and Planning of Education from Kenyatta University, Kenya, and a Master of Philosophy in the same discipline from Moi University, Kenya. She is a teacher by profession, having pursued a Bachelor of Education in Mathematics and Economics.

Dr. Jacqueline has published several books and articles on a wide range of topics, including strategic planning, governance, education, HIV&AIDS, poverty reduction, and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, all from a gender perspective. She is passionate about girls’ and women’s empowerment, inspired by the journey her mother walked as a community leader and her own career path, leading her to mentor upcoming females for career advancement.

Prior to her current appointment as the Resident Representative for UNDP in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Dr. Jacqueline served as the Deputy Resident Representative for Programmes for UNDP in Somalia. She previously held several senior positions within the UNDP and the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) in various countries, at headquarters in New York, and at the regional level as the Head of Secretariat for the Regional UN Development Group for Eastern and Southern Africa.

This is part of a 25-year journey in development work, policy analysis, formulation, and dialogue informed by research and practical experience, as well as an excellent understanding of capacity development challenges, designing, and delivering requisite capacity-building programmes. Jacquiy (as she prefers to be called) continues to provide high-level policy advisory, team-building, and capacity development support to governments, the United Nations, civil society organizations, and academia.She brings extensive knowledge of human development issues in different country contexts, including crisis and post-conflict countries, developing countries (LDCs), and middle-income countries (MICs). She has the ability and experience to effectively analyze development issues and contribute to high-level policy dialogue and consensus-building from a gender perspective, having supported over 40 countries in Africa and beyond.

Equally, Dr. Jacqueline demonstrates excellent knowledge of the UN system's functionality, both internally and in support of programme countries, based on her involvement in designing and delivering training for Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) on visioning, strategic planning, foresight planning, prioritization, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of development programmes, as well as training on leadership and team dynamics.These attributes are complemented by excellent facilitation and training skills, communication, and the ability to manage teams and people, honed over the years in nearly all parts of the globe.

Dr. Jacqueline brings a strong track record of leadership and demonstrated exemplary performance in cultural change and change management in her current and previous positions. These have earned her several global awards, including an Honorary Award from the Leadership Award of the United Kingdom, a commendation from the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) for outstanding contribution to UN reforms, acknowledgment by the Minister of Gender, Kenya, for her contributions towards the establishment of the Ministry of Gender, the National Commission of Gender and Development, and the Department of Gender and Development, as well as recognition from the Government of Kenya for her contributions towards the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the New Partnerships for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) initiatives.