In September 2019, Alissar Chaker started as Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tunisia. Previously, she held various management positions with UNDP in crisis and post-crisis and complex development contexts. She was Deputy Resident Representative in Honduras (2016- 2019), a country known for its high crime rate, during an acute political crisis and several waves of migration. During her tenure, she provided strategic and technical support to the UN-sponsored national political dialogue and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including SDGs localization through private initiative. Previously, she acted as Deputy Country
Director in Syria (2013-2015) during peak humanitarian crisis and forced internal displacement.
She also served as Regional Coordinator for Crisis Prevention and Recovery at the Regional Center in Cairo (2012-2013) where she advised ten governments and country offices on planning and capacity building for conflict and disaster prevention and recovery, humanitarian response, and social cohesion. As Assistant Country Director in East Timor (2007-2012), she was responsible for the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit and contributed to the development and implementation of the national recovery strategy, namely, its pillars on socio-economic reintegration of IDPs, conflict management in return communities and security sector reform. She joined UNDP in late 2005 within the framework of the UNDP Leadership Development Programme for Young Professionals (LEAD). As part of this programme, she began her career with UNDP as Programme Specialist posted to the UNDP administered United Nations Volunteers Programme in Bonn, Germany (2005-2007) where she contributed to conflict prevention and social inclusion in central Europe and disaster risk management in Bhutan, India and Nepal, through strengthening youth engagement and national volunteer infrastructure.
Previously, she worked in the field of environment and sustainable development with several international organizations, including the World Bank, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR ) and the European Union, in Switzerland, the Middle East and North Africa.
Ms. Chaker holds two Masters degrees in Engineering and Environmental Management from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland; and the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Her first degree in Agricultural Engineering is from the American University of Beirut (AUB). She published several scientific articles and served for more than 10 years on the Editorial Board of the scientific journal “Environmental Impact
Assessment Review” (Elsevier).Alissar is fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, and has knowledge of German, Italian, and Portuguese.
