The Resident Coordinator Office Team
Mr. Gustavo González brings more than 25 years of extensive managerial and leadership experience in development, humanitarian affairs and peacebuilding, performing for several UN entities across 3 continents (Central America, Africa and Middle-East). More recently, Mr. González worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as Director of the Business Development and Resource Mobilization Division. Prior to that, he was the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sub regional Development Coordinator for the Syria-related Crisis (2013-2017) covering operations in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. Before that, he was the UNDP Senior Country Director in Yemen (2011- 2013) during the Arab Spring transition, Country Director in Burundi (2007-2011) and Head of the Post-Conflict Unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2003-07).
He also served in various peacebuilding and reconstruction programmes in Guinea Bissau (2000-2002), working for the International Organization for Migration (IOM); in Central African Republic (1998-2000), for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS); in Angola, Liberia and Mozambique (1994-1997) for the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, and in Nicaragua (1990-1994), for the Organization of American States (OAS).
Mr. Gonzalez holds a Master Diploma from the University of Oxford-Said Business School (UK), and a Master in Philosophy from the Universidad del Salvador (Argentina). He is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
He also served in various peacebuilding and reconstruction programmes in Guinea Bissau (2000-2002), working for the International Organization for Migration (IOM); in Central African Republic (1998-2000), for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS); in Angola, Liberia and Mozambique (1994-1997) for the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, and in Nicaragua (1990-1994), for the Organization of American States (OAS).
Mr. Gonzalez holds a Master Diploma from the University of Oxford-Said Business School (UK), and a Master in Philosophy from the Universidad del Salvador (Argentina). He is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
Read more
Mr. Matija Kovač has joined UN Philippines in 2023 from North Macedonia, where he served as the Head of RC Office since early 2020. He also supported RCOs in Sudan (2021) and Kyrgyzstan (2022) in the same capacity. Before joining the UN RC System, he was with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Af-fairs (OCHA) where he worked in the areas of humanitarian financing, coordination and resource mo-bilization in Somalia, Sudan, Ukraine and with the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in New York. Prior to OCHA he worked for the UN in Sudan, had various short-term assignments in the fields of development and humanitarian response, and had worked in the private sector in Switzerland and Kenya. He is Slovenian, holds a Diploma in Political Science and Master’s degrees in International Affairs and in International Law.
Read more
Joshua Jediah Garcia
RCO
Data Management, Results Monitoring and Reporting Officer
Eden Grace Lumilan
RCO
Partnerships & Development Finance Officer
Eden brings 20 years of experience in sustainable development, strategic planning, cross-functional coordination, programme management, strategic partnerships and development finance. She began her career working for the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) where she held various positions including as Philippine Government focal person for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). She then joined the United Nations as Programme Manager handling aid coordination (2006-2008), as Coordination Analyst (2008-2019) performing various responsibilities including as informal Team Leader. She currently handles Partnerships and Development Finance, where she provides strategic advice and operational coordination across the partnership portfolio of the UN Philippines, actively seeking out synergies and joint programming to ensure effective, timely, coordinated UN system-wide support to Government and partners. She holds a bachelor’s degree in development studies and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of the Philippines.
Read more
John Alikpala
RCO
Development Coordination Officer - Economist
Mary Scheree Lynn Herrera Divinagracia
RCO
Programme Specialist
UN / Inter-Agency PSEA Coordinator
Ms. Signe Poulsen has served as the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the United Nations in the Philippines since July 2020. Prior to that, she served as the Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Seoul from 2015 to 2020. She has held various positions with the UN including in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Kyrgyzstan and Liberia. She holds an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Read more