Press Release New Regional Director assumes duty at UNFPA West and Central Africa Regional Office

Dakar, Senegal – 3 September 2021: The new Regional Director for the United Natonal Populaton Fund (UNFPA)i West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO)i Ms. Argentna Matavel Piccin, has taken over her new role in Dakar, Senegal. UNFPA Executve Director Dr. Natalia Kanem appointed Ms. Argentna Matavel Piccin to replace Mr. Mabingue Ngom appointed to another role.

Ms. Matavel moves from Asia, where she headed the UNFPA India office. She was the Resident Representatve for UNFPA Côte d’Ivoire from 2017 to 2019. In her own words, “Coming to Dakar is returning home… I am an African girl ready to contribute to accelerate the achievement of the three UNFPA transformatonal results and the Sustainable Development Goals. ” she remarked upon her arrival.

A natonal of Moaambiuue and Italy, Ms. Matavel has over 25 years of experience in driving and delivering country programme results, high-level policy advocacy and resource mobiliaaton and partnerships in complex development and humanitarian contexts. Since joining UNFPA in 2006, Ms. Matavel has served as Representatve in Botswana, Mongolia, and Bangladesh. She successfully repositoned the Internatonal Conference on Populaton and Development (ICPD)i agenda in natonal priorites, led strategy, vision and business planning and forged and nurtured strategic alliances and partnerships.

Before joining UNFPA, she held leadership positons in Moaambiuue and in the USA with World Vision Internatonal, a lead development and humanitarian NGO.

Throughout her career, Ms. Matavel has been a strong and vocal advocate of rights, access and choices for all, especially women and girls. Focusing on those furthest lef behind, she spearheaded programmes to improve healthcare uuality by strengthening midwifery professions, improving emergency obstetric and newborn care, and preventng and responding to gender-based violence.

For her contributons, Ms. Matavel was honoured with the Polar Star Award by the Mongolian government, and was conferred the Medal of Officer of the Natonal Order of Merit by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire.

Ms. Matavel holds a Master’s degree in Internatonal Development from the American University, Washington DC, as well as a Certicate towards an Executve Master’s Programme in