Mr. Masaki Watabe is currently serving as the Representative Ad Interim for UNFPA in Bangladesh.
He has more than 25 years of international experience in development cooperation and humanitarian action. As the UNFPA Deputy Representative, he has been providing program leadership for sustainable development and humanitarian response, with a focus on promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), addressing gender-based violence, supporting adolescent and youth empowerment, and working with demographic data and intelligence since August 2022. Prior to this role, he held the position of UNFPA Deputy Representative in Malawi. Earlier in his career, Mr. Watabe served as the Head of Office in Japan for UN OCHA and as a Humanitarian Affairs Officer for the Asia-Pacific region based in New York. He also worked with UNHCR in Zambia and Geneva, as well as with OHCHR. He began his professional career at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA, formerly Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund), where he managed Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects for Bangladesh in rural and infrastructure development and poverty reduction.
Mr. Watabe holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries, as well as a bachelor's degree from Japan’s Waseda University in Political Science.
