South Sudan
Our Team
Senior Management
The UNDP Resident Representative (RR) is the accredited senior UNDP official in the country who represents, leads, and is accountable for, harnessing and directing the full potential of UNDP’s global capabilities, and those of its associated funds and programmes, in support of national development strategies and collaborative partnerships. The Resident Representative is supported by two Deputies, one for Programmes and one for Operations. The UNDP Office in South Sudan is made up of about 200 staff in South Sudan.
Dr. Mohammed Abchir
Resident Representative
Dr. Mohamed Abchir Aouale, PhD, brings over three decades of professional experience, with 23 years dedicated to the United Nations at various levels – nationally, regionally and globally, dealing with strategic, programmatic, and operational challenges. His expertise lies in navigating crises, post-crisis scenarios, and fragile settings across Africa, including complex UN Mission environments and humanitarian contexts. Notably, Dr. Abchir has e ectively engaged with governments, development partners, and NGOs on political and developmental issues in diverse, often sensitive, landscapes.
With a strong leadership background, Dr. Abchir has provided strategic guidance to UNDP Country Offices for more than 18 years, serving in a diverse range of managerial roles. Prior to his assignment at UNDP South Sudan, Dr. Abchir was the Resident Representative in Benin between November 2020 and June 2024. He previously worked at the Regional Bureau for Africa as Senior Country Advisor and Team Leader in charge of Eastern and Southern Africa (2018-2020), providing strategic, programmatic, technical, and operational support and advice to 21 countries in his region. He also served at UNDP Congo Brazzaville as Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes and Operations (2015-2018) and as Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes in UNDP Sierra Leone (2011-2015).
In 2013, he served in Sierra Leone as interim UNDP Country Director during a crucial moment in the country's history, when, after the 2012 elections, the United Nations Political Mission was drawing from the country. Under his leadership, UNDP supported the Government in this transition by setting up ambitious programs and mobilizing resources for several sectors to revive the national economy.
Dr. Abchir worked in Geneva, Switzerland, as Africa Regional Advisor for the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) (2005-2011) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2001-2005). During his tenure, he successfully designed and coordinated several initiatives, and led post-crisis and post-disaster assessment missions, both from the headquarters as well as physically on the ground, in Haiti, Burkina Faso, CAR, CHAD, South Sudan. Outside UNDP, He worked for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy, as a consulting advisor (1999 and 2000).
Apart from his programmatic and operational roles, Dr. Abchir has a rich research background, having also worked as a researcher and academic. In Djibouti, Dr. Abchir was the Director of the Earth Sciences Department (1994-2001) at the Institut Supérieur d'Etudes et de Recherche Scienti ques et Techniques (ISERST), where he advised the Presidency of the Republic and various ministries on renewable energy, natural disaster management, job creation, and poverty alleviation, among other issues.
Dr. Abchir's track record re ects impactful leadership in partnership building and resource mobilization across various critical sectors such as elections, peacebuilding, sustainable development, and resilience building. His technical acumen in crisis recovery, disaster risk reduction, climate change, and natural resource management, coupled with a knack for fostering South-South cooperation, underscores his holistic approach to development challenges.
Moreover, Dr. Abchir's familiarity with issues in Central, East, and Horn of Africa bolsters his network with regional institutions, highlighting his adeptness in representing UNDP's interests and fostering regional collaboration. Fluent in English, French, and Somali, and moderate in Arabic, his multicultural background and passion for African development positions UNDP favorably in engaging with host governments and regional stakeholders.
Sheila Ngatia
Deputy Resident Representative, Programmes
Sheila Ngatia is the Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes (DRR - P) for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Sudan, bringing a wealth of expertise and experience to the role. She previously served as the DRR in UNDP Uganda and was the Assistant Resident Representative and Head of Programmes in UNDP Kenya. With a strong background in governance and development, Sheila is a qualified lawyer, holding a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws degree (Merit) from the University of London.
In her capacity as the DRR-P, Sheila supports the Resident Representative in managing UNDP's Programmes to fully leverage the organization's expertise, capabilities, and partnerships in advancing the development objectives of South Sudan. Her extensive experience encompasses strategic management, leadership, organizational operations, policy development, results-based programming, coordination, and partnership building.
Before her tenure at UNDP, Sheila worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), where she managed a justice sector capacity-building programme for Eastern and Southern Africa. She began her professional journey in the private sector, working as a legal practitioner at the law firm Hamilton Harrison and Mathews in Nairobi.
A Chevening Scholar, Sheila has undergone comprehensive professional training, including Leadership Development at IESE Business School, University of Navarra in Barcelona, Spain; an Executive Course on Creating Collaborative Solutions at Harvard University’s J.F. Kennedy School of Government; a Diploma in Project Management from the University of Bradford, UK; and mediation training from the Mediation Training Institute, Eastern Africa.
Sheila is deeply passionate about empowering communities, particularly youth and women, to develop, thrive, and achieve their full potential. Her commitment to fostering sustainable development and social equity makes her a valuable asset to UNDP South Sudan.
Debab Asrat Ynessu
Deputy Resident Representative, Operations
Debab Asrat Ynessu is a seasoned Operations Management professional with over 20 years of experience in Operations Management. She has served as a Deputy Resident Representative - Operations for UNDP in East, Central, and West Africa. Prior to joining the South Sudan Country Office Team in July 2023, Debab served in the same capacity at the UNDP Country Offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia.
Before joining UNDP, she held senior positions, the last one being serving as the Chief Financial Officer for Ethiopian Airlines, where she was in charge of the airline’s financial resources, including airline acquisitions.
Ms. Debab has a master’s degree in Business Administration and is a fellow of ACCA (Association of Chartered and Certified Accounts-UK). She is multilingual – fluent in French and English and her mother tongue, Amharic.