Ms. Lana Al Wreikat

Ms. Lana Al Wreikat serves as UNICEF’s Director for the Gulf Area, covering Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, and acts as UNICEF’s principal liaison with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In this role, she provides leadership and strategic vision to UNICEF’s programmes in the region, advancing children’s rights and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, while leveraging partnerships and financing to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children worldwide.

Previously, Ms. Al Wreikat served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) in New York, where she led global responses to major humanitarian crises in Gaza, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ukraine. She played a pivotal role in embedding climate resilience and innovation into UNICEF’s humanitarian strategies and spearheaded new approaches to Public Financing for Children (PF4C) in fragile contexts. She also championed efforts to strengthen foresight, enhance risk analysis and preparedness, accelerate response, and deliver more sustainable, tech-driven solutions for children.

She has also served as UNICEF Representative to the Sultanate of Oman and to Libya, and led large-scale emergency operations in Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as in Syria, where she was Head of the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Operations. Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. Al Wreikat worked with the United Nations University and held senior leadership roles in major ICT companies in the Middle East, where she managed pioneering regional programmes in educational technology and digital learning innovation.

With over two decades of leadership across the United Nations, the multilateral system, and the private sector, Ms. Al Wreikat has worked in conflict, fragile, and stable contexts across Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Gulf. She brings a unique combination of operational leadership, policy expertise, and innovation—bridging climate action, technology, and child rights to drive a more sustainable future for every child.