Director’s Corner

Roberto Benes assumes the position of Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean on 24 March 2025.

Mr. Benes has worked for UNICEF for more than 25 years and most recently, he served as the Director of UNICEF Tokyo Office, leading on partnership and resource mobilization with the Government of Japan.  Prior to that, Mr. Benes was the Director of Generation Unlimited, the UNICEF-hosted global public-private partnership for young people.

His previous work for UNICEF includes Representative for Argentina and Mongolia and serving in the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, in Banda Aceh Field Office in Indonesia (Indian Ocean Tsunami Emergency Response), Senegal Country Office, as well as UNICEF Global Office of Research (Innocenti Center). His technical expertise includes child protection and social policy, as well as partnership and resource mobilization. 

Before joining UNICEF, Mr. Benes collaborated with International NGOs in Colombia and Peru and served as an Officer of the Italian Coast Guard responsible for Search and Rescue operations at sea.

Mr. Benes is an Italian citizen and holds a degree in International and Diplomatic Relations and a Master in Development Cooperation.