Mr. Peter Hawkins is a senior international development, humanitarian, peace and security professional with extensive experience in strategic leadership, programme management and delivery, humanitarian diplomacy, emergency response, governance and global policy.
Prior to his appointment as United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim in Iraq, Mr. Hawkins served as UNICEF Representative in Yemen from 2022 to June 2026. He previously served as UNICEF Representative in Nigeria from 2019 to 2022 and in Iraq from 2015 to 2019, leading large-scale development and humanitarian programmes and engaging at senior political levels on complex development, humanitarian and security issues. He has also served as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim on multiple occasions.
Before joining UNICEF, Mr. Hawkins held senior management and coordination positions with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), working across development, stabilization, crisis and post-conflict contexts, including in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. He also served as Global Head of Programme Management, contributing to reforms aimed at strengthening programme management and accountability.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Hawkins held several senior positions with Save the Children, including Regional Director for East and Central Africa, Regional Director for South Asia and Emergency Coordinator. He also served in field positions in Angola, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia and contributed to the development of global humanitarian policy and standards.
Mr. Hawkins holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in African Language (Amharic) and Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He is fluent in English and Amharic and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.
