Prior to his appointed as the Director of the UNDP newly established Regional Hub for the Arab States in Amman, Khaled Abdel Shafi served in different senior positions at UNDP Headquarters in New York, at the Regional Bureau for Arab States (Chief Country Operations Division 2014-2015, Chief of Staff 2012-2013 and Senior Program Advisor and Special Advisor 2009-2011).
Abdel Shafi headed the UNDP Gaza Office for many years (1995-2008), leading the UN development work in close partnership with the newly established Palestinian Authority and Civil Society. He also played a leading role in the UN’s efforts for the reconstruction and recovery of the Gaza Strip. He also served as a member of the Gaza City Council 1995-2002 on a voluntary basis, heading the Gaza Municipal Committee for the City Development.
Abdel Shafi is an economist by training and served as a member of Governing Boards of some Civil Society Organizations in Palestine.
Areas of Expertise: Political and socio-economic analysis and advice; programme and operations planning and management; management oversight; leadership and team building; donor relations; and representation and multilateral negotiations.