Manuel Fontaine

Information

Biography

Special Adviser, Child Rights, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Manuel Fontaine was appointed Special Adviser, Child Rights, in the office of the UNICEF Executive Director in September 2023. Previously Director of the Office of Emergency Programmes, Manuel has more than 33 years of experience with UNICEF that combines managerial and technical leadership in both development and emergency contexts. Prior to that, Manuel served as Regional Director for the West and Central Africa Region (WCAR), responsible for overseeing UNICEF’s programmes in 24 countries. He was also WCAR Deputy Regional Director, Representative for Algeria, Senior Advisor Child Protection in New York Headquarters, Deputy Representative for Afghanistan, Somalia and Albania, and Head of Office in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Fontaine is a national of France. He holds a DEA (post-graduate diploma) in International Public Law and International Organizations from the University of Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne).