Country Director

Ms. Maryse Guimond assumed the position of Country Director of UN Women Türkiye on June 15, 2025.

With more than 30 years of experience in development and humanitarian action, Maryse Guimond has managed regional and country portfolios in diverse geographic regions, including the Middle East, North Africa, the Caribbean (Haiti), and West Africa. From late 2018 until June 2025, Ms. Guimond was the UN Women Special Representative in the State of Palestine, where she led and managed the country office portfolio, aligning UN Women's Strategic Plan with regional and national priorities.

Before this role, Ms. Guimond served as Deputy Regional Director a.i. in 2018 and as the SDG Advisor for UN Women Arab States in 2017. Throughout her tenure, she has successfully harnessed various inter-governmental processes to engage partners in inclusive dialogues on women’s rights and empowerment topics.

From 2013 to 2016, she was the Regional Programme Manager for the EU-UN Women Spring Forward for Women initiative in the Arab States; the Regional Programme provided a mechanism to advance the economic and political empowerment of women in the Southern Mediterranean region. 

Her career began in 1992, working with international development and humanitarian agencies such as Oxfam, Save the Children, and Plan International, focusing on basic social services, economic participation, gender equality, women's and children’s rights, and governance.

A Canadian national, Ms. Guimond holds a master’s degree in political science and international relations.