Dr Samuel Rizk assumed the position of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Pakistan in July 2023. Prior to his appointment in Pakistan, Dr Rizk served as Head of Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding & Responsive Institutions (CPPRI) at the UNDP Crisis Bureau in New York.
He has also served as the Manager of the UNDP/RBAS Sub-Regional Response Facility (SRF) based in Amman, Jordan, supporting the organisation’s regional response to the crisis in Syria. From July 2015 to October 2017, Dr Rizk was the UNDP Country Director in Syria, and before that, he served as Senior Programme Advisor with the Regional Bureau for Arab States in New York. He also served as Peace and Development Advisor in Sudan and Conflict Prevention Advisor in Yemen for the UN System.
Dr Rizk holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University (2012), an MA in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo (AUC), and a BA in Political Science from Hanover College, Indiana, USA.
