Julitta Onabanjo is a leader in global reproductive health, gender equality, and women’s rights, significantly advancing these areas through her leadership at UNFPA.
Dr Julitta Onabanjo has spent nearly three decades influencing women’s health, gender equality, and population development. A Nigerian-American physician and global public health expert, she currently serves as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative in Malaysia and Country Director in Thailand, where she leads programs focused on advancing sexual and reproductive health, rights, and gender equality. Her work continues a lifelong commitment to building systems that protect women’s dignity, amplify youth voices, and drive sustainable development.
Onabanjo’s path to leadership began with a strong academic foundation. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology from the University of London, a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Zambia, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This blend of biology, medicine, and public health equipped her to understand both the science of health and the structural challenges affecting it in developing countries.
Julitta Onabanjo joined UNFPA in 1995, beginning a distinguished career that would take her across Africa and beyond. Over the years, she held various technical, advisory, and leadership positions, including Technical Adviser, Special Assistant to the UNFPA Executive Director, and UNFPA Representative in Tanzania and South Africa.
Her leadership became most visible when she was appointed Regional Director for East and Southern Africa in 2013, a role she held for nearly nine years. From her base in that position, she oversaw 23 country offices, strengthening partnerships, guiding health programs, and ensuring that gender equality, reproductive rights, and youth empowerment remained central to UNFPA’s mission in the region.
Under her regional leadership, UNFPA supported governments in aligning national strategies with the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) agenda, emphasising the interconnectedness of health, human rights, and sustainable development.
Her programs also contributed to tangible outcomes such as reducing maternal mortality, improving access to family planning, and expanding services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence.
Additionally, she championed youth-focused initiatives that addressed reproductive health education, HIV/AIDS prevention, and gender discrimination, helping to empower young people as key agents of change.
In August 2021, the health expert was appointed Director of the Technical Division at UNFPA Headquarters in New York. There, she provided strategic direction to global programs, advanced technical innovation, and strengthened the organisation’s role in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.
By June 2024, she transitioned to her current assignment in Malaysia and Thailand, continuing her work to design and oversee programs that improve equitable access to health services, support government policy reforms, and strengthen health systems through data-driven decision-making. Her leadership in these countries continues to improve national commitment to gender equality and reproductive rights, improve maternal health outcomes, and create more inclusive platforms for youth engagement and women’s empowerment.
Across all her roles, Onabanjo’s message has been consistent with ensuring that gender equality and reproductive rights are fundamental to human progress. She has influenced international policy dialogues, mobilised resources for reproductive health, and inspired stronger governmental accountability for women’s and girls’ rights.
