Kareem Elbayar

Head of the Private Sector Unit - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Kareem Elbayar is Head of the Private Sector Unit at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), where he leads a team that works with businesses around the world to make humanitarian response more effective and efficient. He is also the Programme Coordinator of the Connecting Business Initiative, a partnership between OCHA and the United Nations Development Programme that works with chambers of commerce, business federations, and corporate foundations to mobilize and coordinate local businesses before, during, and after emergencies. Previously, Kareem held positions as the Partnerships Manager for OCHA’s Centre for Humanitarian Data (2018-2021) and Technology Partnerships Advisor for the Director of OCHA’s Corporate Programmes Division (2016-2018). He also served as a Programme Manager for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Iraq (2013-2016), overseeing a portfolio of law reform and emergency humanitarian relief projects in Baghdad and Erbil. Prior to joining the UN, Kareem worked as a Legal Advisor at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, specializing in freedom of association in the Arab world. Kareem holds a Juris Doctor and a Masters in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.