Erin Kenny

Head of the Technical Unit, Spotlight Initiative

Ms. Erin Kenny is the Head of the Technical Unit of the Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls. In this United Nations-based role she provides technical oversight to a 500 million Euro portfolio of programmes worldwide, the largest ever single investment in addressing violence against women and girls.

Erin has 25 years of experience addressing violence against women, nearly all of which have focused on humanitarian and fragile contexts. Prior to assuming her current position, Erin was a Team Leader in UNFPA’s Humanitarian Division, overseeing their work on addressing gender-based violence in emergencies. Before joining the UN, Erin worked in East and West Africa, the Former Yugoslavia, and South-East Asia with a number of non-governmental organizations and foundations, including: the International Rescue Committee, Child Fund International, EngenderHealth, Save the Children, the Women’s Refugee Commission, and the Open Society Foundations.

Erin holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University.