Antonia De Meo ’89
OHCHR Representative & Chief of Human Rights and Rule of Law Service, United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)

Antonia De Meo
Antonia De Meo is a senior leader in peacebuilding, human rights and development organizations with 19 years of field experience in 8 countries on 4 continents.

She is a trusted advisor in conflict, transition, and highly complex security and political contexts. A trial lawyer by training, she has been appointed to senior management positions at the United Nations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and a hybrid court since 2002. She is a member of the UN Senior Women Talent Pipeline.

She currently “double-hats” as the Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Libya and Chief of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Service at the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Previously she served as the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the largest UN Agency with 32,000 staff (2014-2018). She also held senior management positions with UNICEF in Sri Lanka and Sudan (2011-2014), the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Sudan (2011-2012), and UNOPS in Palestine, Iraq, and Jordan (2009-2011). She was the Anti-Trafficking and Gender Advisor for the OSCE Mission to Moldova (2005-2007), Deputy Registrar of the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2000-2003), and she commenced her overseas development work for ABA CEELI in Moldova (1999-2000). A citizen of the United States and Italy, and born and raised in Palo Alto, California, Antonia holds degrees from Wellesley College (BA), Lewis & Clark Law School (JD), and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (MPA/MC). She is admitted to practice law in the States of Oregon and Washington.