Neus Bernabeu holds degrees in Communication Sciences and Political Science, with a specialization in International Relations. She has further augmented her qualifications with a diploma in International Cooperation, a Masters degree in Gender and Development from the Complutense University of Madrid, and a postgraduate degree in Gender and Public Policy from FLACSO/PRIGEPP.
Her professional journey commenced at an early age as a journalist in both radio and print media in Barcelona, her native city, concurrently engaging in various social and development cooperation organizations. Ms. Bernabeu possesses over two decades of experience in the fields of development and international cooperation, having served private foundations, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations, specifically the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Her work has spanned several countries across Africa and Latin America. Her primary professional focus has encompassed human development, human rights, equality and non-discrimination, and the empowerment of women and youth at local, national, and regional levels within Latin America and the Caribbean.
From 2016 to 2021, she held the position of Gender and Youth Advisor at the United Nations Population Fund Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. In this capacity, she spearheaded regional initiatives concerning gender equality, adolescence and youth, and contributed to organizational strategies designed to advance the rights of marginalized population groups, including indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant populations, and persons with disabilities. Notably, her assignments included multi-stakeholder regional coordination efforts to monitor the ICPD. From 2021 to 2025, she served as the UNFPA Representative in El Salvador promoting effective strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy, sexual violence and early unions and marriages. She also led the technical assistance for the successful development of the population census. She mobilized important financial and in-kind resources from public and private partners to support key initiatives for the UNFPA mandate.
As of 29 August 2025, she assumed the role of Country Representative in the Philippines.
