Director, Liaison Office to the European Union and Belgium, UN Habitat

A national of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean Bakole is currently Director of the UN-HABITAT Representation Office to the European Union in Brussels. Prior to this appointment, he was Senior Advisor to the Office of the UN-HABITAT Executive Director, during which he was acting as Head of the UN-HABITAT Brussels Office from 2003 to 2005. Prior to joining UN-HABITAT, he worked as a Consultant for several International Organisations such as the European Commission and UNCTAD and as Director of the Permanent Representation Office of the Coalition of African Organisations for Food Security and Sustainable Development (COASAD) in Europe. Jean Bakole remains engaged in the coordination and coherence of pan-African organisations in the areas of food security, trade and sustainable development and is Honorary International Representative of COASAD in Europe. He has written several articles on food security and sustainable urban development with a special focus on African cities.