9/7/2026
UN Women does not officially use the title “CEO.” The head of UN Women is the Executive Director, and as of 2026, that position is held by Sima Bahous. She also holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. UN Women officially identifies Sima Bahous as its Executive Director.
This distinction is important for anyone searching for the CEO of UN Women. While “CEO” is sometimes used informally to describe the organization's top executive, the official United Nations title is Executive Director of UN Women.
Sima Bahous is a Jordanian diplomat and international development professional. She became Executive Director of UN Women in 2021, succeeding Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
As Executive Director, she leads the organization responsible for advancing gender equality and women's empowerment within the United Nations system.
UN Women operates under a broad mandate covering women's rights, economic empowerment, political participation, ending violence against women and girls, and women, peace and security.
The Executive Director provides strategic leadership to UN Women and represents the organization at the international level.
Her responsibilities include guiding the organization's global strategy, working with governments and UN Member States, engaging with civil society and international organizations, and overseeing UN Women's programmes and operations.
The Executive Director also plays an important advocacy role, raising gender equality and women's rights issues in major international forums.
No. Sima Bahous is not the UN Secretary-General. The Secretary-General leads the United Nations as a whole, while the Executive Director leads UN Women.
Sima Bahous has the rank of Under-Secretary-General, which is a senior level within the United Nations system. UN Women materials currently identify her as both UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.
UN Women was established by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly in July 2010. It was designed to consolidate several existing UN structures dealing with women's rights and gender equality.
The organization works throughout the UN system and with governments and civil society organizations.
Under Sima Bahous, UN Women continues to focus on accelerating progress toward gender equality and women's empowerment. Major priorities include eliminating violence against women and girls, strengthening women's economic opportunities, increasing women's participation in leadership and decision-making, and advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
UN Women also plays a significant role in international efforts connected with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In its recent global work, UN Women has emphasized that progress toward gender equality remains uneven and that stronger investment and political action are needed.
The term “CEO” is commonly used in business organizations to describe the person with overall executive responsibility. Because UN Women is an international organization rather than a private corporation, its official leadership structure uses UN titles instead.
Therefore, if you are looking for the UN Women CEO, the most accurate answer is:
Sima Bahous is the current Executive Director of UN Women. “Executive Director” is the official title rather than CEO.
This distinction is particularly useful for people researching UN Women careers, international organizations and senior UN leadership positions.
Unchannel - 9/7/2026