Rafael Peralta

Rafael, a national of Spain, has served in the United Nations for more than 15 years in different duty stations, with wide-ranging experience at the intersection of peace and security, and has a background in diplomacy, inter-agency coordination, the environment, and sustainable development.

Rafael joined UNEP in May of 2018 as Deputy Chief of Staff then served as Acting Chief of Staff since January 2019 until he was appointed as Chief of Staff in April 2021.

Prior to joining UNEP, Rafael served as a Senior Political Affairs Officer at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York where he worked in support of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Previously, he served as a Political Affairs Officer in New York working on Haiti, Somalia and other dossiers. He also served in Dakar working on regional issues, as well as in Port-au-Prince after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Before joining the United Nations, Rafael worked with other international organizations in Amman, Pristina and Sarajevo in different capacities.

Rafael holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Kent in Brussels as well as a degree in Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.