Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo

Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo was appointed Acting WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Yemen in January 2025.

A distinguished pediatrician and public health expert, Dr Ferima holds a Ph.D. in public health nutrition and brings over 30 years of experience in strengthening health care systems and advancing health and nutrition outcomes.

Dr Ferima has worked extensively at the national and international levels, collaborating with ministries of health and global partners on behalf of WHO. Her expertise spans clinical and public health, with a strong focus on institutional capacity building, policy development and programme implementation.

Dr Ferima served as Senior Technical Officer for Health and Nutrition at WHO’s Regional Office for Africa (2007–2019) where she played a pivotal role in policy formulation, strategic planning and resource mobilization, including during the 2012 Sahel food and nutrition crisis, and engaged in high-level dialogues with the African Union and regional bodies, contributing to the development of health and nutrition strategies.

Since 2019, Dr Ferima has been driving donor engagement, government collaboration and humanitarian response efforts in Yemen, Her leadership has been instrumental in mobilizing resources and strengthening WHO’s impact in the country.

Dr Ferima was an assistant lecturer in pediatrics at Côte d’Ivoire’s Medical Faculty from 1991 to 1998, where she trained over 200 medical students and 15 pediatricians.

Her extensive experience in public health, policy advocacy and emergency response makes her well-positioned to lead WHO Yemen as it addresses the country’s critical health challenges.