Head of Department
Melissa Fleming
Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications
Melissa Fleming is Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations, having taken up her post in September 2019.
Ms. Fleming leads the UN’s Department of Global Communications, which is responsible for informing global audiences about the state of the world and engaging them to build support for the Organization’s work and goals.
In this role, Ms. Fleming oversees the UN’s strategic communications operations, including its multilingual news and digital media services, public outreach programmes, and global campaigns.
Under her leadership, the UN Department of Global Communications engages in far-reaching efforts to address misinformation, disinformation and hate speech. She is leading on the development of a Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms.
Previously, Ms. Fleming served 10 years at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as Head of Global Communications. Prior to that, she was the Spokesperson and Head of Media and Outreach at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). She also headed the Press and Public Information team at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Ms. Fleming is a TED speaker, the author of the book, A Hope More Powerful than the Sea, and the host of the award-winning UN podcast, Awake at Night.
Ms. Fleming holds a Master of Science in Journalism from the College of Communication, Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from Oberlin College.
