Gwi-Yeop Son began her career in Haiti, assisting HIV/AIDS patients with a non-governmental organization. She then worked with the Country Women’s Association of Nigeria, focusing on microfinance schemes.
In 1994, Ms. Son was posted to Somalia as a Programme Officer with the United Nations (UN) Development Programme (UNDP), marking the beginning of 18 years with UNDP. After two years in Somalia, she worked in various other locations including Lao PDR, Timor-Leste during the pre-independence period, Indonesia during the first democratic elections, and the Tsunami 2004 period. She was also posted in New York to serve as a Programme Adviser on Afghanistan and as OCHA’s Director of Corporate Programmes. In OCHA, she was responsible for organizing the World Humanitarian Summit and provided direct oversight over work on communications, information services, policy development
and humanitarian financing including the CERF and the country-based pooled funds. Ms. Son took up her assignment as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator from August 2018 until August 2020. Subsequently, she assumed the Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia with the Development Coordination Office.