Soo Jin Rhee

Ms. Soo Jin Rhee assumed her position as UNHCR Representative in Australia on 1 July 2025,bringing nearly three decades of experience with the organization. Over her 29-year career, she has held a wide range of roles across both field operations and headquarters, contributing to UNHCR’s mission in diverse and complex contexts.

Most recently, Ms. Rhee served in Geneva as the Principal Coordinator for the “Deliver Better Roadmap,” where she led strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing UNHCR’s efficiency and effectiveness in delivering protection and solutions for forcibly displaced and stateless populations.

Prior to that, she was Deputy Representative in Bangladesh, playing a pivotal role in UNHCR’s response to the Rohingya refugee crisis. Her earlier assignments at UNHCR Headquarters included serving as Senior Budget Advisor and Senior Policy Advisor, where she spearheaded key policy developments in resource allocation and results-based management. As Senior Resource Manager in the Regional Bureau for Africa, she oversaw a budget of approximately $1.3 billion, supporting operations across the continent.

Ms. Rhee began her career with UNHCR in 1996 as an Associate Programme Officer in Canberra, Australia. Since then, she has served in various capacities in Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Switzerland. Her areas of expertise span programme and operations management, protection,resettlement, durable solutions, field operations, budgeting, resource allocation, and staff capacity development.

Ms. Rhee holds a Master of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Journalism from Yonsei University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She is married and has one son.