Kristen Knutson: A calling to serve in crisis
“I could find myself in a disaster and need help, and I hope there is somebody who would be there to provide assistance — like OCHA does.”
For Kristen Knutson, being a humanitarian isn’t just a profession — it’s a calling. Since January 2024, she has been leading OCHA’s office in Lebanon, navigating one of the region’s most intense conflicts in decades. It’s her seventh duty station with the United Nations, part of a career that spans over 20 years and more than a dozen emergencies around the world.
Kristen grew up in Madison Lake, a small town in southern Minnesota, in a community where helping others was second nature. “We organized food drives, visited older people during the holidays — volunteerism was just part of being a good member of the community,” she says. That spirit stayed with her. After studying political science in Minnesota and Geneva, her curiosity about different people, languages, and cultures evolved into something deeper: a desire to give back.
“I found humanitarianism to be a place where I could marry my own personal passion with a professional career,” she says. “That really makes me feel fulfilled.”
It took persistence and patience to break into humanitarian work. For several years, Kristen pieced together short-term contracts, building experience wherever she could — covering the UN Security Council, writing for UN bodies, and applying for every humanitarian job she could find. Eventually, she landed a role with OCHA, and a career on the front lines of crisis response began to take shape.
Kristen has worked in Uganda during post-conflict recovery, in Ethiopia’s prolonged drought, in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake, in Côte d’Ivoire, Thailand, and Burkina Faso during a period of extreme violence and mass displacement. “One of the things I love most about my work is that you see the full gamut of the human experience,” she says. “In Haiti, I felt like I was doing something every day that helped people or saved lives.”
In Lebanon, that sense of urgency has been just as present. In late 2024, nearly one million people were displaced in a single week. “We had to pivot quickly — to support people returning after the cessation of hostilities, many to homes that had been destroyed, without water, healthcare, or access to school,” she explains.
One moment stands out. Kristen and her team worked with a national NGO, the Order of Malta, to help evacuate 1,000 people from a conflict zone. Through OCHA’s civil-military coordination, they helped ensure the convoy could move safely. “What struck me most wasn’t just the evacuation — it was seeing those same NGO workers turn around immediately and go back into the community to continue providing food, water, and healthcare. They had stayed through the conflict. That kind of commitment is what stays with you.”
Still, the challenges are growing. “We’re already seeing the impact of underfunding. The World Food Programme has had to cut 40% of assistance — and that could soon rise to 70%,” she says. “Syrian refugees are getting less support. Lebanese communities affected by conflict are seeing reductions too. And our local NGO partners — who are the backbone of response — are at risk of closing operations.”
Kristen doesn’t shy away from the reality. “There’s no safety net,” she says. “I’m confident humanitarianism will find a way forward, but I’m worried about the people who need help now not getting it.”
She also sees the ripple effect back home. “Minnesota produces more food than it consumes, and much of it is sold to humanitarian organizations. There’s an economic benefit to being part of global humanitarian action,” she explains. “So when funding is cut, there’s a cost not just to those we serve, but to people back home too.”
At the heart of it, her motivation remains simple: “My work matters because people we’re supporting tell us it matters,” she says. Whether it’s helping families return home, getting children back into school, or helping people take the first step toward self-reliance, Kristen believes the goal is always the same — to support people in achieving the future they imagine for themselves.
And that, for her, is worth showing up for every day.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinates emergency responses to save lives and protect people in crises. OCHA brings together humanitarian organizations to ensure aid reaches those who need it most — quickly, efficiently, and based on need. By advocating for people in emergencies and mobilizing funding, OCHA helps deliver lifesaving assistance and uphold the dignity of those affected by conflict and disaster.
