According to the UNDP press service in Uzbekistan, she has over 25 years of experience working with UNDP, holding various leadership positions around the world. Before her appointment in Uzbekistan, she served as the Permanent Representative in the Maldives and Deputy Permanent Representative in Vietnam, the Multi-Country Office in Fiji (covering Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu), and Jamaica.

“As a senior manager, she has actively participated in addressing economic and social issues related to climate change, managing large-scale humanitarian aid in crisis and conflict situations, and advising on governance systems to achieve equitable and sustainable human development for all people,” the statement notes.

Akiko Fujii holds master's degrees in Gender and Development from the University of Sussex (UK) and in Human and Environmental Studies from Kyoto University (Japan).