Our Team in Georgia

Mr. Jaroslaw Ponder is Head of the Office for Europe at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (Geneva, Switzerland). Within the last years, he has been carrying out numerous projects, activities and initiatives at national, regional and international levels. He has been taking lead role in many international conferences and summits dealing with fostering ICT innovation and development of ICT ecosystem, information society, and advancements of digital economy worldwide, while setting strategies and ensuring their timely implementation. During his professional career, Mr. Ponder has held official positions in the public sector and has been a leading contributor to legislative projects, which influenced public policy.

Alexandru Nartea is the Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Georgia, currently serving as OIC Representative.

Prior to his appointment in Georgia, Alexandru worked as UNICEF Deputy Representative in Turkmenistan and programme management assignments in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Caribbean, where he has advised partners on inclusive policies, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and long-term development strategies.

He holds advanced degrees in International and European Relations from Linköping University, Sweden, and in Political Science from the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Andrew Jewell joined the IMF in 2010. Prior to this post, he served as the IMF Resident Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also served as Senior Economist at the IMF’s European Department. Prior to joining the IMF, Jewell has served as an economist at the U.S. Department of the Treasury for 10 years.

Anna Rich is the UNHCR Representative in Georgia. Prior to her assignment to Georgia, Ms. Rich served as the UNHCR Representative in Croatia. Ms. Rich has over twenty years’ experience working in protection, advocacy, humanitarian coordination, policy and development. She has worked with UNHCR in both Headquarters and field operations in Africa and Europe, with asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, stateless and internally displaced people. Prior her work with UNHCR, Ms. Rich worked in alternative dispute resolution with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Netherlands and in Australia. Ms. Rich is an Australian citizen. She holds a law degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia and a masters degree in public international law from Leiden University in The Netherlands.

Claire Harasty has over 25 years of experience in economic and social policy analysis and advice and in interacting, influencing, and collaborating with governments and social partners. She joined the ILO in 1998 after teaching international economics at the University of Strasbourg. She has been Senior Advisor to the Assistant Director General (Governance, Rights and Dialogue) since January 2023 after having been Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director General for Policy for 4 years, coordinating the ILO's engagement in the G20, G7 and BRICS and the cooperation with the World Bank and the IMF on economic and social issues. She was Senior Employment and Development Policy Specialist in the Employment Policy Department from 2010 to 2018. Between 2008 and 2010, Ms. Harasty took an unpaid leave to work at the World Bank Office in Mali as a poverty economist. Ms. Harasty has written numerous articles and reports on employment, focusing on the link with poverty reduction, on targeted policies for youth in developing countries and on older workers. She holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

Dmitry Mariyasin was appointed Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe on 1 March 2021. Prior to joining UNECE, Mr. Mariyasin was the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia (since December 2018, after being Deputy Resident Representative in 2017-2018). From 2011 to 2016 he was the Regional Partnership Advisor and Team Leader in the UNDP’s Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy covering the Europe and the CIS region, based in Istanbul. In this function, he led a team of 20 that supported UNDP’s partnerships with new development donors and partners in the region, including strategic partnerships with Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia and Slovak Republic. Earlier, Mr. Mariyasin had worked in the UNDP Regional Support Center in Bratislava, Slovakia (2011-2014), the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS at UNDP headquarters in New York (2008-2011); and in the UNDP Country Office in Moscow, Russia (2002-2008).

Mr. Mariyasin holds a PHD in Economics from the Moscow State University, a Masters in Public Administration degree from New York University (Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service), as well as a degree in public administration from the Moscow State University and in international economics from the Russian Foreign Trade Academy.

Douglas Webb is a distinguished development professional with over two decades of experience within the United Nations, specializing in the fields of health and environmental sustainability across the globe. Prior to his appointment as UNDP Resident Representative in Georgia, Mr. Webb served as the Global Health and Environment Advisor for UNDP, stationed in Jordan. In 2020, he took on the pivotal role of coordinating UNDP's global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout his career, Douglas Webb has contributed to multiple UN agencies, including UNICEF, with a primary focus on epidemic response governance and the examination of social determinants of health within the context of environmental change. His extensive work has spanned across Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, Senegal, Jordan, South Africa, and regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Douglas Webb earned his Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the University of London (UK) and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the School of Global Public Health at New York University. He is also an accomplished author with more than 50 published articles and book chapters to his credit.

Dov Lynch, based in Paris, France, is a Director of External Relations at UNESCO. Dov Lynch worked in the Cabinet of the UNESCO Director-General from 2010. He started his career as a Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College London and worked previously as Senior Advisor in the Cabinet of the Secretary-General of the OSCE as well as for the EU Institute for Security Studies, with a focus in the field of conflict resolution as well as second track diplomacy. He was educated at Yale University and Oxford University. Dov Lynch holds a 1995 - 1997 D. Phil in International Relations from the University of Oxford.

Elene Aladashvili brings over 20 years of diverse operational and leadership experience across the United Nations, intergovernmental, and non-governmental sectors. She has led complex development projects and strategic communications initiatives in both Georgia and the United States, with a strong focus on building effective corporate partnerships and cross-sector collaboration.

Elene joined UNOPS in 2019 and currently serves as Head of Office (a.i.) for UNOPS Georgia, where she oversees a dynamic portfolio of projects. Previously, she served as Director of Development and Communications for the MCC-funded San Diego State University program in Georgia. Her broader experience includes managing diverse portfolio of projects and strategic communications at UNDP, IREX, the Media Diversity Institute, and other international organizations. She has also provided advisory support to the Parliament of Georgia, the State Minister’s Office on EU Integration, and the Gender Equality Council, leading the development of strategic communication and stakeholder engagement frameworks. Elene holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Central European University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tbilisi State University. She studied management at Lehigh University and is an alumna of the U.S. State Department’s FLEX and Global Village leadership programs.

Dr. Erfan Ali is an experienced professional in regional and urban planning, currently serving as Chief of Staff / Director a.i. Regional Programme Division at UN-Habitat since February 2023. Prior roles at UN-Habitat include Regional Representative for the Arab States and Senior Human Settlements Officer. He has also led the UN-Habitat Iraq Programme and worked as a Regional and Urban Planning Specialist. Previous experience includes directing the Municipal Administration Modernization programme, aimed at enhancing city management in Syria, and serving as Director of Systems and Plans at the Ministry of Local Administration. Educational credentials consist of a PhD in Aménagement de l’Espace et L’Urbanisme from Université de Paris est-Marne-la-Vallée and a Master’s degree in Project Management from Damascus University.

Jeremy Milsom is a senior expert and manager of the United Nations with over eighteen years of field experience in programme design and management. In his time with UNODC, he has developed and managed a broad range of projects covering counter-narcotics, alternative development, national capacity building and drug demand reduction in challenging and complex environments.

During his tenure with the UN system, he has served in the country offices in Myanmar, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. In prior international development roles, he worked on assignments in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands region.

Prior to taking up the overall coordination of the Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring countries, he managed the counter narcotics pillar in the Country Office in Afghanistan, with a focus on national capacity building, policy development and alternative livelihoods. In Myanmar where he served from 1996 to 2006, he was instrumental in developing, negotiating and managing a three-tier programme to assist the Autonomous Wa cease-fire group phase out opium cultivation.

Jeremy Milsom holds BA (Hons) and BSc degrees in Social Sciences and Environmental Sciences respectively from the Australian National University. He later attained a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Melbourne (Australia) with research that focused on the interrelationship between drug control, security and development.

Ms. Kaori Ishikawa officially assumed her assignment as UN Women Country Representative for Georgia on 27 August 2021.

Kaori brings over 20 years of extensive experience managing peace, humanitarian and development programmes as well as policy and advocacy work in over 20 countries.

Prior to her assignment in Georgia, she was the Head of Office for UNFPA Mongolia. Kaori served in a number of UNFPA Country Offices and Sub-Offices with large and complex operations, including Lao PDR, Yemen, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Myanmar. She also served in UNFPA Arab States Regional Office (ASRO) in Cairo and Gender, Human Rights and Culture Branch of Technical Division of UNFPA HQ in New York as Gender Specialist.

Prior to joining UNFPA, she worked with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP) in Japan.
Kaori is a national from Japan and holds a Bachelor's degrees in Sociology, with specialization on social welfare policy on aging population from Ritsumeikan University, Japan; a Diploma in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia, UK; a Master's degree in Women and Development from Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands; and a Master of Business Administration at Warwick Business School in the UK.
She is married with one daughter.

Mr. Lars Johan Lönnback has officially assumed the position of Chief of Mission at IOM Georgia. Lars has worked with IOM for over 15 years, designing and implementing strategies to manage migration in multiple contexts including in development, emergency and post-crisis settings in Europe and Asia Pacific region. Prior to Georgia, Lars served as the Chief of Mission in Moldova for the past five years, playing an instrumental role in IOM's response, overseeing the provision of humanitarian assistance and support to Ukrainian refugees. His career at IOM began as Head of Division and Senior Migration Policy Advisor at the headquarters in Geneva. He later served as Senior Migration Policy Advisor on Migration and Development at the IOM Regional Office for Asia Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. Previously, Lars held various roles at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including positions in Brussels at the Swedish Permanent Representation as Counselor, and at the European Commission as National Expert. His early career also includes a posting in Sarajevo at the Office of the High Representative for the Dayton Peace Accords as a political officer, and experience with UNHCR in Northern Iraq and the Russian Federation. Lars holds a master’s degree in international law from the University of Stockholm, Sweden.

Liam Chicca a Country Director for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye and the Head of the IFAD Multi-Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia based in Istanbul, Türkiye.

He worked in the private sector as insurance lawyer/loss adjuster primarily for Lloyd’s of London underwriters for a decade before joining the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as legal counsel in late 2005. He has since worked at IFAD in different capacities, including as head of the Governing Bodies Office and of the Field Support Unit. He was also employed as legal counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London prior to being appointed as Special Adviser to two Presidents of IFAD up to September 2018. He subsequently became IFAD’s Lead Portfolio Advisor for Asia and the Pacific Region for five years up to August 2023.

Mr Chicca holds an LL. M from the University College, Dublin, and is a qualified lawyer (Avvocato) in Italy as well as a Solicitor, England and Wales.

After three-year assignment as a FAO Liaison Officer for Georgia, Mr Meskhi was appointed in his current position of the Assistant FAO Representative in 2004 when the Representation Office of the Organization was inaugurated in Georgia. Before joining FAO, Mr. Meskhi briefly served as the Head of International Relations Department in the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia in 2000. From 1991 to 2000 he worked for the private sector in the areas of agriculture and energy, including the positions of an Import & Marketing Manager of HANWHA Petroleum (Seoul, Korea), Coordinator of a Gulf-Georgia Project Fertilizers for Dry Areas in Sharjah, the U.A.E., the Trade Consultant in Benghazi, Libya and the Marketing Consultant of Jason Co in Moscow, Russian Federation and Wolvega, the Netherlands. In 1986-91 he was a lecturer of the Contemporary Arabic at the Department of Semitic Languages in the Tbilisi State University. Mr. Meskhi holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, MSc in International Relations and BSc in Linguistics.

Ms. Mariam Bandzeladze has been appointed UNFPA Head of Office in Georgia in March 2024. She has worked for UNFPA Georgia for more than 12 years, leading its comprehensive portfolio of gender equality as well as the policy dialogue on human rights issues with the UN, government, and development partners since 2012. Before joining UNFPA, trained as an international lawyer, Mariam has worked on progressively increasing managerial positions in the private sector and the development field for more than 15 years. She holds an LL.M Degree in International Legal Studies from Georgetown University, Washington DC, and a Ph.D. Degree in Education Sciences from International Black Sea University, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Ms. Rolande Pryce most recently served as the World Bank Country Manager for Rwanda. She joined the Bank in 2006 as Counsel in the Legal Vice Presidency. She has held several operational positions across the World Bank’s regions, including in Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific, Africa and South Asia. She has also worked in the World Bank’s Energy and Extractives Global Practice on energy reform and regulation. She has held leadership positions as Operations Manager in Indonesia in the East Asia and Pacific Region and as Country Manager for Rwanda in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region. Prior to joining the World Bank, Pryce worked as legal adviser to the Jamaican Government on Public International Law and International Trade issues and as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She holds a Master’s degree in Public International Law from the University College of London, a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Mathematics from the City University of New York.

Salome Mekvabishvili is an accomplished specialist in policy and strategic management with extensive experience across both the public and international development sectors. She currently serves as the National Country Programme Coordinator at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), where she supports the design and implementation of inclusive and sustainable industrial development initiatives.
In parallel, Salome contributes to the Investor’s Council Georgia as a Business Analyst, facilitating high-level public-private dialogue between the Government of Georgia, the business community, international financial institutions, and development partners to enhance the country’s business and investment climate.
Previously, Salome held several positions in the public sector, culminating in her role as Head of the Strategic Development Department at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Over the years, she has worked on a wide range of sectoral and economic development strategies, translating policy objectives into actionable plans and coordinating with international stakeholders to implement key reform programs.
She holds an MSc in Public Policy and Management from King’s College London, where she studied as a Chevening Scholar.

Dr Domente is WHO Representative and Head of the Country Office in Georgia since April 2019. In 2013, he became part of the WHO team on the ground in Athens, Greece, acting initially as Health System Analyst and since 2016 as Senior Adviser, Health Policy and team leader. In 2004 Dr Domente has joined the UN family, working first for UNICEF Moldova as HIV Officer. Since 2008 Dr Domente is with WHO. He worked initially as Technical Officer, Disaster Preparedness and Response and then as Health System Officer in the WHO Country Office in the Republic of Moldova.

Mr Talgat Toleubayev of France has been appointed Regional Coordinator in the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute’s CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance Programme on 1 November 2019. He coordinates activities for 10 countries of South East and East Europe region within the framework of the European Union’s CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative.
Prior to assuming this position, he has worked at the headquarters of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) for more than 16 years. He graduated from the Boston University majoring in Strategy and Security Studies.

Dr. Shkolnikov holds this position since July 2011. Prior to this assignment he held a number of positions in the intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations focusing on human rights and good governance in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He also served as a Senior Fellow at the Jefferson Institute with offices in Belgrade, Serbia and Washington. He also served as the Director, Europe Office of Freedom House in Hungary, the OSCE/ODIHR Adviser on Migration and Freedom of Movement and later as the Head of Democratization Department of OSCE/ODIHR in Poland, and the Resident Research Consultant at the RAND Corporation in the USA.