Our Team in Ukraine

Mr. Schmale brings more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work. He previously served as Senior Advisor to the UN Development Coordination Office’s regional team for Africa, as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) in Nigeria, and in several high-level positions with UNRWA including Director for UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Gaza and New York, acting Chief of Staff and acting Deputy Commissioner General.

Before joining the United Nations, he held senior positions in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and non-government organizations at global, regional and country level, including in Ethiopia, Kenya, the Sudan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Aida Lindmeier is the Director of the International Labour Organization’s Country Office for Ukraine where since March 2024 she leads ILOs efforts in implementing a three-pronged transitional strategy for Ukraine by: investing in people, creating quality employment and improving labour market governance.

Before coming to Ukraine, Aida led ILOs efforts in Türkiye in providing access to decent jobs for Syrian refugees and vulnerable host community through skills development, work-based learning programs and transition to formality. She held different roles at the ILO HQ in Geneva Switzerland, focusing largely on developing partnerships with development partners and the private sector for the sustainable development goals, in particular Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth. Before ILO, Aida worked with major international organizations, including UN, EU and USAID, in post-conflict settings in the Balkans and spent three years in Haiti, witnessing the challenges of transition initiatives in fragile settings.

Andrea De Domenico brings more than twenty years of experience in humanitarian assistance and emergency relief both in the field and in headquarters. Before joining Ukraine in December 2024, Andrea served as Head of Office in OCHA OPT where, during the last year, he managed the humanitarian response to the ongoing war. Before joining OCHA OPT in 2019 as Deputy Head of Office, Andrea worked in OCHA New York in the area of Humanitarian Financing, initially as Head of Unit (2011-2015) and then serving as the Chief of the Country Based Pooled Fund Section (2015-2019), contributing to the consolidation and the growth of the humanitarian funds. Between 2005 and 2011 he worked in OCHA DRC initially on planning and then moved to humanitarian financing, managing one of the first common humanitarian funds established by OCHA.

Before joining OCHA, between 1998 and 2005 Andrea worked in Albania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Kosovo and Pakistan with various INGOs managing humanitarian and relief programs and operations in different sectors. Andrea has a BA in International Law from Université Paris XI, an MA in Political Science from Università di Padova and an MA in International Relations from Università LUISS, Rome. He is an Italian national, married and has three children.

Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi is the Head of UNESCO Desk in Ukraine, since October 2022. She has over 25 years of professional experience with the Organization, mainly working in fragile states and emergency contexts. She has previously served as Executive Officer, Coordination and Partnership Officer at the Regional Office for Central Africa region (Yaoundé) (2018-2019, 2021-2022), Programme Coordinator of the Culture component of UNESCO's flagship initiative 'Li Beirut' – (Beirut, Lebanon 2020/21) and Senior Advisor and programme coordinator in several UNESCO Field Offices, among which Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Mozambique, Namibia, among others. For Iraq, she served as Culture Programme Specialist-Secretariat of the International Coordination Committee IRAQ (2004-2005). In 2006, she established the UNESCO Antenna Office in Juba, South Sudan, where she then served as a Liaison Officer. For UNESCO she has contributed to strategic papers in the field of heritage protection.

Ms. Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi holds a P.hD. in cultural heritage, and is Professor of protection of archaeological sites and then of architectural preservation at the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy). She is author of several scientific publications.

Ms Bell has led UN human rights programmes for more than two decades, working mainly in conflict and post-conflict contexts.

As the Head of Mission, UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), Ms Bell leads a team of over 70 national and international staff. Prior to joining the HRMMU, Ms Bell served as the Chief of the Human Rights Office in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and the representative in Iraq of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a position she held since 2018, after leading the UN human rights component in Afghanistan at the same level 2015 to 2018.

Within UNAMI’s mandate, Ms Bell was responsible for the promotion of accountability and the protection of human rights as well as judicial and legal reforms in Iraq.

Since 2001, Ms. Bell has also led human rights teams within UN peace missions in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Sudan (Darfur) and Timor-Leste.

Ms. Bell has worked in the field of human rights at the policy, programme and field level since 1995, mostly working for the United Nations and the Government of British Columbia.

Ms Bell holds a Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford and a Master’s from the University of Victoria.

With over 25 years of international leadership experience across Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Balkans, William David Womble is a seasoned expert in stabilization, peacebuilding, governance, and humanitarian programming. He is currently serving as Acting Chief of Mission for IOM Ukraine. Prior to this, David has served as Head of the Land, Property and Reparations Unit at IOM Headquarters in Geneva. He has also previously served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission for IOM Ukraine in 2024 and 2025.

Prior to joining IOM in 2018, David has held senior roles with UN agencies (OCHA and UNSOM), INGOs (NRC, Mercy Corps and World Vision), and government bodies including formerly serving as a diplomat with the US State Department (Burundi) and as a Stabilisation Advisor with the UK Stabilisation Unit (Somalia).

David brings a depth of field experience from conflict-affected contexts like Somalia, Georgia, and the Palestinian territories. His academic foundation in English Literature and Secondary Education, combined with extensive technical and multilingual abilities, underpin a pragmatic yet principled approach to complex peace and development challenges.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Dr. Ionascu brings a wealth of field experience from her work
with UNAIDS across Central Asia, the Asia-Pacific, and Eastern Europe. She holds a Master’s
Degree in Public Health, underpinning her profound expertise in HIV/AIDS policy development,
fundraising, database development, epidemiological modeling, monitoring and evaluation, and
program management.

Throughout her tenure with UNAIDS, Gabriela has demonstrated exceptional leadership and
mentorship. She is known for her ability to foster strategic partnerships and alliances between
UNAIDS Cosponsors, national governments, key donors, implementers, and civil society
organizations. Her innovative approach and proactive attitude have been crucial in aligning
UNAIDS' efforts with national priorities and ensuring a coordinated response to the HIV/AIDS
epidemic.

A national of the Republic of Moldova, Gabriela is fluent in Romanian, English, Russian, and
French, which has enabled her to navigate and influence diverse cultural and political landscapes
effectively. Her public health skills, coupled with her deep understanding of the regions she has
served, have been instrumental in building strong, collaborative relationships with stakeholders.

Ms. Gwendoline Mennetrier is a geographer-urban planner with more than twenty years of experience in integrated urban development at local, national and regional levels. She first carried out international missions at the European Forum for Urban Safety based in Paris, and then held various positions at UN-Habitat at the technical and managerial level since 2001.

She has developed and led numerous technical cooperation and policy development projects in various areas in partnership with ministries, local authorities and the civil society, particularly to support enhanced urban management and municipal governance, strategic and participatory urban planning, affordable housing, community development and social inclusion, recovery and reconstruction, etc. Ms. Mennetrier is French and has worked in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean region, incl. in post-disaster and post-conflict contexts. She served as deputy to the UN-Habitat offices in Poland and in Haiti, and prior to her appointment to Ukraine, she headed consecutively the UN-Habitat offices in Kosovo and in Guinea.

Ms. Harsheth Virk was appointed as the Head of Office, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ukraine in November 2022.

In the course of a career spanning over 22 years, she has worked in various UNODC mandate areas; health, drug control, organized crime, prisons and trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants (TIP/SOM) with a focus on policy support and programme development and implementation.

She has served in various capacities in country and regional settings within UNODC including the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa in Cairo, Country Office of Nigeria, Regional Office for Southern Africa in Pretoria; Country Office in Afghanistan and the Regional Office for South Asia in New Delhi.

Ms. Virk has a Masters in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Delhi.

Jaco Cilliers assumed the role of Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine on 9 November 2022. Previously, he was Manager of Bangkok Regional Hub since August 2019, and prior to that, he served the organization as Chief, Regional Policy and Programme Support for Asia and the Pacific since September 2017. Simultaneous to that position, Cilliers served as Senior Advisor for Innovation and Business Development at UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub. Between April 2011 to August 2017 Jaco was the Country Director of UNDP India and served as the Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP in Uzbekistan. In these roles ,he was responsible for the management and coordination of UNDP Programmes and Operations. From November 2005 to March 2011 he worked with UNDP Cyprus as Peace and Development Advisor (PDA), and Senior Programme Manager/Head of Office.

Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Cilliers worked for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as Deputy Regional Director for Southern and Central Africa, and their senior advisor for conflict, peace, and reconstruction. He held management positions for other international development organizations in various parts of the world, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war. He also worked as an Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Conflict Analysis at George Mason University and taught seminars and courses in conflict, reconstruction, and peace at Sabanci University (Turkey), Nelson Mandela University (South Africa), and the University of Notre Dame (US).

Mr. Cilliers completed his Ph.D. and Master’s Degrees in recovery, reconstruction, and peacebuilding from George Mason University in the United States, and his Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) and BA Honours (cum laude) degrees from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. He is married and has two children.

Jacqueline Mahon joined the UNFPA Ukraine Country Office as UNFPA Resident Representative on April 29, 2025. A national of Ireland, Jacqueline is a seasoned development professional with over 30 years of experience spanning the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. She has worked with UNFPA at both global and country levels, most recently serving as the organization's Principal Advisor for International Development Finance at UNFPA’s North America Representation Office in Washington, DC. In that role, she led efforts to deepen collaboration with the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, and other key international financial institutions. Prior to this, she was UNFPA’s Representative in the United Republic of Tanzania.

Jacqueline brings a unique combination of thought leadership, high-level policy engagement, political acumen, and emotional intelligence. Her career spans a wide range of organizations, including government, civil society, academia, the UN, and international financial institutions. Notable among these are the Aga Khan Foundation, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) UK (as a fellow), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and the World Bank Group.

Jacqueline holds an Executive Master’s in Management of International Organizations from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Italy, a Master’s in Public Health from the University of London, UK and a Master’s in Economics and Policy Analysis from the University of Nottingham, UK

Dr. Jarno Habicht is WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine since November 2018. Dr. Habicht 's past experience includes working in the UN system, namely WHO, where Dr. Habicht has worked for the past few decades. Since 2003, Dr. Habicht has headed WHO Country Offices in Estonia, Republic of Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine. As the Head of a WHO Country Office, he has experience managing WHO teams to ensure ongoing dialogue on health issues, providing targeted assistance in the development of health systems and key health issues, and responding to health crises in complex political, economic and geopolitical situations. Dr. Jarno Habicht graduated as a medical doctor and received a PhD in public health and health services research from the University of Tartu, Estonia. He has worked for the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, as well for the Ministry of Social Affairs in Estonia, and at the same time he has carried out research on equity in access to health services and financial protection.

Karolina Lindholm Billing joined UNHCR in 1999, as Associate Protection Officer in the then-Liaison Office for the Baltic Countries, which was located in Riga and covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Since then, she has worked for UNHCR in various management, legal and protection policy functions, in field operations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and at UNHCR’s Headquarters in Geneva.

Her latest assignments in UNHCR include Deputy Representative (protection) in Lebanon, Deputy Regional Representative for the Nordic and Baltic Countries, Senior Protection Officer in Zambia, Senior Liaison Officer (Human Rights) in the Division of International Protection at UNHCR’s Headquarters and Protection Officer in North Macedonia.

Karolina holds a Master’s in Law degree, with a specialization in human rights and refugee law from the University of Stockholm. She speaks Swedish, English and basic French, is married and has three children.

Maksym Solovey assumed his role as the Country Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Ukraine in March 2025.

Maksym brings nearly a decade of experience in humanitarian response, legal assistance, and project management. Prior to joining UNV, he served as Project Manager for the Ukraine Joint Programme on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) at UNDP (2024–2025), where he played a key role in addressing the needs of survivors and advancing policy initiatives. Before that, Maksym worked as a Project Analyst within UNDP’s Rehabilitation and Disability Inclusion Team (2022–2024), supporting efforts to enhance access to services for persons with disabilities.

His career in humanitarian response began in 2016 with HelpAge International in Siverskodonetsk, Ukraine, where he worked as a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Officer. Since then, Maksym has held various roles in international NGOs, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Danish Refugee Council, focusing on legal protection, human rights, and assistance for displaced populations. Throughout his career, Maksym has contributed to Ukraine’s humanitarian and development landscape, working at the intersection of legal aid, advocacy, and crisis response.

Maksym holds a Master’s degree in Law from Donetsk National University.

Mr. Morar arrived in Ukraine in June 2015 after working with the Department of Political Affairs at UN headquarters in New York. He has been working with the UN in several capacities since 2004, including in his previous assignment as UNSMIL-ED Head of Field Office and Head of External Relations in Libya (2012-2014). He worked with the UN Missions to Iraq (2004-2006; 2010), Afghanistan (2014), Republic of Moldova, Algeria, Guyana and with EU missions in Georgia (2008-2009) and Sudan (2011). Prior to joining the UN, he was Minister Counselor with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania (2000-2012). He was an assistant professor of Political Science at the University of Bucharest (1997-2003) and a foreign policy expert with the Romanian Presidency (1997-1999). Mr. Morar has a PhD in Political Philosophy, a Masters in Political Science, and has published four books and over 70 articles in the fields of political science and international relations.

Massimo Diana brings over 30 years of international experience in conflict-affected and high-risk contexts to his role as Director of the UNOPS Multi-Country Office for Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland. He has a proven track record of leading complex humanitarian, recovery and development operations and fostering partnerships in politically sensitive environments.

Before joining UNOPS, Mr. Diana served as UNFPA Representative in Ukraine, Sudan, and Syria, where he directed operations in challenging crises and volatile settings. In Geneva, he also served as Deputy Director of UNFPA’s Humanitarian Response Division, overseeing global emergency operations. Mr. Diana began his humanitarian career in 1993 with UNHCR and held senior positions with the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR), International Management Group (IMG), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and GOAL Ireland. He joined the UN system in 2002 with UNDP in Bosnia, serving as Area-Based Development Senior Advisor.

Mr. Diana holds an MBA from Pacific University, and a diploma in civil engineering. He is fluent in English and Italian, with working proficiency in Bosnian and Croatian, and a basic command of French.

Mr Mohammed Azouqa, a national of Jordan, has been working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for over 20 years in headquarters and in various complex, conflict, post conflict and natural disasters settings.

Mr Azouqa has served in various positions with FAO in Rome and in multiple Emergency responses in Asia, Central Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, East-Timor, Yemen, Somalia, Georgia and Moldova. Mohammed supported a wide range of country operations augmenting capacities in programme development and delivery, resource mobilization and advocacy.

Mohammed Azouqa has an MBA from Imperial College London.

Prior to joining FAO Ukraine team, Mr Azouqa served in FAO headquarters working for the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, supporting humanitarian response operations and resilience programmes in Ukraine, Turkey, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Sudan.

Mr. Munir Mammadzade has assumed the role of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Ukraine in November 2023.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the UNICEF Representative in the Republic of Uzbekistan for the past three years, overseeing the development and management of the UNICEF Country Programme and representing the organization in all collaborative efforts with the Government of Uzbekistan and other stakeholders.

In his previous roles, Mr. Mammadzade served as the Deputy Representative in Kyrgyzstan, where he led programs and facilitated system-wide collaboration within the UN Country Team as the chair of the Programme Management Team. His extensive experience also includes work in UNICEF Country Offices in Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Nepal, as well as at the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.

Before joining UNICEF almost 17 years ago, Mr. Mammadzade held various positions, including the Executive Director of one of the largest youth NGOs and Head of the International Department in the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office in Azerbaijan. With 24 years of professional experience in the fields of human rights, children's rights, youth, and development, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his role.

Munir Mammadzade is a national of Azerbaijan. He is married and has a 14-year-old son.

Before joining UNEP, Pier Carlo served as Senior Partnership Advisor on Climate, Energy and Environment in UNDP Brussels Office. In this position he led policy engagement with the EU on Climate, Energy and Environment in close coordination with the UNEP office in Brussels. From March 2018 till August 2020, Pier Carlo was the Coordinator of the Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development in Rome where he facilitated sharing of information on G7 countries’ interventions in Africa with the goal of increasing effectiveness and coordination, with a portfolio of projects and activities of more than 60 million euro in 2 years. In this position he led the opening of the UNDP presence in Rome with all the operations connected to that.

Prior to that, Pier Carlo served as Advisor to the Presidency of the G7 and in particular for assistance in the preparation of the G7 Environment Ministers Meeting. In his function Pier Carlo assisted the Italian Ministry of Environment in the preparation of the Environment Communiqué as well as in providing inputs to and liaison with the summit of G7 Heads of States. Pier Carlo started his career in the UN as a JPO in the UNEP-ROE Office in Vienna. While in Vienna, Pier Carlo led UNEP’s engagement in South Eastern Europe where he secured a relationship with the Balkan countries and successfully developed a solid portfolio of GEF and GCF projects (approx. 18 million USD).

Pier Carlo graduated in Law at Padova University and holds a Master in Environmental Policy & Law at Ca’ Foscari University (Venice) as well as a Master in Energy Technologies and Management from the Venice International University. Before joining UNEP, he worked as Barrister in Venice in environmental law as well as assistant to the professor of International trade law and European law at Padova.

Richard Ragan was appointed as the WFP Representative and Country Director for Ukraine in July 2024. With a distinguished career as a senior UN official, he has previously served as the WFP Representative in seven countries: Bangladesh, Libya, Nepal, Tanzania, North Korea, Yemen, and Zambia.

During his tenure as Acting Assistant Secretary-General (ASG), Richard opened the Liberia Office and led operations for the UN Secretary General’s Ebola Emergency Response Mission (UNMEER). He also served as WFP’s Deputy Regional Director based in South Africa, overseeing the East and Southern Africa region, and as the WFP Emergency Coordinator for the 2015 Nepal Earthquake Response.



Prior to joining the UN, Richard served various capacities in the US Government working in the White House as a Director on the National Security Council (NSC), as foreign policy advisor in the Secretary of Defense’s Office (OSD), as Deputy Assistant Administrator in USAID, and as foreign policy aide for the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the US Congress. Beyond his public service career, he’s also worked in the private sector as a Senior Director at Vulcan, the company founded by Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen.

Richard holds a Master’s degree in International Development/Administration from SIT in Brattleboro, VT, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Ole Miss, in Oxford, MS.

Sabine Freizer Gunes has over 25 years policy and programming experience in good governance, gender equality, human rights, civil society development and conflict prevention and resolution. Until February 2023, she was the Chief of UN Women’s Leadership and Governance Section, a post she held since August 2019. As Chief, she supervised a team working to ensure women and girls’ participation in decision making and that they benefit from gender responsive governance. Sabine previously spent four years in UN Women’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia where she served as a Policy Advisor on Governance, Peace, Security, as well as acting head of office in Turkey and Albania.

Prior to this role, Sabine worked as the acting Eurasia Program Director at the Open Society Foundations (2014-2015). Between 2009 and May 2013, she was the Europe Director at the International Crisis Group, where she started as South Caucasus Director (2004-2009). She began her career with the OSCE Missions in Uzbekistan and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A national of Belgium and USA, Sabine holds a Ph.D. in Social Policy from London School of Economics and Political Sciences, UK, M.A. in European Politics and Administration from the College of Europe, Belgium and B.A. in Political Science from the Dartmouth College, USA. She is married with two children.