Our Team in Afghanistan

Mr. Indrika Ratwatte is the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

Mr. Ratwatte brings over 30 years of experience in humanitarian affairs and protection in complex and crisis settings, including over 20 years of working on Afghanistan and regional issues. He started his career with the United Nations in 1992, with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and continued his career with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1993.  His most recent positions have included Director of the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, where he previously also served as Deputy, and UNHCR Representative in Pakistan. He served with UNHCR as Deputy Representative in the United Republic of Tanzania and Pakistan, along with prior assignments in Thailand, Croatia, China, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr. Ratwatte holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, United States, and a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  He is also an attorney-at-law from Sri Lanka Law College.

Alison Davidian is the UN Women Representative in Afghanistan a.i. From 2017-2019 she worked as a Programme Specialist on Governance, Peace and Security with UN Women's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, based in Thailand. In this role she has managed the implementation of over $USD 20 million in governance, peace and security programmes with a focus on preventing violent extremism, anti-trafficking, and access to justice. From 2013-2017, she was a Policy Specialist in the Peace and Security Unit at Head Quarters where she managed the Transitional Justice portfolio and led the creation of the Preventing Violent Extremism portfolio for UN Women. Before her time at UN Women, she worked for organizations including the International Center for Transitional Justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo, UNDP in Somalia, and the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Australia. She has a BA (Government) and an LLB from the University of Sydney, and an LLM from Harvard.

Mr. Arafat Jamal is the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan since 17 July 2024.

Arafat has served with UNHCR both at headquarters and in the field for over three decades. Before his assignment to Afghanistan, he was UNHCR’s Coordinator for the 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), the flagship multilateral global event for refugees, which raised over USD 2.2 billion for refugees and their hosts.

Prior to this, he was UNHCR’s Representative in South Sudan (2020-2022) and Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (ai) (2021). During this posting, he inaugurated the Pockets of Hope initiative for returning South Sudanese and oversaw emergency and anticipatory actions to mitigate the effects of severe climate crises.

Between 2014 and 2020, Arafat was Head of the Partnerships and Coordination Service at UNHCR’s Headquarters. From 2012 to 2014, he headed the secretariat of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, working under the Emergency Relief Coordinator to ensure tight collaboration amongst humanitarian entities.

Other posts have included serving with UNHCR in Jordan as Deputy Representative and Acting Representative (2008-2011), Emergency Team Leader Libya (2011), Head of the Regional Resettlement Hub for the Middle East and North Africa (Beirut, 2005-2008), and various policy and Executive Office positions at UNHCR Headquarters. His first field posting was in Herat, Afghanistan.

Arafat was educated at the University of Oxford (UK) (Masters in Forced Migration), Cornell University (US) (BA History, and BSc Urban and Regional Studies) and Ecolint (Switzerland) (IB). He is fluent in English and French.

Mr. David Hill is the new Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as of 8 April 2024. Mr. Hill joined the ADB in 2010 after having 20 years of professional experience focused on infrastructure planning, design and implementation with both a government organization and private sector consulting firms. From 2010-2016, Mr. Hill oversaw ADB’s transport portfolio in Afghanistan. In 2016, Mr. Hill was deployed to Papua New Guinea, first as the Head of the Portfolio Administration, and subsequently as Country Director in 2017, a position he held for over six years until being reassigned.

Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador has been appointed WHO Representative and Head of Mission to Afghanistan as of 15 July 2024. He was previously Director of the Emergency Programme for the WHO South-East Asia Region, based in New Delhi, India, a position he held for 2.5 years.

From 2019 to 2021, Dr Salvador was WHO Representative to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Prior to that, he was WHO Deputy Representative to Bangladesh for 4 years. During the initial influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in August 2017, he was appointed Incident Manager for the crisis. His remit was to establish a suboffice to lead the initial WHO response and support the health ministry and Bangladesh government in their efforts to respond.

Dr Salvador’s career with WHO began in 2006, when he was recruited as a public health officer by the WHO Country Office in Sudan to work in Kadugli, South Kordofan. He went on to work in various leadership capacities for the WHO country offices in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal. While at WHO Nepal, Dr Salvador received the WHO Award for Excellence 2016 for his contribution to the 2015 Nepal earthquake response.

Before joining WHO, Dr Salvador worked with Medécins Sans Frontières for 7 years, in various African and Asian countries, and with the International Medical Corps for 3 years, in Burundi and Uganda.

A public health professional for more than 28 years, Dr Salvador has acquired rich and varied experience in emergency settings. He also possesses strong communication skills and sound managerial knowledge of WHO’s administrative and management processes.

Born in Manila, the Philippines, Dr Salvador received his medical degree from Cebu Institute of Medicine, Cebu, the Philippines. He also has a bachelor’s degree in medical technology and holds postgraduate qualifications from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale assumed his current function as UNICEF Representative to Afghanistan in March 2024.
Prior to this role, Dr. Oyewale was the UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe, UNICEF Representative (a.i) in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and also served as UNICEF Deputy Representative to Pakistan and DRC where he led UNICEF programme, humanitarian action, including public health emergencies, and partnership with the Government, Donors, UN Agencies, the Private sector and Civil Society Organizations and coordination with the UN Mission.
He served as the Executive Manager in the office of UNICEF Deputy Executive Director (DED) - Management in New York Headquarters, contributing to UNICEF’s global management reforms and held several leadership positions across the organization, including UNICEF Programme Division in New York HQ; UNICEF offices in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nigeria.

Prior to joining UNICEF, he worked as a clinician both at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and EKO Hospital Limited in Lagos, Nigeria. A national of Nigeria, Dr. Oyewale is a physician with medical degree (MB; BS) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria; and Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree and Doctorate (DLitt et Phil) degree in Health Studies (Maternal Health) both from the University of South Africa. He also has training certificates in (i) Health and Human Rights from Harvard School of Public Health, USA; (ii) Health Policy and Financing from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and (iii) Public Financing for Children from Oxford University, UK.

Dr. Oyewale is married with children, enjoys golfing and reading, and has authored / contributed to several publications.

Faris Hadad-Zervos is the World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan. He previously served as the Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka where he managed a portfolio of over USD 6 billion, led high-level policy dialogue with the clients and provided guidance to the management teams in the countries. Prior to this, Mr. Hadad-Zervos served as the World Bank Country Manager for Nepal and the Head of the Global Knowledge and Research Hub in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr. Hadad-Zervos joined the World Bank in 1996 with the Private Sector Development Department. He served as Manager of the Technical Cooperation Program with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (2000-2003), Head of Mission for Iraq (2003-2005), Operations Manager for the West Bank and Gaza (2005-2008), Acting Director for Fragile States in the Operations Department (2010-2011) and Country Manager for Bolivia (2012-2015). In 2008, Mr. Hadad-Zervos took a leave of absence from the World Bank to serve as the Deputy Head of the Quartet Office for the Middle East Peace Process, and economic advisor to Quartet Representative Tony Blair, based in Jerusalem.

Mr. Hadad-Zervos holds a Masters in Economics from George Mason University, and a Masters in Finance from The George Washington University. He is the recipient of various awards, including the World Bank President’s Award for Excellence for the development of the world’s first Green Sukuk, as well as the prestigious Hans Binswanger for fostering diversity and inclusion in the offices under his purview.

Mr. Hadad-Zervos is a US citizen. He is married with two children.

Ms. Fiona Frazer has been the Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Afghanistan since August 2019. She also serves as the Human Rights Chief within the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Frazer was Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine from 2015 to 2019. She has also served as Deputy Representative for OHCHR in Central Asia and was Deputy Head of the OHCHR HQ based Europe and Central Asia Section. With her additional human rights work in Bosnia Herzegovina, Belarus, and the Philippines, Ms. Frazer has over 25 years of professional experience in conflict, humanitarian, and development settings.

Ms. Hsiao-Wei Lee assumed her responsibilities as WFP Representative and Country Director in Afghanistan in January 2023. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Lee served as WFP Afghanistan’s Deputy Country Director for Programme and Operations. Previously she was WFP South Sudan’s Head of Programme and, for a period, acting Deputy Country Director for Operations.
She also worked at WFP headquarters in Rome, where she contributed to the development and implementation of the corporate transition from project documents to Country Strategic Plans (CSPs), and supported a number of countries doing so, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Prior to joining WFP, Ms. Lee worked for USAID in Sudan and South Sudan on conflict mitigation and peacebuilding. Her experience includes both strategic engagement and operational implementation in conflict-affected areas.
Ms. Lee has also practiced law in New York, Beijing and London with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Isabelle Moussard Carlsen joined OCHA Afghanistan in June 2021. Isabelle has been engaged in the humanitarian sector since 1987. Her first field experience was in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. She subsequently spent 12 years working in the field in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Kenya and Somalia. Back in France in 1999, she worked for four years with the Samu Social de Paris before joining ACF in January 2005 as a Desk Officer. In March 2013, Isabelle was promoted to a Regional Director position and was then Director of Operations for ACF- France from August 2016 to April 2021.

Kwabena Asante-Ntiamoah is the UNFPA Representative in Afghanistan. He has served as Representative in Rwanda, Representative a.i. in Malaysia and Country Director a.i. Thailand. Prior to that Mr. Asante-Ntiamoah, was the Deputy Country Representative of UNFPA in Afghanistan and also served in the same capacity in Cameroon.

Kwabena has over 20 years of working experience in peacebuilding, humanitarian and development work. He has worked with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations with the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), UNDP/UNV and brings on board the nexus thinking of linking peace, humanitarian and development to addressing complex global issues.

Kwabena is a national of Ghana and holds a Master of Science Degree in Development Studies from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Sociology with Political Science from the University of Ghana, and a postgraduate qualification in Leadership from Columbia University.

Ms. Mihyung Park is the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission for Afghanistan. In her previous roles, she served as the Chief of Mission at the IOM offices in Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea, where she gained extensive experience in migration management, border management, counter trafficking, and migration health, while facilitating pathways for regular migration. Known to many as “Miah”, she also spearheaded and managed some of IOM’s largest private sector partnership programs, helping to bridge collaboration between business and humanitarian sectors.

Before joining IOM, Ms. Park worked for Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, an international NGO, where she oversaw the development and evaluation of humanitarian assistance and development projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this, she served as Chief Researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in the ROK, contributing to national policies on health and social welfare.

Ms. Park received several awards in recognition of her contributions to advancing migration and development issues, and establishing emergency response systems, including the ROK Prime Minister Award and the Award of the Minister of Public Safety and Security.

Born in Seoul, Republic of Korea, Ms. Park holds two Master of Science degrees from Harvard University and Oxford University, where she studied Public Health and Evidence-based Social Intervention and Policy.

Nicholas George brings more than 20 years of experience in development and humanitarian mission settings to the role. Mr. George has held senior positions with UNOPS, including the Head of the Washington DC Office, Country Director a.i. in Myanmar, Director of Partnerships a.i. and Head of Global Communications. He completed his studies at the London Schools of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and the University of Manchester.

Nick Pond is the Chief of Mine Action Section in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), responsible for supporting the coordination of the humanitarian mine action sector, providing assessments of the explosive ordnance threat and its impact, and coordinating threat mitigation measures in support of humanitarian and development initiatives. He reports to the Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary General – Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

Prior to this appointment he was the Senior Advisor to the Programme Manager of The HALO Trust in Afghanistan, an international mine action NGO based in Kabul. He was the Senior Military Advisor for UNAMA from April 2021 to April 2022, working from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Qatar.

Nick has been working regularly in Afghanistan since 2005 and has always strived to improve the lives of those in need. Prior to working with HALO, Nick served in the British Army for 36 years, leading teams in highly volatile environments, working to restore, preserve, build, and sustain peace. His operational deployments included Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Nick, a British national, holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Exeter University, a master’s degree in military studies from Cranfield University, and a postgraduate certificate in security and strategy for global leaders from King's College London. He is married with two teenage children and enjoys swimming, snowboarding, Ultimate Frisbee and playing the drums.

Ms Patricia McPhillips assumed her responsibilities as UNESCO Officer-in-Charge to Afghanistan, in January 2022. Prior to her current appointment, Ms McPhillips served as Representative and Director of UNESCO to Pakistan from 2019 – 2021, and Afghanistan 2015 – 2019.

Within the context of her experience with the UN, Ms McPhillips has worked with UN Women as Chief Technical Advisor in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia; with IOM in Kosovo; UNRWA as Deputy Director in Syria; UNICEF as Special Representative to the Occupied Palestinian Territories in Jerusalem; Senior Political Officer with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), and; Senior Planning and Reporting Officer with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Her professional experience not only spans development work, but also humanitarian and relief assignments including the Red Cross and Non-Government Agencies and Organizations, as well as the US Department of State.
She is experienced in managing complex and protracted emergencies within a human-rights and engendered based approach, with the full inclusion of education for all, alternative learning modalities, life-long learning opportunities, cultural rights, free access to information, and the freedom of expression.

Ms McPhillips holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Concordia College, Moorhead, and a Masters of Arts in Education, University of San Francisco.

Mr. Polleak Ok Serei, a national of Cambodia, joined UNODC in 2010 in the Justice Section as Associate Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer. He subsequently moved to Nigeria where he served as Programme Management Officer (Head of Support Team), Anti-Corruption Project Coordinator, and Anti-Human Trafficking Project Coordinator, after which he worked as Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer in Dakar, followed by his assignment to the Central African Republic as Programme Coordinator.

Previously, since September 2021, Mr. Ok Serei served as the Programme Coordinator/Head of Office in Tripoli, Libya. Mr. Ok Serei brings to this position sound substantive and managerial experience in developing and delivering UNODC technical assistance programmes, fostering cooperation and partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including in hardship duty stations.

Prior to joining UNODC, he worked at the International Labour Organization in Cambodia on the establishment of an arbitration council. Mr. Ok Serei holds a law degree from the Université de Paris X and a master’s degree from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Ramin Behzad is the Senior Coordinator of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Afghanistan.
Mr. Behzad represented his home country Iran at the ILO, including at the International Labour Conference and Governing Body Sessions, from 2013 to 2020. He served as the Coordinator of the Government Group and the Asia and Pacific Government Group (ASPAG) of the ILO.
He held managerial positions in the Statistics Centre and the International Affairs Department of the MCLSW during 2002-2013.
Mr. Behzad holds a PhD in Statistics from Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran, and two master’s degrees in Actuarial Science from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran.

Mr. Mohammadi is a program and project management professional with a master's degree focused on Management Information Systems with long term experience in program management at post-conflict countries and regional development & connectivity. He has more than 25 years of work experience in development processes, accompanied by extensive knowledge of the entire project/program cycle. Before joining UNCTAD, Reza has experience working with UNOPS and government experience as a civil servant.

Richard Trenchard has more than 25 years humanitarian, crisis and development. A land tenure and property specialist by technical background, he has worked for the United Nations at FAO, IFAD and WFP.
Before his appointment as FAO Representative in Afghanistan in August 2021, he has served as FAO Representative ad interim for Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Previously, he worked as head of Regional Policy and Senior Adviser for the Near East and North Africa, based in FAO’s regional office in Cairo and focusing on food systems transformation; also, as FAO’s first “Whole of Syria Coordinator” and FAO Representative in Somalia.
He has worked in a range of sudden-onset and complex emergency settings, including South Sudan, Sudan (Darfur), Liberia, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Rwanda and has supported development programmes and operations in more than thirty other countries.
He has a PhD from Cambridge University (UK).

Sabahuddin Sokout has been the UNITAR Program Coordinator and Focal Point in Afghanistan since 2007, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to development and peacebuilding efforts in the region. His career commenced with roles as Administration and Finance Officer at the Baz Construction Unit for Rehabilitation of Afghanistan (BCURA) and Liaison Officer of Foreign Affairs at the Academy of Science of Afghanistan, laying a solid foundation in administrative and diplomatic skills.
A graduate of Kabul University's Faculty of Economics in 1997, Mr. Sokout has cultivated a deep professional background in International Economy, Organizational Studies, and Change. He furthered his education with a master’s degree in international Peace and Co-existence from Hiroshima University, specializing in Peacebuilding through Economic Development, reflecting his dedication to fostering peace and prosperity through economic avenues.
Throughout his career, Mr. Sokout has enriched his expertise with certifications in project design, planning, accounting, fraud mitigation, instructional design, and environmental issues, recently becoming an ATD Master Instructional Designer. This accomplishment underscores his dedication to enhancing educational program design and delivery.
Engaged in the UNITAR Hiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan as a Fellow (2005), Coach (2006-2007), and Afghan Resource Person (2008), Mr. Sokout has played a pivotal role in shaping the future leaders of Afghanistan. With over nine years of experience in policy and strategy development, he has collaborated extensively with companies, NGOs, and MSMEs, driving significant contributions to Afghanistan’s development and peacebuilding initiatives.

Ms. Stephanie Loose is the Country Programme Manager for UN-Habitat Afghanistan, joined in October 2024. With over 25 years of experience in Africa and Europe, she is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in urban planning and humanitarian
coordination. Stephanie started her career in February 1999 as an Architect & Urban Planner in Germany and continued to move forward and make an impact in the Development and Humanitarian sectors.

Prior to this role, Stephanie served as the Senior Global Shelter Cluster Officer with UNHCR’s Division of Resilience and Solutions. Prior to this engagement with UNHCR, Stephanie played a key role as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Durable Solution at Joint IDP
Service (JIPS). Between 2016 and 2022, Stephanie held several positions within UN-Habitat's Global Solutions Divisions including Human Settlement Officer and as Chief Technical Advisor to UN-Habitat in Burkina Faso. She had advocated for the humanitarian-
development-(peace) nexus and led the development of normative guidance tools and operationalised projects in countries that faced large scale migration to cities (forced and voluntary migration).

Stephanie has also held several positions including Programme Management Officer for UNOG, CEO for Talking about Public Relations, Head of Public Relations for SIAT GmbH, and Architect and Urban Planner for various architectural offices.

Stephanie holds a university Diploma in Architecture & Urban Planning, and Engineering. She is passionate about leveraging her expertise to support Afghanistan's urban development goals, ensuring that all citizens have access to safe and sustainable living environments.

Previously, Stephen served as the Resident Representative for UNDP Liberia and, before that, he was the Resident Representative for UNDP Rwanda where he also served as Country Director for a few years. Stephen was also UNDP Deputy Country Director in Indonesia. From 2005-2010, Stephen worked as an Advisor in the Executive Office in UNDP New York. He was also Head of the Governance and Poverty Unit in UNDP Jamaica and Part-time Lecturer in Political Science at the University of the West Indies. Prior to joining UNDP, Stephen occupied various positions in the Jamaican Government, serving as Director of Social Policy in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Head of Planning and Development in the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, and Assistant to the Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica.
Stephen holds a Masters in Business Administration from the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a Masters of Philosophy in Government and Bachelors in International Relations (First Class Honours) from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.
He is married and has two daughters. He speaks fluent English and Spanish.

Mr. Trouble Chikoko is the incoming UNAIDS Country Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan Multi-Country Office. He brings over 20 years of experience in public health and socioeconomic development at national, regional and global levels.

Mr. Chikoko currently serves as Senior Advisor – Programme Branch and is responsible for strategic support to UNAIDS’ Deputy Executive Director – Programmes to ensure an expanded and integrated UN system response to AIDS at country, regional and global levels to deliver on the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026, the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS and target 3 of SDG 3 on Ending AIDS as a Public Health threat by 2030.

During Mr. Chikoko’s 12 years with UNAIDS he has served as Strategic Information Advisor in Rwanda and Malawi where he supported countries to strengthen the production of high-quality granular data that led to greater understanding of the AIDS response at national and subnational levels and a better tailoring and targeting of programmes and investments. He also served in Uganda where he worked as an Investment and Efficiency Adviser, and later as a PEPFAR/Global Fund Adviser in the UNAIDS country office leading efforts in resource mobilization, expenditure tracking, and efficient allocation and utilization of resources to address critical gaps in the AIDS response. While in Uganda, Mr. Chikoko led the UNAIDS Country Office and worked with the office of the President to re-energize the HIV response through mass mobilization for increased uptake of HIV services through the Presidential Fast-Track Initiative on ending AIDS in Uganda. Prior to Joining the UN, Mr. Chikoko worked with several International Non-Governmental Organizations in various senior managerial roles in HIV and AIDS, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, research and programme management,

Mr. Chikoko holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Malawi, a Master’s degree in Public Health (Epidemiology) from University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and Master’s degree in Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics from Barcelona School of Management of the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. Mr. Chikoko is a Malawian national and he speaks English, Chichewa and basic French.