Say Yes, Winter 2008: New Representative starts work

With the arrival of 2008, Reza Hossaini has taken up his duties as the new UNICEF representative in Turkey, a post formerly held by Edmond McLoughney. Hossaini, an Iranian citizen, is married with one child. He was previously UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan, where he was recently awarded the Presidential Order of National Friendship in recognition of the results achieved by UNICEF under his leadership.

From drugs to development

The new UNICEF Turkey Representative obtained his degree in pharmacy from the University of Delhi, India, in 1981. He went on to work in pharmaceutical and vaccine production in India and Iran. In 1986, he worked with the Iranian Ministry of Health on the planning and expansion of Primary Health Care.

Hossaini joined UNICEF in as a Project Officer in the Tehran office in March 1989. Within months, he was to take over responsibility for the UNICEF programme in Iran as Assistant Representative. In 1997–98 he was posted to southern Sudan and Somalia to plan and implement the Polio National Immunization Days. For the following four years he was transferred to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. After setting up the Polio Eradication Team for the Horn of Africa, he became Regional Coordinator of the Immunization Programme for Polio Eradication in Southeast Asia, based in Delhi and with a brief covering ten countries including India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea and Bangladesh.

In 2002, Hossaini became UNICEF Senior Programme Coordinator in Afghanistan. The priorities of UNICEF’s US$100m/year operation in the war–torn country included health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation and child protection. He was appointed Representative to Uzbekistan in 2004.

Uzbek award

According to Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev, speaking at the Presidential Order of National Friendship award ceremony in December 2007:

UNICEF is now known by ordinary people in every part of the country due to its work on the ground to improve the lives of women and children.

The Government also appreciated UNICEF’s collaboration in national policy and programme development. It was only the second time the Order had been awarded to an international organisation.

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