Representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan

Dr Rashed Mustafa Sarwar was appointed as UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan in April 2024. Dr Rashed brings over 25 years of diverse work in Central Asia and Caucasus, Europe and Southeast Asia, with UNICEF and other UN agencies in politically transitional and developing countries, in countries of middle and upper-income status as well as in extreme humanitarian and post-conflict situations. 

Before joining the Team in Kazakhstan, Dr Rashed led the UNICEF Refugee Response operation in Poland. He has established UNICEF presence and provided overall leadership of the programme of over 250 million US Dollar to the millions of Ukrainian refugee children and women in Poland for 2 years. 

He has served as the UNICEF Representative to Malaysia and Special Representative to Brunei Darussalam from 2020 to 2022, UNICEF Representative to the Republic of Belarus from 2015-2020 and UNICEF Deputy Representative to Azerbaijan in 2009-2015. In all positions, he has been providing overall leadership and managerial guidance on UNICEF programming, policy direction, monitoring of compliance and performance standards as well as coordination with international, governmental and civil society organizations. In Belarus, he has successfully launched and tested new fundraising models, with increased mobilization of private and corporate donations and greater involvement of Belarusian citizens, companies and civil society for children in the country and abroad. 

Before that, from 2006 to 2009, Dr Rashed Sarwar served as Chief of UNICEF Office for North Caucasus, Russian Federation, where he was overall responsible for UNICEF programme in 5 North Caucasian republics: Dagestan, Chechen Republic, North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. Dr Sarwar also provided policy support, guidance and advocacy as required in emergencies and other humanitarian programme implementation.

During 1995 to 2006, Dr Sarwar worked for UNHCR in East Timor and Abkhazia (Georgia) and UNWFP in Tajikistan as well as for UNICEF in South-East Asia (East Timor and Myanmar) in Health and Nutrition, Integrated Early Childhood Development and Expanded Programme on Immunization areas.

Dr Sarwar is a national of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Has advanced medical educational background. Fluent in Bangla, English and Russian.