Mr. Arthur van Diesen has begun his term as the new UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, September 29^th, 2023- Mr. Arthur van Diesen has been officially appointed as the new UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan, following accreditation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Arthur van Diesen has joined the UNICEF office in Tajikistan to implement the new Country Programme of Cooperation with the Government of Tajikistan, 2023-2026. Prior to his appointment as Representative to Tajikistan, Mr. van Diesen served with UNICEF as Representative in Kazakhstan, as Regional Social Policy Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa, and as Deputy Representative in Tajikistan.

“It is a great honour for me to be appointed to lead UNICEF’s work in Tajikistan, supporting the Government and all our many partners in our joint efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of every child. Tajikistan is blessed with a young population and together we will work tirelessly to ensure that children and youth grow up in a healthy and protective environment and can develop to their full potential. If Tajikistan’s children flourish, the whole nation will flourish”, said Arthur van Diesen.

Arthur van Diesen is a social policy and development expert with 30 years of experience in applied social research and monitoring and evaluation. He has lived and worked in Africa, South and Central Asia and the Middle East. His career has engaged him with the United Nations, bilateral aid agencies and international NGOs in both an advisory and management capacity. He holds a master’s degree from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and specialises in social policy, social protection, poverty analysis, gender equality, women's empowerment, civil society development, and monitoring and evaluation.

Since 1993, UNICEF’s Office in the Republic of Tajikistan has been working with development partners, civil society organizations and communities to help the Government in fulfilling its obligation to empower children to fully claim and enjoy their rights, under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UNICEF has been working in Tajikistan for 30 years in the areas of child protection, health, social policy, early childhood development and education, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), emergency response, climate change and disaster risk reduction, children with disabilities, and youth empowerment.

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For more information, please contact:

Justin Bradfield, Chief Communications, advocacy and partnership, UNICEF in Tajikistan, j[email protected] 

Umeda Fazylova, Communications Officer, UNICEF in Tajikistan, [email protected]