Our team in Somalia

Mr. Anders Thomsen has more than 25 years of experience in Development and Humanitarian Assistance, with a commitment to promoting Human Right, Reproductive Health and Poverty Reduction. He is the UNFPA Representative to Somalia since March 2019. Prior to this role, he served as the UNFPA Representative to Palestine with a focus on addressing Humanitarian and Development challenges related to Population Dynamics, Youth, Reproductive Health and combatting Gender-Based Violence.

Ms. Amelia Hannaford is the Head of Office of UNODC Somalia. Prior to joining UNODC Somalia, Ms. Amelia Hannaford was the Head of Office/Project Coordinator with UNODC, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. With more than three decades of experience, Amelia has worked for Salama Fikira Tanzania as a Senior Investigator contracted to UNILEVER Tanzania where she led crime investigations. Amelia is a national of South Africa and holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and Bachelor of Jurisprudence (B Iris) from University of South Africa.

Anka Kitunzi has over 25 years of experience in Public Financial Management (PFM) and public administration as a practitioner and advisor; working with government agencies (particularly with Finance and Local Government ministries and Tax Policy/Administration), the private sector, and international development agencies. Anka has a master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge Massachusetts, a post-graduate certificate in International Tax from Harvard Law School, a Diploma in Tax Administration from Institute of Public Administration (Uganda), and a BA (honors) degree from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. He is a national of Uganda.

Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta (Gambia), was appointed to the post of Director of the Multi-Sectoral Office in Nairobi for East Africa (Kenya) and UNESCO Representative to Kenya, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia and Uganda on 1 October 2016. She holds a BA (Honours) in Education, English and History obtained from Bayero University (Nigeria) in 1980 and an M.Sc. in Educational Leadership obtained from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee (USA) in 1984. She also holds a certificate in Educational Policy Analysis, Development Studies and Evaluation from Harvard University, Boston (USA).

Mr. Cesar Arroyo is the Representative and Country Director of World Food Programme (WFP) for Somalia. He brings nearly forty years of experience to WFP’s management team. Prior to assuming the current position and role as Country Director and Representative of WFP Somalia, Cesar worked in WFP Headquarters in Rome as Deputy Director Supply Chain Division from 2015 until 2019. In 2014, Cesar served for one year in West Africa first as WFP Regional Coordinator for Common Logistics Services and then from 2015 as WFP Ebola Response Regional Emergency Coordinator based in Sierra Leone. Cesar holds a degree in Military Science and Administration and has several certificates from the aviation industry in Peru, Brazil and USA. He is a national of Peru and is married with four Children.

Based in the IFAD Regional Office in Cairo-Egypt, Mr. Eric Rwabidadi is the acting Country Programme Manager for Somalia since September 2018. Mr Rwabidadi is a trained Lawyer with over eighteen years’ experience in rural development, rule of law, government services, private sector and international NGOs. Mr. Rwabidadi has been working for IFAD for the last 14 years in different capacities in field operations and has worked for various portfolio including Rwanda, his country of origin, Kenya, South Sudan, Burundi, Eritrea, Zambia, Malawi, Armenia and currently Djibouti and Iraq in addition to Somalia. In his previous career, Mr. Rwabidadi worked for the Rwanda Central Public Investment and External Finances Bureau (CEPEX), a specialised body under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

Mr Etienne Peterschmitt is FAO Representative a.i. to Somalia as 1 October 2019. In his second experience working for FAO in Somalia he is also Head of Programme. He joined FAO in 2002. From technical to managerial positions, his vast experience with the UN specialized agency includes work in Haiti, Yemen, and several Eastern African countries (Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda). Previously, he worked for the private sector, NGOs and the ICRC in various locations worldwide. Mr Peterschmitt holds a MSc/Engineer degree in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture by the Institute for Higher Education in Tropical Agri-Food Industry & Rural Development in Montpellier, France, and a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Development by the Institute of Economic and Social Development Studies at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Mr Peterschmitt is a French citizen.

Mr. Henry Danso is the ILO’s Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP) Specialist responsible for Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Djibouti. He is also the acting Head of the ILO Somalia Office. Mr. Danso has a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering and Finance. He has more than 30 years of experience in rural roads engineering, project management and contract management.

Mr. Ishaku Maitumbi is Officer in Charge/Head of Programmes for UN-HABITAT Somalia, which is the largest UN-HABITAT programme within the African region. He specialises in urbanization, displacement and local government systems strengthening, especially in post-conflict and developing environments. He is an experienced team leader and a committed capacity builder. Ishaku is a Nigerian/British national and a chartered urban planner (MRTPI) with over 20 years' professional experience in the sector, including more than 12 years with the United Nations. This varied experience has been gained in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and is backed up with an MSc in Urban Planning and International Development (Oxford Brookes, UK).

Mr. Swan is an experienced diplomat with a long international career in the United States Government. He spent most of his career in African countries facing complex political transitions. He served as Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2013 to 2016, US Special Representative for Somalia from 2011 to 2013, and Ambassador to Djibouti from 2008 to 2011. Earlier in his career, Mr. Swan served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 2006 to 2008, and Director of African Analysis in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research from 2005 to 2006. Prior to these, Mr. Swan held various assignments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo, Somalia, Cameroon, Nicaragua and Haiti. Mr. Swan holds a B.Sc. degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a Master’s degree in Security Studies from the National War College.

Mr. Mason’s career in development spans over 20 years, including as the Country Director of UNDP Mozambique from 2008 to 2012. He was also the Chief of Staff for UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery in 2012-2014 and served as the Directorate Manager for UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support in 2014 to 2015. Mr. Mason holds degrees in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, and in International Relations and International Economics, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

Mr. Johann Siffointe has nearly 25 years of experience with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Siffointe served as UNHCR Representative in South Sudan, Papua New Guinea and Kyrgystan. He has also held managerial and technical positions within UNHCR in the recent past including as Deputy Representative in Pakistan and Senior Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer based in Geneva. Before joining UNHCR, Mr Siffointe worked for OXFAM, Care International, Medecins Sans Frontieres in several countries including Angola, Cambodia, Sierre Leone, Malawi, Pakistan and Chad. He holds a Masters in International Law from Oxford University and is a national of France.

Kristina Svensson joined the Bank in 2004, after working as a consultant with the then World Bank Institute (WBI), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), as well as with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She has since held various positions, including Senior Operations Officer and Senior Mining Specialist in the Energy and Extractive Global Practice. From 2016 to 2018, she was Resident Representative for Guinea Bissau. Her most recent assignment being Special Assistant to the Regional Vice-President for the Africa Region. She has a Master’s Degree in Human Rights from Columbia School of International and Public Affairs.

Dr Sk Md Mamunur Rahman Malik joined the WHO country office in Somalia as Head of Mission and WHO Representative in March 2019. Dr Malik is a medical epidemiologist by training and has a special interest in building health systems for crisis management, including prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases outbreaks. He has over 15 years of experience on infectious disease surveillance and response to outbreaks and other public health crisis and has worked in Darfur in Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan and Afghanistan in different capacities. He has special interest in health system capacity-building. Dr Malik has a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery (M.B.B.S.) from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Postgraduate Diploma in Health Economics and a Master’s Degree in Health Economics from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a national of Bangladesh.

Mr. Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya is the UNICEF Representative in Somalia where he is responsible for the leadership and management of the country programme. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Ayoya served as UNICEF Representative in South Sudan (2019-2021), in Zimbabwe (2016-2019) and in Guinea (2013-2016), where among other priorities, he played a critical role in leading UNICEF’s response to emergencies, including cholera and Ebola outbreaks and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Ayoya first joined UNICEF in 2006 as a nutrition specialist in the regional office for West and Central Africa based in Dakar, Senegal, covering 24 countries. He has since worked in the nutrition programme in Sierra Leone, India, and Haiti, where he also headed UNICEF’s child survival and development programme and was responsible for developing child survival strategies. He also served as UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Haiti.

Dr. Ayoya is a national of Mali. He holds a medical doctor (MD) degree from the School of Medicine of Mali and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in nutrition from Cornell University in the United States of America.

Mr. Muniandy (Andy) Shanmugam is joined the UN in Somalia as the Principal Security Adviser in September 2017. He focuses on security risk assessments, crisis management and emergency preparedness. He monitors security developments countrywide and develops minimum operating security standards, policies and procedures. He advised the Secretary-General’s representative in Somalia and the Country representatives of 23 UN agencies, funds and programnes on all aspects of security for their personnel, family members, premises and operations. He has a Masters Degree in Emergency Management and Terrorism, Safety & Security from Charles Sturt University.

Ms.Qurat-ul-Ain Sadozai is the Head of UNMAS Programme in Somalia. Ms. Sadozai has over 17 years of experience working with the UN and International NGOs in conflict and post-conflict setting. Ms. Sadozai served in a variety of managerial posts in field operations most in Asia and Africa. From 2012 – 2014 Ms. Sadozai served as Deputy Regional Director for the Horn of Africa and the Country Director for Somalia and Kenya for NRC. Ms. Sadozai has a double master’s in social policy and International Relations.

Prior to being appointed as IOM Chief of Mission for Somalia, Richard Danziger was the Organization’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa. In that capacity he chaired the Regional UN Development Group for Western and Central Africa in 2017 and 2018 and led the recalibration of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. He has previously served as Chief of Mission in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka and the Maldives. From 2005 to 2010 he headed IOM’s Migrant Protection & Assistance Division in Geneva. In 2010-11 he was Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Council on Illicit Trade & Organized Crime, and has also been a member of their Future Council on Migration. He is regularly involved in research projects and is currently on the board of a Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)/ Overseas Development Institute (ODI)-led multi-year research on migration and development which counts Somalia as one of the target countries.

Mr. Sadiq Syed brings over 20 years’ experience serving with the United Nations. He has been working with the UN Women since its inception and since held the positions of Deputy Country Director for Afghanistan, Deputy Regional Program Director in the South Africa Regional Office, Country Representative in Iraq and most recently, Regional Program Manager, Ending Violence against Women and Girls of the UN Women East & Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) and has led the EU-funded Spotlight Initiative Stream 1 in the region.

In his earlier career, Mr. Syed worked with the United Nations (OHCHR and UNFPA) in Ethiopia, Eritrea, East Timor, India, Liberia and Sudan. He also served at the National Commission for Women, Government of India and also as a faculty at the Indian Law Institute-India, visiting fellow at the Clark University and contributed to the fellow’s paper to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government-USA. Mr. Syed is the exponent of the ‘Coordinated Responses Approach (CRA) in Addressing GBV’ in 1997 and specializes in gender, human rights, peace and security and has authored and co-authored several publications on human rights and gender. He holds LL.M. in International Human Rights Law and PhD in Women’s Rights Law.

Mr. Tareq Talahma is the Head of Office- OCHA-Somalia and has been working with the United Nations for the last fifteen years in different duty stations, including Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. During his career with the UN, Mr. Talahma has assumed a range of positions which cover policy development, programme management, resource mobilization, besides operational and senior management. In addition to his experience in the humanitarian field, Tareq has been actively engaged in the UN development reform.
Mr. Talahma has considerable expertise in negotiating access; management and planning in turbulent environments; streamlining operational and strategic coordination; programming in fragile contexts, institutional reforms, and humanitarian-development nexus. Prior to joining the UN, Tareq worked for three years as an institutional reform and community engagement specialist with a DfID funded project—a role required developing modalities for community participation, institutional reforms, and poverty reduction strategies. Finally, Mr. Talahma worked for three years as Director of the Rural Centre for Sustainable Development (RCSD). Mr. Tareq holds a B.Sc. in Biology and a master’s degree in “Community Development and Planning in Turbulent Environment” from York University in Canada.

Mr. Tim Lardner is the Country Director of UNOPS Somalia, providing strategic guidance and leadership to the UNOPS Somlia country team on a broad portfolio of programmes supporting the best interests of the people of Somalia. Mr Lardner holds a Master of Science (MSc) from Cranfield University and a Master of Arts (MA )in Global Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Mr. Tim Lardner is the Country Director of UNOPS Somalia, providing strategic guidance and leadership to the UNOPS Somlia country team on a broad portfolio of programmes supporting the best interests of the people of Somalia. Mr Lardner holds a Master of Science (MSc) from Cranfield University and a Master of Arts (MA )in Global Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Mr. Scarcia began his career with UNIDO in 2011. He has a great deal of expertise in developing and operating technical cooperation programmes in fragile and post-crisis environments such as Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. In Iraq, he focused on developing small and medium enterprises, promoting investment, and enhancing livelihood opportunities in sustainable entrepreneurship activities for women and youth. Mr. Scarcia also worked in the technology start-up sector in San Francisco, California. He holds an MBA from the University of San Francisco, California, and a BA and MA in political science and international relations from LUISS University in Rome, Italy.