Our Team in Pakistan

Afke, a national of the Netherlands, has joined the RCO in Pakistan in August 2024 from Indonesia, where she has been serving in the same role before since early 2020. Her extensive experience includes serving as the Regional Manager for the UN Volunteers Programme in West and Central Africa from 2016 to 2020, and as the Senior UN Inter-Agency Coordination Officer for the first Lebanon Crisis Response Plan from 2013 to 2015. Additionally, she led the UNDP debris clearance initiative in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, following the 2010 earthquake (2011–2013). Her UN career has also taken her to Burundi, New York, and Guyana.

Afke holds a Master’s Degree in International Organizations from the University of Groningen and is fluent in English, French, and Dutch.

Ms. Anita Hirsch, a French and Norwegian national, joined the World Food Programme (WFP) Pakistan as Representative and Country Director in June 2026. She brings over 20 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector across diverse United Nations organizations, specializing in governance, oversight and programme improvement for most of her career.

Most recently, Ms. Hirsch served as WFP’s Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, providing cross‑functional support and oversight to 17 Country Offices, from Afghanistan to the Pacific, in both emergency and development contexts. Previously, she held several oversight roles within WFP, including Director of Internal Audit and Inspector General ad interim, as well as positions with UNDP and the United Nations Oversight Services.

Ms. Weibel brings more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications, developing and implementing successful advocacy and communications campaigns within the United Nations system, as well as with international non-governmental organizations.

Since June 2018, she served as Chief of Advocacy and Communication for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan. Previously, Ms. Weibel was Chief of Communication for UNICEF in the State of Palestine (East Jerusalem). She also worked with Oxfam International and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kenya, Somalia and New York. She began her professional life as a journalist in France and in Egypt.

Ms. Weibel holds a master’s degree in international relations and journalism from the Institut d’Etudes politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and Centre de formation des Journalistse (CFJ) in Paris.

Dr. Luay Shabaneh is the Representative of UNFPA Pakistan. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the Regional Director of UNFPA for the Arab States since 2016.

A native of Palestine, Dr. Luay has held several high-profile national and international public service positions over the last two decades in official statistics, population census, population and development, monitoring and evaluation, programme management and advocacy within the UN System, in government and in the multilateral arena.

He served as chief statistician of Palestine from 2005 until he started his UN career in 2009 with both UNDP/UNCT and UNFPA in Iraq, and the Regional Office for Arab States since 2015 as the Regional Adviser for Population Data and Policies in ASRO. Within the Arab region, he served as chair or member of several regional professional and research committees, including the Statistical Committee of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the Arab regional statistical forum and the board of the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics. Dr. Luay started his professional career at Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics where he worked from 1994 to 2005 and was appointed President.

Dr. Luay holds a PhD in Applied Social Statistics from Lancaster University, UK, a Master’s Degree in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Jordan and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Baghdad University.

Dr Luo Dapeng, a Chinese national, was appointed WHO Representative in Pakistan on 1 February 2024. He was previously the WHO Representative in Afghanistan, where for 3 years he led one of the biggest WHO operations in the country. Dr Luo also served as WHO Representative in Papua New Guinea for about 4 years.

Dr Luo has been working in the field of international public health for more than 24 years. His rich experience spans communicable diseases and prevention and control of emerging diseases; country capacity-building for health security; and health system strengthening, particularly at the primary health care level. He has also led the management of complex emergencies and coordination of humanitarian health response.

Before becoming a country representative, Dr Luo spent 4 years as a team leader in Health Security and Communicable Diseases at the WHO Country Office in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. He also worked for 6 years as a medical officer in the Health Security and Communicable Diseases team of the WHO Country Office in Mongolia.

Other roles he has held with WHO include that of scientist, in the area of malaria and other vector-borne and parasitic diseases, in Papua New Guinea and epidemiologist at WHO headquarters. Before joining WHO, Dr Luo was an advisor with the Asian Development Bank in Indonesia.
Before starting his career in international public health, Dr Luo worked with China’s national malaria control programme, carrying out extensive field work. In this role, he led a field team for Plasmodium falciparum malaria elimination in the south of Henan province, China, for over 10 years.

Dr Luo obtained his medical degree from Henan Medical University, China, and trained in medical parasitology and entomology at the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He holds an MSc in Epidemiology and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, United Kingdom.

Fernanda Thomaz Da Rocha has been Representative and Country Director for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Pakistan since September 2023.

Ms Thomaz Da Rocha brings over 18 years of experience in finance and implementation of development programmes. She was previously IFAD’s Senior Regional Technical Specialist in Rural Institutions and Farmers’ Organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, leading the design and technical assistance of investment projects in the region. Prior to joining IFAD in 2020, she worked for 15 years at the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) where she served as senior manager in different divisions. As manager of the social fund of BNDES, she was responsible for financing programmes and projects for rural development and poverty reduction in Brazil. She has extensive experience in the development of country strategies and the design and implementation of poverty alleviation programmes in poor and climate change-affected areas. A national of Brazil, Ms Thomaz Da Rocha holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley, USA.

Fuad Pashayev assumed the position of the Chief of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Office and Representative to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in June 2025. Prior to his appointment in Pakistan, he served as the Head of the National Commissions and Fellowships Unit within the Priority Africa and External Relations Sector since November 2019.

He has also served as Officer-in-charge of the UNESCO Office in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) from May to October 2019. From 2004 to 2019, he was involved in numerous fundraising initiatives within the Programme of Honorary and Goodwill Ambassadors that he led from 2016 to 2019.

Fuad Pashayev holds a doctorate degree in political science from the University Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne and a master's degree in international relations from the same university. He also received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University Robert Schuman of Strasbourg (France).

He is a native of Azerbaijan and speaks English, French, Russian, Turkish and aspires to learn Urdu. Fuad Pashayev is married and a proud father of two kids.

Mr Geir Thomas TONSTOL, a Norwegian national, was appointed Director of the ILO Country Office for Pakistan (CO-Islamabad), on 3 January 2023.
Mr Tonstol joined the ILO in 2003 and has held several positions both at ILO headquarters and in the field.

He comes to Pakistan from the position as Senior Administrator in the office of the ILO’s Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships, a position he held since 2016. Prior to that, Mr Tonstol served as Resource Mobilization Specialist and Operations Specialist in the ILO’s Regional Office for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He started his ILO career in the Bureau for Gender Equality, where he managed a portfolio of development cooperation projects as Chief Technical Advisor.
From April to October 2022, Mr Tonstol served on the Transition Team of the newly-elected ILO Director-General.

Mr Tonstol holds an MPhil degree in Gender and Development and an MA degree in Development Administration and Management.

He is married and has a daughter.

Mr. Hector Sucilla Perez was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and brings more than 22 years of professional experience in public health, sustainable development, public policy, health governance, research, and the HIV response. He has worked across Latin America, the Caribbean, and West and Central Africa.

He joined UNAIDS in June 2014, and prior to his appointment as UNAIDS Country Director for Pakistan and Nepal, he performed as Country Director for Ghana. Previously, he served as Country Director in Guatemala; Director a.i. of the Multi-country Office for Honduras and Nicaragua; and Strategic Information Adviser for the aforementioned offices in Latin America.

Before joining UNAIDS, Mr. Sucilla Perez served the Government of Mexico for more than six years at the National Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS, most notably as Director of Operations Research, where he also coordinated international affairs and advanced South-South cooperation on HIV response related matters. He has also served as advisor at the Directorate-General for the Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS (DIGECITSS) in the Dominican Republic.

He has represented Mexico and the Latin America and Caribbean region in several high-level governance boards and forums, including the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (UNAIDS-PCB), the Global Fund Board, the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions on HIV/AIDS, the Technical Cooperation Group of HIV/AIDS Programmes of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission.

Mr. Sucilla Perez has also promoted regional high-level political initiatives to advance the HIV agenda, including convening the First Meeting of Ministers of Health and Ministers of Education of Latin America and the Caribbean to Stop HIV (2008), which led to the adoption of the landmark Ministerial Declaration “Preventing through Education.”

He holds a degree in Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a Master’s in Health Management and Direction from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) of Mexico.

James is an Agricultural Economist by profession with vast experience in programme development and management, farmer institutional development and advisory services, emergency operations and community resilience. He has been with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for over 25 years. During that time, he has held positions at Country Offices, Sub Regional Office Resilience hubs in Nairobi and Johannesburg, and FAO Headquarters.

He has been in Pakistan for the last 3 years as Head of Sindh Province before relocating to Balochistan where he has been supporting a large portfolio. Prior to relocating to Pakistan, James was the Deputy FAO Representative and FAO Representative ad interim in Malawi for 16 months. He has immense experience in dealing with large and diverse teams, establishing strategic partnerships with other UN agencies, government, civil society, national institutions and resource partners to ensure that programme development is coherent and in line with existing global, regional and national development frameworks.

Mr. Kazi possesses over 27 years of diverse field and senior management experience in the thematic areas of gender equality, democratic governance, parliamentary processes, environmental policy, programme management, public-private partnerships, and development coordination with several UN agencies and the NGO sector based in Europe, East Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Prior to his current appointment, he has served as Senior Advisor to UN Women’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific; Representative to Indonesia and Liaison to ASEAN. He also served previously as UN Women’s Country Representative to Pakistan. Before joining UN Women, Mr. Kazi served as UNDP’s Director a.i. at the Oslo Governance Center in Norway, as UNDP’s Practice Manager for Democratic Governance in New York; Senior Programme Specialist for UNV in Bonn, Germany as well as Assistant Resident Representative for UNDP in Ethiopia and Lao PDR. A national of Bangladesh, Mr. Kazi holds Masters degrees in Public Administration; Development Studies; and Environmental Assessment and Evaluation, respectively, from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jennifer Ankrom-Khan has lived and worked in Pakistan for over 14 years. Her primary roles to date have been within civil society, starting her work with a local organisation and more recently working with various INGOs. Her most recent tenure was as Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Pakistan. As part of this role, she was a founding member of READY Pakistan (the local branch of the Start Network) and took on leadership roles within the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum, most notably with regard to their work on regulation. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a master's degree in International Relations. She resumed her role with UNOPS on January 6, 2023.

Major General Ramón Guardado Sánchez has had a long and distinguished career in the Mexican Army, currently serving as Commissioner of the National Guard in Yucatán. Prior to this, he served as Liaison to Congress for the National Defence Joint Staff (2022-2023), Chief of the Regional Training Centre (2021-2022) and as Chief of the G-7 Section (Counter-narcotics Operations) of the National Defence Joint Staff (2018-2019). He was also the Commanding Officer of the Mexican Peace Operations Joint Training Centre (2017-2018) and served in the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (2016-2017) as Regional Chief Observer.

Major General Guardado holds a bachelor’s degree in military administration from the Superior War School and a master’s degree in national security from the Naval Centre for Superior Studies, both in Mexico. He also graduated from the Armor Officer Advanced Course at the United States Army Armor Centre and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College in the United States and trained at the Argentine Joint Training Centre for Peace Operations (CAECOPAZ). He speaks English and Spanish.

Ms. Mio Sato joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Pakistan office in October ‎‎2020. She has worked in IOM offices since 2001 in Kenya, Belgium, Indonesia, Iraq (based in Jordan), ‎Afghanistan and Japan. Prior to joining IOM, she worked with the Consulate General of Japan in Los ‎Angeles (1994-96) and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (1997-2001). She also worked ‎at the Japan Platform (JPF) Secretariat in 2005 and she took a position of Programme Advisor at the ‎PKO secretariat of the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan in 2011. She graduated from ‎International Christian University (B.A in Liberal Arts, 1992) in Tokyo, Japan and did post-graduate ‎studies at Graduate School of Public Administration, International Christian University (M.A in Public ‎Affairs, 1997).‎

Mohamed Ragaey, a national of Egypt, holds a license of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Police Science. He brings 30 years of dedicated service within the United Nations Security Management System, with extensive experience across a wide range of security management functions.

He has served in multiple roles and capacities, including within UN peacekeeping missions, as a Regional Agency Security Advisor, UNDSS Security Adviser, and Chief Security Advisor. He has accumulated approximately 20 years of field experience, serving in some of the world’s most complex and high risk operational environments, including the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, and the Great Lakes region of Africa.

In addition to his field service, He spent 10 years at UNDSS Headquarters, contributing to global security policy, coordination, and oversight mechanisms supporting UN operations worldwide.

Muhammad Shoaib Zafar has extensive experience in trade policy, strategy development, climate regulations and public sector leadership. He played a key role in ITC’s ReMIT project, contributing to the development of export strategies and the Strategic Trade Policy Review for Pakistan. Shoaib also led work on provincial SME strategy development and implementation. Before joining ITC, he served in key government positions nationally and diplomatic assignments. He remained part of Pakistan’s trade negotiating team for free trade agreements in the Ministry of Commerce, Head of Economic and Trade Wing of Pakistan in Manchester and London, UK and Chief of Staff to the Federal Secretary of Commerce. A Fulbright Scholar and 104th US Congressional Fellow, he holds a master’s degree in international affairs with dual specialisation in international trade & development and international business and public policy from Bush School of Government and Public Affairs, Texas A & M University, USA.

Oscar Sánchez Piñeiro is currently the Deputy Representative for UNHCR in Pakistan. He has over 25 years of experience working with vulnerable populations, including 20 years with UNHCR in urban and camp settings, Headquarters, and emergency/post-emergency contexts.

Throughout his career, he has held senior management roles, including Representative a.i. and Deputy Representative in Brazil, Assistant Representative in Poland and Head of Office in multiple locations. He has led strategic planning, protection, and development initiatives in Latin America, MENA, Asia, and Africa, focusing on expanding legal frameworks and public policies to benefit displaced populations.

He holds a Master of Science in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford, a Master of Public Policy from New York University, and a Bachelor of History and Political Science from Rutgers University.

Languages: English (fluent), Spanish (fluent), Portuguese (working proficiency).

Pernille Ironside has served as UNICEF Representative in Pakistan since July 2025. She leads the multi-sectoral UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation 2023-2027, in partnership with the Government to support Pakistan’s National Development Plan.

A national of Canada, Ms. Ironside brings over 20 years of experience in international development, humanitarian action and child rights advocacy in diverse roles with UNICEF. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Ironside served as the Deputy Director of Data, Planning, Analytics and Monitoring at UNICEF Headquarters in New York; Deputy Representative in Nigeria; Chief of Field Operations in Iraq; Chief of the Gaza Strip Field Office; Senior Global Advisor on Child Protection in Emergencies; Child Protection Specialist in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with additional deployments in Yemen, the Philippines and Pakistan.

Before joining UNICEF, Ms. Ironside held positions with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in Goma; the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York; the Canadian Human Rights Commission; and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa.

Ms. Ironside is a licensed lawyer, holding Canadian degrees in Commerce and Law, as well as a Masters in Law from Columbia University, specializing in International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, Comparative Law and Transitional Justice. Born and raised in Edmonton, Canada, she is a mother to a young son.

Samuel Rizk assumed the position of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in July 2023. Prior to his appointment in Pakistan, Samuel Rizk served as Head of Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding & Responsive Institutions (CPPRI) at the UNDP Crisis Bureau in New York.

He has also served as the Manager of the UNDP/RBAS Sub-Regional Response Facility (SRF) based in Amman, Jordan, supporting the organization’s regional response to the crisis in Syria. From July 2015 to October 2017, Samuel was the UNDP Country Director in Syria, and before that, he served as Senior Programme Advisor with the Regional Bureau for Arab States in New York. Samuel also served as Peace and Development Advisor in Sudan and Conflict Prevention Advisor in Yemen for the UN System.

Samuel holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University (2012), an MA in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo (AUC), and a BA in Political Science from Hanover College (Indiana, USA).

Mr. Waqar Syed brings over two decades of distinguished experience in sustainable urban development, public policy, and international cooperation. His career spans leadership roles across multilateral institutions, development agencies, and government, where he has consistently advanced inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban systems.

He has previously served with renowned organizations including the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, The World Bank, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, UNOPS, and the Government of Pakistan. His work has focused on sustainable urban development, housing and infrastructure policy, slum upgrading, basic infrastructure delivery, and integrated habitat planning, with a strong emphasis on long-term social and environmental impact.

Mr. Syed is a graduate in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and an MSc in Sustainable Energy from the University of Glasgow, UK. In addition, he has earned a Master’s in Project Management, an MBA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

A recipient of prestigious international scholarships, Mr. Syed is a U.S. Fulbright (Hubert H. Humphrey) Fellow and a British Chevening Scholar, reflecting his global outlook, academic excellence, and leadership in sustainable development.

Tanvir Khan is a senior humanitarian professional with over two decades of experience across the United Nations system and international humanitarian organizations. He currently serves with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Pakistan, where he leads field coordination and supports the Humanitarian Country Team in strengthening emergency preparedness and response.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Khan has held key positions with multiple UN entities, including the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). His work has spanned humanitarian coordination, programme management, recovery and reintegration, and operational leadership in complex environments.

He brings extensive international field experience, having served in Sudan and South Sudan (on multiple occasions), as well as in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Gaza, and Mozambique, supporting emergency response operations and inter-agency coordination in high-risk and rapidly evolving contexts.

Mr. Khan has also held senior leadership roles in Pakistan, including Acting Head of OCHA Office in Pakistan, as Head of OCHA Sub-Office in Balochistan and Manager of OCHA’s Country-Based Pooled Fund, where he oversaw the allocation and management of over USD 100 million in humanitarian funding. His areas of expertise include humanitarian coordination, pooled fund management, emergency preparedness, civil-military coordination, and partnership building.

He is widely recognized for his strategic leadership, his commitment to principled and inclusive humanitarian action, and his ability to navigate complex operational and institutional environments.

Mr. Vester joined UNODC in 2002 initially as Associate Programme Officer and Technical Advisor (Legal and Law Enforcement) in the UNODC Office in Hanoi. Since then he has served in different capacities in several duty stations, including as Crime Prevention Expert with the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking in Vienna, as Regional Crime Prevention Advisor in the Regional Office for Central America and the Caribbean in Panama (ROPAN), as Country Manager of the Programme Office in Indonesia (POIDN) and as Programme Coordinator (Country Manager) in the Country Office in Myanmar (COMYA). Between April 2020 and December 2021 he served as Senior Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer/Head of Office ad interim in Colombo, Sri Lanka and since January 2022 he has been the UNODC Representative in the Country Office in Bolivia. Mr. Vester brings to this position considerable sound substantive and managerial experience in programme development and implementation in the UNODC mandate areas, fundraising and the management of teams.

Mr Ashraf joined UNV as Country Coordinator in July 2018. He was already serving UNV in Pakistan as Acting Programme Officer since 2009. He briefly served at UNV HQ working for its Peace Division in 2013 covering DR Congo, Sudan, Algeria and Western Sahara. Before joining UNV, Mr Ashraf worked with UN-Habitat Pakistan as well as a UNDP project. He has earned a degree in computer science and another degree in mass communication.