UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Irina Bokova, announced the appointment of Ms. Nisha as the Director of Office and UNESCO Representative to the Pacific States effective 10 Dec 2016.
Ms Nisha brings over 28 years of experience in multi-sector development and humanitarian action. She has led programmes in the areas of governance reform, institutional and technical capacity strengthening of the national and local organizations, social and economic development, human rights, and humanitarian action.
[restrict]
Ms. Nisha has served in many capacities, including, Chief Technical Advisor on labour migration with the International Labour Organization in Bangladesh, Deputy Regional Programme Director with the East and Horn of Africa Regional Office of the UNIFEM (later UN Women), Advisor on gender equality and human rights with the UNDP in Afghanistan and with the UN Country Team for Somalia. Earlier in her career, Ms. Nisha served as the Country Programme Manager of Christian Aid in Afghanistan; Campaigns Advisor of the Oxfam GB in Yemen and Programme Officer of Oxfam GB in India. Prior to that, she worked with the national NGOs and other social sector organizations and networks in India.
In various capacities, Ms. Nisha coordinated relations with other international organizations, government and non-government organizations, intergovernmental regional bodies, trade unions and other social organizations. She has worked with ministers and policy-makers in Bangladesh, Kenya, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, among other places, providing technical assistance on issues concerning education, security sector reform, gender equality, child rights, women’s rights, labour rights, human rights, peace building, disaster risk reduction and emergency response and humanitarian capacity building.
Ms. Nisha holds three Master’s level qualifications in Rural Development, Journalism and Mass Communication and Gender and Development. [/restrict]