Our Team in Türkiye

Dr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi is the UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye. He has more than 25 years of experience in international development. Most recently, he served as UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone until November 2023 and previously as the acting UN Resident Coordinator in China until September 2020. Prior to this, he served as UNFPA Representative in China from January 2017 to June 2020, while concurrently serving as Country Director for Mongolia. He was UNFPA Representative in Ghana from 2014-2016.

Before joining the UN, Dr Ahonsi was the Population Council’s Country Director for Nigeria from 2010 to 2014. He also served as a Trustee of International Women’s Health Coalition, New York (2010-2014) and on the inaugural Board of the UN University’s International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur (2008-2014). He was a guest researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden in 2009. From 1997 to 2008, he worked as Senior Program Officer of the Ford Foundation in West Africa. He had also lectured at federal universities in Ilorin, Calabar and Lagos, Nigeria during the 1980s and 1990s.

Dr. Ahonsi is a national of Nigeria and holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Sociology (First Class Honors) from the University of Lagos. He also holds a Ph.D. in Population Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Yasser Hassan is an Egyptian diplomat with extensive experience in international relations and diplomacy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University (1989). From 1991 to 1994, [Name] worked as a Diplomatic Attaché at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo. He then served as Third Secretary at Egypt’s Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (1994-1996), followed by a role as Second Secretary at the Embassy of Egypt in Islamabad, Pakistan (1996-1998). From 1998 to 2000, he was Adviser to the Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo. Between 2000 and 2004, [Name] held the position of First Secretary at the Embassy of Egypt in Ankara, Türkiye. He then returned to Egypt and served as Director of the UN Specialized Agencies Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Adviser to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology from 2004 to 2008. From 2008 to 2012, Hassan served as Counsellor and Minister-Plenipotentiary at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2013, Hassan joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva as Senior Adviser to the Director-General, a position he held until 2023.

Mr. Gerard Karl Waite assumed the position of Chief of Mission, IOM Turkey, in September 2021. Mr. Waite has 24 years of experience in migration management. His prior experience with IOM includes serving as Chief of Mission in Iraq, Somalia, Uganda, and South Sudan. In addition, he held various positions at IOM Sudan, including Darfur Regional Coordinator in Khartoum, Head of Sub-Office in El-Fashir, and Protection Officer in Nyala.

Prior to joining IOM, Mr. Waite served as Program Officer at Transparency International in Germany, Program Coordinator at the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and Refugee Support Officer at the Scottish Refugee Council in Scotland.

Mr. Waite holds a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Anthropology and master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh, and a master’s degree in Human Rights from the University of London.

Ms. Monica Merino Domínguez, (Honduras), has been appointed as UNDP Resident Representative for Türkiye.
Prior to this appointment, Monica served as Resident Representative for UNDP Albania since October 2021. She has also served as Deputy Resident Representative in UNDP El Salvador (2017-2021), as Special Advisor in the Regional Hub Panama (2016-2017), as well as successively Deputy Resident Representative Nicaragua (2014-2016), Ecuador (2011-2014), Argentina (2008-2011), and Mozambique (2006-2007). She started her career as Assistant Resident Representative in UNDP Honduras (1999-2006). Monica holds a Master´s degree in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University, USA. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Universidad Nacional de Honduras. She speaks Spanish and English.

Previously headed the UNFPA Laos office, Ms Khan has over 23 years of diverse experience in leading and managing development programmes, humanitarian response, change management initiatives and working with multicultural teams. She brings a passion for promoting a rights based agenda that focuses on improving lives of women and young people in particular, through culturally sensitive approaches and evidence based methodologies.

Ms. Khan has advanced the ICPD agenda in China, Indonesia, Tanzania, Algeria, Lao PDR as well as through regional Global work when based in UNFPA HQs. She has been recognised and awarded medals for her work by host Governments in numerous countries of assignment. In addition to leading UNFPA offices in multiple regions, countries, her broad based portfolio includes: leading Business process reengineering and communication work, advancing Human Resources initiatives, joint UN initiatives, fostering innovation and serving on a number of Inter agency global and regional platforms.She has been awarded multiple times for her work by Governments and UNFPA.

With two Masters degrees: Sociology and Population Studies, Ms Khan speaks English, Urdu, French, Punjabi and basic Mandarin. She has rich experience of living and working in South and SE Asia, Europe, North America, Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. She is accompanied by her spouse and two children.

Ms. Angela Li Rosi has been the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Türkiye since December 2023.

She has recently served as UNHCR Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe from 1 January 2017 until her assignment to Türkiye. During her tenure in the Regional Bureau for Europe, Ms. Angela Li Rosi covered UNHCR’s operations in Western, Northern, South, and Eastern Europe, including UNHCR’s Liaison Offices to the Council of Europe and to the OSCE. She headed two dedicated teams in the Bureau focusing on international protection, operational and policy aspects of UNHCR’s response.

Prior to joining the Regional Bureau for Europe, Ms. Li Rosi was Deputy Representative in Sudan for three years and worked on refugees, IDPs and migration issues. Ms. Li Rosi has served with UNHCR in a variety of different capacities and locations. She has worked as Head of Programme with UNHCR in DRC, the Russian Federation, and as Head of the UNHCR Liaison Office in Austria. She has also previously served in UNHCR’s HQs in Geneva as Head of Policy in the Bureau for Europe and as Senior Policy Adviser in the Policy Development and Evaluation Service, part of UNHCR’s Executive Office.

Her professional career with UNHCR, now spanning over 30 years, has had a constant thread of increased responsibility and variety in job assignments with particular focus in programme and policy development. Prior to joining UNHCR, Ms. Li Rosi worked for the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva.

An Italian national, Ms. Li Rosi graduated from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. She is married and has two children.

Mr. Marchi was appointed UNICEF Türkiye Country Office Representative in October 2023. He brings to the role a wealth of experience leading teams and managing programmes and partnerships in different humanitarian and development contexts.

Prior to this role, he served as Deputy Representative in various duty stations – in Türkiye since March 2022, preceded by Central African Republic (September 2018/February 2022), and Guyana and Suriname (October 2015/August 2018). He previously led the child protection team in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He began his career with UNICEF in the UNICEF HQ Gender and Rights Unit. Prior to his work with UNICEF, he held different positions with other organizations in Morocco, Sierra Leone, Italy, and Switzerland.

Mr. Marchi holds a LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex (United Kingdom), and a LLB from the University of Torino (Italy). Mr Marchi is an Italian citizen.

After completing her master's degree on gender equality in development and her academic studies at Gender and Women's Studies Programme at Middle East Technical University, she continued her professional career by taking on tasks in public, civil society, and international organizations in the field of women’s empowerment. Zeliha Ünaldı has led many technical assistance programs funded by the World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union, mainly in the underserved regions of Türkiye.

In 2014 she joined UN Türkiye as Gender Equality Specialist based in the Resident Coordinator’s Office. Since 2018 she is the Deputy Country Director of UN Women Türkiye Office managing programmes and projects on ending violence against women and girls, women’s participation in politics and decision-making mechanisms, gender sensitive refugee response, male engagement in gender equality and transforming gender-based stereotypes. Currently Zeliha is Head of Office, ad interim, at UN Women Türkiye Office.

Zeliha Ünaldı is one of the 30,000 women who attended the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and believes in the power of solidarity for "equality for all".

Mr. Yilmaz has been UNIDO Country Representative & Director of the UNIDO Centre for Regional Cooperation in Turkey since November 2009, having worked for the OECD Development Centre in Paris as Adviser and Economist-Policy Analyst from 2007 to 2009. Between 2003 and 2007, he was the Representative of Uzbekistan of the Turkish Standards Institution in Tashkent and then he was Head of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Sarajevo. He worked at the European Commission-DG Enterprise and Industry in Brussels between 1999-2000. He holds an MBA from Warwick Business School (United Kingdom), an MSc in Economics from Hacettepe University (Ankara), and a BSc in Physics from the Middle East Technical University (Ankara).

Dr Tasnim Atatrah assumed her role as WHO Representative in Türkiye on 1st of February 2025. Previously, she served as the first WHO Representative in Bahrain (2021-2025) established the WHO presence on the ground, and served as acting WHO representative in Turkmenistan (2021), Tajikistan (2019), and Kyrgyzstan (2018–2019).
Dr Atatrah is a public health specialist, medical doctor, and policy fellow. She joined WHO in 2010 and has worked in 13 countries across WHO's Eastern Mediterranean and European regions in various capacities. Over the course of her work, has mobilized resources and led interventions to strengthen health systems and promote universal health coverage as the ultimate means to ensuring equitable access to health for all and led number of emergency response programmes. In addition, Dr Atatrah has provided technical support to ministries in collaboration with UN teams, academia and key stakeholders in the development of national policies, strategies, and joint plans in line with the targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Dr Atatrah’s work has simultaneously focused on strengthening participatory governance and enhancing national and regional policy dialogues to promote health and wellbeing; integrating health in ALL policies. She successfully managed a subregional platform in five countries in Central Asia to enhance regional cooperation and meet the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with focus on strengthening Health Systems and advancing emergency preparedness in line with the International Health Regulations.
Prior to joining WHO, Dr Atatrah worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), leading the monitoring and evaluation system for the Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development programme. She also worked for UNICEF as a Communications Specialist and has worked on World Bank-funded projects and provided consultations for nongovernmental organizations. Additionally, Dr Atatrah worked as a medical clinician at mobile and emergency clinics.
Dr Atatrah is a national of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In addition to her medical degree, she holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and Epidemiology from the Al-Quds University, a diploma in Project Management from Bethlehem University (Palestine), and a High Diploma in Management of Humanitarian Health and Nutrition Programmes from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom). She also completed a Policy Fellowship at Cambridge University (United Kingdom).

Tuba Coşkun is a communications and advocacy professional with 13 years of experience at the United Nations Information Centre in Ankara, where she became Head of Office as of 1 January 2025. She brings over 30 years of professional expertise in strategic communications, advocacy campaigns, websites, intranets, content management systems, social media, and journalism. Before joining the United Nations she worked at Anadolu News Agency, BBC’s Ankara Office, and EngenderHealth a leading global health organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality both in Ankara and in New York City, USA.
She holds a BA from Hacettepe University in Ankara. She is a mother of two.

Mr. Ian Ridley has spent over 30 years working internationally. Before he became the Head of OCHA Türkiye Office in January 2024, he served as OCHA Head of Office in Somalia, and before that led OCHA in South Sudan and Afghanistan.
Prior to joining the UN System in 2016, Mr. Ridley worked with non-government organizations for 22 years. He was World Vision International’s Geneva-based Senior Director of Humanitarian Operations, leading responses to some of the world’s largest emergencies. He has contributed to professional bodies such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Working Group (IASC WG); Emergency Directors’ Group (EDG); and the Sphere Project Board.
Mr. Ridley obtained his master’s degree from Andrews University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Bristol. He is fluent in several European languages.

Stephen Cahill joins the WFP Türkiye Country Office as Country Representative after 30 years of experience spanning the humanitarian and private sectors in more than 10 countries. After holding key positions in the private sector across various regions, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, and the Middle East, Stephen joined WFP in 2004 and since then he has worked in several large-scale, complex emergencies including most notably the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and the West Africa Ebola Outbreak (2014-15). Throughout his career with the organization, he devoted his work to enabling WFP’s operations as well as other organizations, putting a clear focus on partnerships as an essential component of humanitarian work and as such a stepping stone to reaching the SDGs. He also played a crucial role in responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic by working closely with WHO, UNICEF, and other partners in establishing a worldwide platform for logistics services. This approach culminated with Stephen becoming Director of Humanitarian Logistics Services in 2021, offering critical emergency supply chain support to 900 humanitarian and development partners globally.

Mr. Gutu has been FAO Representative for Turkey and Sub-regional Coordinator for Central Asia since 2018. Previously, he served as FAO Representative in Tajikistan (2014-2018). He started his career at Price Waterhouse LLC in 1994. He has held various positions at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry in Moldova and worked at senior levels on several USAID projects related to agribusiness development and agricultural policy. Between 2011 and 2014, he worked as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry in Chisinau, Moldova. Mr. Gutu obtained a master’s degree in Management and a doctorate degree in Economics from the Technical University of Moldova (1995-1998).