Regional Centre in Bangkok

Contents | Project Approvals | Impacts & Results | Policy & Mainstreaming
Noteworthy | Events | Staff Movements | Pacific Brief

October 2009: Volume 2

STAFF MOVEMENTS

Joined the team

MS Varisara Anansiribovorn (Wharn)  

Khun Wharn joined the team as Administrative Assistant. Khun Wharn works in close collaboration with the Administrative Associate, Regional Technical Advisors, and operations team of the RCB to support the team in managing procurement processes, preparing meetings, seminars and workshops, providing logistical services as well as other related secretarial and administrative support.  

Khun Wharn has a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management from University of Wisconsin. Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as a Finance and Administrative Assistant for International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Mr Balaji Natarajan

Balaji joined the team as a Technical Specialist for Chemicals and Ozone. He is providing technical advice for the development of programmes in the areas of Ozone Layer Protection (Montreal Protocol), Persistent Organic Chemicals (Stockholm Convention), Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and on cross-convention synergies.

Balaji has a Bachelor of Technology (Honors) degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, followed by a Masters degree in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India. He has over 15 years of professional experience in management and technical consulting.He has worked extensively with private sector and Government onMontreal Protocol activities including strategy development, project management, monitoring and reporting. He has also worked with UNEP ROAP on Montreal Protocol activities for the past three years in assisting countries in the Asia-Pacific region for achieving compliance with Montreal Protocol control targets. Balaji is an empanelled member of Accreditation Team (AT) for verification of Designated Operational Entities (DOEs) under UNFCCC.

MR Nikolai Beresnev (Nick)  

Nick joined the team on a 12-month placement as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD). Nick works as an Environmental Economics Associate Officer on the Poverty and Environment Initiative (PEI). He provides technical support and strategic guidance on mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages into national development planning to selected countries. His work will focus on PEI programmes in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Bangladesh.  

Nick has a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts from Monash University. For the last three years he has worked as an economic and public policy consultant, specialising in international trade and forestry in Asia-Pacific.

MS Felicity Woodhams  

Felicity also joined the team for 12-months as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD). Felicity works as a Climate Change Adaptation Associate Officer, providing technical support to regional projects that assist countries to formulate climate resilient development policies. She is also applying strategic guidance and communications support to both the UNDP’s Community Based Adaptation initiative and the Adaptation Learning Mechanism.  

Felicity has a degree in Geography and sustainable sciences from the Australian National University. She has worked as a communications officer for the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food in Sri Lanka. She has spent the last 2 years conducting social and climate research at the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) in Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.  

For more information on the AYAD program, please see: http://www.ayad.com.au/aspx/what_are_hos.aspx

Departed from the team

Ms Nandita mongia

Nandita left the team in September, moving to India and taking on a new role as the Principal Advisor on Energy and Climate Change for the South Asia Regional Initiative - Energy, funded by USAID, GTZ and NREL. Nandita coordinated the Regional Energy Programme for Poverty Reduction, providing advice on technical, financing and partnership options related to energy and climate change, focusing on energy access for poverty reduction. Nandita was with the UNDP for 14 years and her presence in the office will be very much missed.