Our Team in Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau

Karla Hershey

Karla Hershey

RCO
Resident Coordinator
 
 
 
Ms. Hershey brings more than 30 years of experience in development coordination, international relations, resource mobilization, change management and humanitarian affairs. She most recently served as the Resident Coordinator in Bhutan, and prior to that she was the Representative and Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Liberia. She has also held other senior-level roles, including United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia and in Lesotho. With WFP, she was also a Senior Adviser on United Nations Reform in the USA, Representative and Country Director in Eswatini, Country Director ad interim in Syria, Deputy Country Director and Head of Programme in Malawi and Head of Resource Mobilization, Food Procurement and Pipeline Management in Tanzania. She started her career with the UN as a humanitarian affairs officer with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Angola.

Prior to joining the United Nations, Hershey worked with international non-governmental organizations World Vision International in Angola and Rotary International in the United States after completing an assignment as a business advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Cooperatives in Rwanda as part of the USA’s Peace Corps volunteer programme.

Ms. Hershey completed post-graduate coursework from the London School of Economics and Political Science in London, UK and holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the American InterContinental University in Atlanta, USA. She also has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, USA and completed university coursework from Oxford University in Oxford, UK.
Adrian Edwards

Adrian Edwards

UNHCR
Representative UNHCR Multi-Country representation (Based in Canberra Australia)
 
 
 
Aliona Niculita

Aliona Niculita

UNDP
Resident Representative
 
 
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Aliona Niculita brings over 25 years of development cooperation experience to her current role in the Pacific. Before this, she served as the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Pakistan and held various positions within UNDP, including Resident Representative a.i. and Deputy Resident Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic. She started her career as a public servant in the Government of Moldova in 1993.
Ms. Niculita holds degrees in Law from the Law Academy and History from the State University of Moldova. Her previous roles include Deputy Country Director in Tajikistan, Senior Assistant Resident Representative and Programme Analyst in Moldova, South Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic, and Programme Specialist in the Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS in New York
Mr Alpha Bah

Alpha Bah

WFP
Country Director
 
 
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Alpha Bah is the Country Director for the Pacific Multi-Country Office of the World Food Programme (WFP), based in Suva, Fiji. He joined WFP in 2000 and has since served in various countries such as North Korea, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Italy, Senegal, Kenya, UAE, and Bangladesh, participating in high-profile emergency missions globally.
Before WFP, Alpha worked for UNDP and in the private sector as a network engineer. He has a master's degree in Management and Information Systems, a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with honors, and is a Certified Network Engineer.
In his role at WFP, Alpha focuses on enhancing the Pacific Island Countries and Territories' disaster readiness and response capabilities, aiming to create a more resilient Pacific Community. He previously served as WFP's Deputy Country Director in Bangladesh and led the global Emergency Telecommunication Cluster (ETC) as Chief of IT Emergency Preparedness and Response. Alpha is dedicated to humanitarian work and is a proud husband and father, originally from Sierra Leone.
Andie Fong Toy

Andy Fong Toy

UN ESCAP
Head, ESCAP Subregional Office for the Pacific
andie.fongtoy@un.org
 
 
Ms. Andie Fong Toy was appointed Head of the ESCAP Subregional Office for the Pacific in Suva, Fiji, effective 1 August 2022.
Ms. Fong Toy brings over thirty years of experience in the Pacific. She previously served as Legal and Political Advisor, International Legal Advisor and Director, Political and Security Programme at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat before being appointed as its Deputy Secretary-General. In this capacity, she oversaw political and security, economic governance, and trade policy issues, including economic integration and reform in the Pacific.
In her more recent capacity as Labour Mobility Advisor for the Australian Pacific Training Coalition, Ms. Fong Toy provided strategic advice to countries of the Pacific on ways to optimize labour mobility and produce the best employment outcomes.
Ms. Fong Toy holds a master’s degree in international relations from Deakin University and a bachelor’s degree in law from Victoria University of Wellington.

Asish Narayan

Asish Narayan

ITU
Programme Coordinator Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
 
 
 
Bidisha Pillai

Bidisha Pillai

UNFPA
Representative in Fiji & Director of the Pacific Sub-Regional Office
pillai@unfpa.org
 
 
Candra Samekto

Candra Samekto

IFAD
Country Director and Representative for the Pacific Islands
 
 
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Mr. Candra Samekto is currently the Country Director and Representative for the IFAD Pacific office in Suva, Fiji, overseeing IFAD's portfolio across 13 Pacific Island Countries. Before this role, he served as the Country Director for Afghanistan at the IFAD East Asia Sub-Regional Hub in Beijing, China. With over 20 years of experience in multi-sector development across public and private sector organizations such as IWC, BAPPENAS, UNESCAP, OXFAM, SIWI, and the Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Resources Management, Mr. Samekto brings a wealth of expertise to his position.
He holds a PhD in Natural Resources Management and Policy from the University of Queensland, Australia, and a Master of Science in Water Service Management from UNESCO-IHE Delft, the Netherlands. Mr. Samekto's specialized knowledge includes programme and portfolio management, natural resources management, public policy, infrastructure development, and financing. He also possesses a strong technical background in designing and implementing investment programmes.
Gabrielle Emery

Gabrielle Emery

UNDRR
Head of Pacific Sub Regional Office
 
 
 
Guangzhou Qu

Guangzhou Qu

FAO
Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Pacific/FAO Representative
Guangzhou.Qu@fao.org
 
 
Ms. Heike Alefsen

Heike Alefsen

OHCHR
Regional Representative for the Pacific
alefsen@un.org
 
 
Heike Alefsen has almost 30 years of human rights, legal, political and development work experience with the United Nations, the Council of Europe and civil society. Until 2020, she was Senior Human Rights Adviser to the UN Country Team in Bangladesh and to the UN Development Group Asia-Pacific in Bangkok. As Deputy Head of the OHCHR Regional Office for South-East Asia, she established a country programme for Myanmar and coordinated policy and information of the Human Rights Council’s special procedures at OHCHR Geneva.
She also served with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women and the UN Development Fund for Women in New York, as Council of Europe Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with Amnesty International’s Legal Office in London.
Henry Taiki

Henry Taiki

WMO
Representative
htaiki@wmo.int
 
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Mr Taiki ( Vanuatu) is WMO Representative for the South-West Pacific since 1999. He oversees and coordinates the work of the WMO with 17 Pacific countries and territories, including to build capacities of their National Meteorological Services, National Hydro-meteorological Services, and National Hydrological Services. He works very closely with SPREP for the development of weather, climate and water to support and contribute to sustainable development in line with the overall strategic direction of the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy 2017-2023.
Jonathan VEitch

Jonathan Veitch

UNICEF
Representative
jveitch@unicef.org
 
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Mr Jonathan Veitch, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was appointed to the position of UNICEF Pacific Representative in August 2021 and is based in Suva, Fiji. As the UNICEF Pacific Representative, he oversees UNICEF’s programmes and operations in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Prior to this current appointment, Mr Veitch was the Deputy Director of the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division at UNICEF, based in Geneva, responsible for the relationship with UNICEF’s 33 National Committees. He brings with him extensive experience working on children’s issues at the country and global level, especially in dealing with complex emergencies, peacebuilding and maternal and child health.
Maria Perdomo

Maria Perdomo

UNCDF
Regional Coordinator for Asia & Pacific Region (Based in Bangkok Thailand)
 
 
 
Marie Pegie Cauchois

Marie Pegie Cauchois

UNODC
Office in Charge
 
 
 
Martin Wandera

Martin Wandera

ILO
Director
 
 
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Martin Wandera recently joined the ILO in March 2024, taking on the role of supporting eleven ILO member States in the Pacific Islands region, as well as providing technical assistance to non-member Pacific Island States. His responsibilities include promoting international labor standards, social dialogue, employment creation, skills development, infrastructure development, national employment policy, youth employment, eliminating child labor and forced labor, gender equality, labor law reform, labor migration, and social protection.
Originally from Uganda, Mr. Wandera brings over two decades of experience in labor, employment, and public administration to his position. Before joining the ILO in Fiji, he served as the Director of Labor, Employment, and Occupational Safety and Health at Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development. He also held leadership roles at the Centre for Labor Research and Studies in Uganda and served as a Member of the Ugandan Parliament.
Mr. Wandera holds multiple master's degrees in Applied Labor Economics for Development from the University of Turin (Italy), Applied Labor Economics from Sciences Politiques Paris (France), and Economic Development (Social Economy and Labor Concentration) from the State University of Campinas, Sao Paulo (Brazil). He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Makerere University, Kampala (Uganda). Martin Wandera is married to Martha and has four children.
Neha Mehta

Neha Mehta

UNCDF
Regional Manager
 
 
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Neha Mehta manages UNCDF's initiatives across seven Pacific nations, focusing on climate and disaster risk insurance, digital economies, innovative finance, and the blue economy. With a background in law and social entrepreneurship, she has over 16 years of expertise in hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, ClimateTech, and FinTech, bringing a diverse skill set to her role at UNCDF.
Olga Prorovskaya

Olga Prorovskaya

OCHA
Head of Office
 
 
 
Mr Solomon Kantha

Solomon Kantha

IOM
Chief of Mission/Sub Regional Coordinator for IOM Fiji (Country Office with Coordinating Functions)
 
 
 
Solomon Kantha, a national of Papua New Guinea is the Chief of Mission and Sub Regional Coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Fiji Country Office. He has over 15 years of experience in dealing with regional and international migration issues.

Prior to this, Solomon worked for IOM in Papua New Guinea as a Project Assistant and National Programme Officer from 2007 to 2013 and later with the government of Papua New Guinea from 2013 to 2017 as Deputy Chief Migration Officer and Chief Migration Officer (Head of Immigration) of the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority from 2017 to September 2019. During this period Solomon was also chair of the Pacific Immigration Development Community (PIDC) from 2014-2015.

As of 1 July 2024, Solomon took up his new role for the IOM Fiji Country Office with Coordinating Functions covering Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Solomon has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with Honours from the University of Papua New Guinea and a Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and was an East-West Center degree fellow from 2005-2007. He also served a brief term with the Embassy of Papua New Guinea in Washington D.C., United States in 2006.
Stein Hansen

Stein Hansen

UNIDO
Representative/Director (Based in Bangkok, Thailand)
 
 
 
Tokumitsu Kobayashi

Tokumitsu Kobayashi

UNOPS
Advisor