BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 12. Mahir Safarli
has been appointed as the head of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Office for Central Asia,
Trend reports,
citing an official statement from UNHCR and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Kazakhstan.


According to the statement, Safarli will operate from the
regional office in Almaty and oversee the agency’s activities in
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan.


On January 21, Safarli presented his credentials to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in Astana, during which the parties discussed
priority areas for cooperation. In the coming weeks, he will
continue meetings with government bodies and partners across
Central Asia to strengthen joint operational mechanisms.


With over 23 years of humanitarian experience, Safarli has held
senior positions in complex crises and emergencies in multiple
countries. Prior to this appointment, he served as deputy
representative in Greece and Ukraine and held operational and
coordination roles in Syria and Türkiye. Earlier in his career, he
worked on UNHCR humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Libya,
Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, and Azerbaijan, focusing on legal
protection and management. He also served as chief inspector in
Geneva from 2016 through 2019, overseeing audits and compliance
functions.







In his new role, Safarli will lead efforts to strengthen refugee
protection systems and address statelessness in the region. “It is
a great honor for me to begin work in Central Asia, a region with a
rich cultural heritage and history, known for its hospitality
toward refugees and initiatives to resolve statelessness,” he
said.


Safarli holds degrees in law and public administration and has
completed advanced training in international human rights law,
international humanitarian law, and conflict prevention in Finland,
Italy, and Norway. He is also a graduate of the State Academy of
Public Administration under the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan.


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