UNV Thailand - Current Volunteers

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UN Volunteers in Thailand

There are 18 UNV volunteers serving in Thailand. This volunteers include international UNV volunteers, Corporate and Private Sector volunteers, as well as student volunteers from around the world. The volunteers are placed in various UN agencies, including UNDP, UNHCR, UNIFEM, UNESCO, UNOCHA, UNEP and UNFPA. Their work relates to a variety of different areas, such as environment, refugees, information and communication, gender, education and culture, children protection, poverty reduction, and governance.

The first national UNV volunteer was recruited to promote the International Year of Volunteer in 2001. Currently there are no national UNV volunteers in Thailand. However, three Thai nationals are serving abroad as international UNV volunteers, serving in the Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Timor-Leste.

The first time a Thai national was assigned as an international UNV volunteer was in April 1982.From 1982 to the present, a total of 46 Thai Nationals have served as UNV volunteers. They have served or are serving in Afghanistan, Angola, Bhutan, Botswana, Cambodia, China, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kosovo, Lao PDR, Liberia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Timor Leste.

Profiles:

Maria Adelaida Alberto
Position: UNV Programme Officer
Country: Philippines

Working as the Programme Officer for UNV Thailand has afforded me the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural setting with UNV colleagues, the UNDP Country Office Team, host agencies, government and NGO-partners. Our partnership with government counterparts and NGOs have resulted in a number of policy recommendations submitted for approval at the cabinet level, as well as advocacy materials being produced.

Previously, I served as a consultant for the International Institute of Rural Construction and for the UNIFEM South East Asia Regional Office. Volunteerism is a big part of my professional personal life. I served as a volunteer with VSO in Tanzania and Indonesia. I hold a Master of Arts degree in Women and Development from the University of the Philippines and a degree in Nursing from Mabini College.

Elise Bjåstad
Host Agency: UNDP Thailand
Position: Project Officer
Nationality: Norway

As part of the Governance Unit of UNDP Thailand, I am responsible for project administration and knowledge management, and will more specifically provide support on drafting technical papers, advice on project administration, coordinate knowledge sharing, field implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

I am involved in projects focusing on Legal empowerment of the poor, decentralization and capacity building for local governance.I’ve spent most of my time since 2004 in South and Southern Africa, firstly completing a Master’s Degree in Development Studies at University of KwaZulu-Natal, and more recently doing research for the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research on the role of ICTs in development. Prior to that, I conducted education policy research for Wits Education Policy Unit and have been a trainee in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Name: James M. Ferguson
Host Agency: UNHCR Thailand
Position: Associate Protection Officer (IUNV)
Nationality: Canadian

I joined the UNHCR Field Office in Mae Sot in January 2011. I am the child protection focal point, responsible for child protection in the temporary shelter areas of Tak Province. My duties include regular field visits to the temporary shelters and working alongside CBOs, INGOs, and the Royal Thai Government, coordinating child protection services. Along with CBOs, NGOs, and other UNHCR Field Offices, I am involved in several Thai-Myanmar border-wide activities, such as developing mediation and dispute resolution guidelines for the temporary shelters, and contingency planning and coordination for possible future influx populations from Myanmar.Before arriving in Thailand, I worked as a lawyer in several locations across Canada, for the executive and judicial branches of government, and in private practice.

I've also held intern positions with IGOs and INGOs, most notably with UNHCR in Djibouti, where I researched traditional justice systems and access to state justice systems, and with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) in New Delhi, India, where I did right to information advocacy among Commonwealth members. In a previous life, I've worked in biomedical implant design, automotive component design, and airport terminal construction. I am ever a cycling enthusiast.

I hold two bachelor degrees from The University of Western Ontario (Canada), one in common law and one in mechanical engineering, which were completed concurrently in 2007. I graduated from the faculty of engineering with distinction, and completed one semester of my legal education on exchange with the National University of Singapore.

Name: Maya Nyagolova
Host Agency: Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (APRC)
Position: Development Information Officer
Nationality: Bulgarian

I am the Development Information Officer with the UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (APRC) in Bangkok. In short, I coordinate and support the APRC's internal knowledge management and communication processes by identifying, developing and packaging regional programme products, best practices and lessons learned and by conceiving outreach activities.

I come to the APRC after nearly eight years as Public Advocacy Officer with UNDP Bulgaria. Apart from my work with media, national partners and donors, was responsible for the elaboration and promotion of the National Human Development Report, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report and the activities of the Bulgarian Global Compact network.

I currently hold a MA in Journalism and a MA in European Affairs and conducted postgraduate research at the European Institute for the Media in Manchester and the College of Europe in Bruges. Previously I also lectured at the Faculty of Journalism of Sofia University and served as a reporter and editor for various newspapers and magazines. Before joining UNDP, I also was the Director of the Bulgarian National Film Center and a member of the governing boards of international organizations in support of the European audio-visual industry.

Name: Gihan Hassanein
Position: UNV Communications Officer for UNiTE campaign
Duty Station: UN Women Regional Office, Bangkok
Nationality: Canadian

I work for UN Women's "UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign" for the Asia-Pacific region, which aims to end all forms of violence against women and girls by focusing on governments, law enforcement agencies, the private sector, youth, civil society and community-based groups.

As the Communications Officer, I help raise awareness and build the capacity of the media in promoting the UNiTE campaign. I've worked in the field of Communications for the past six years, with the last three and a half at the Red Cross/European Union Office in Brussels. I hold a Master of Arts in International Politics and a Master of Arts in Applied Ethics.

Name: Raymond Brandes
Assignment: UNV Outreach Specialist
Host Agency: UN Partners for Prevention (P4P)
Nationality: Dutch

As a Programme Specialist in the UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM & UNV Regional Joint Programme for Asia and the Pacific “Partners for Prevention: Working with Boys and Men to Prevent Gender-based Violence”, I’m providing programme management support, coordination of outreach and networking activities, technical assistance to the network of partner organizations and volunteers, and support to research on how volunteerism contributes to gender-based violence prevention.

In particular, I’m reaching out to the stakeholders of the programme to expand partnerships, placement opportunities and participation in activities; ensuring exchanges, cross-border sharing and networking; and supporting and coordinating research activities.Prior to joining the P4P programme team, I was the UNV Programme Officer in UNDP Thailand. I held the same position in UNDP Nepal in 2007.

Before that, I was a Management & Organizational Development Advisor in Lithuania, Cameroun and Nepal. I also bring 10 years of private sector experience (Shell). As a Dutch national, I hold a degree in Chemistry and one in Management. Currently I’m also doing my Master’s in Sustainable Development via the distance learning programme of the University of London (SOAS).

Name: Diana Brandes
Assignment: UNV Programme Specialist, Public-Private Partnership
Host Agency: Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (APRC)
Nationality: Dutch

As a Programme Specialist, I am involved in Capacity Development for Local Service Delivery through promoting enabling environment and policy frameworks for local service delivery, the development of capacities of partners (local governments, businesses and communities) for developing and implementing innovative service delivery approaches.

The Public-Private Partnerships for Service Delivery (PPPSD) programme is part of UNDP’ Bureau for Development Policy (BDP), Capacity Development Group (CDG), it is a multi-partner facility that developing countries use to obtain support in their efforts to define, promote and implement inclusive and sustainable Public Private Partnerships to reduce poverty at the local level. The PPPSD offers a flexible portfolio of demand driven services built on the basis of a strong partner network and results at the country level.

Through programmes in for example Bhutan and Nepal we are engaged with Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) to improve municipal solid waste management service provision to improve service delivery, create employment opportunities, and reduce environmental impacts through the piloting of pro poor gender sensitive PPP models. By promoting volunteerism for development within the communities the citizens become active participants and this will ultimately yield to the empowerment of NGOs, CBO’s and local authorities in formulating community responsive development projects.

Name: Mark S. Cogan
Host Agency: UNDP Thailand
Position: UNV Communications and Media Officer
Nationality: American

My primary responsibility is to raise the profile of UNDP Thailand in the media and among government agencies, NGOs. In short, my job is to be an advocate for UNDP’s work in Thailand. And there’s virtually no limit to this advocacy, from promoting good governance, combating climate change and HIV/AIDS, to working with the Royal Thai Government to help meet Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

In the past, I worked as political consultant for Democratic and Republican political candidates, most notably U.S. Senator John Kerry’s 2004 Presidential campaign. I’ve also been an editor for two Oregon newspapers and three national magazines. As an editor of a weekly newspaper, I was honored eight awards for journalism and photography by the National Newspaper Association and the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association.

I hold a Master of Diplomacy and International Conflict Management from Norwich University, America’s oldest private military college and a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies from the European University Centre for Peace Studies in Stadtschlaining, Austria. I graduated with high honors from Southern Oregon University, with degrees in Political Science and Psychology.

Name: Nery Ronatay
Assignment: UNV HIV/AIDS Officer
Host Agency: UNDP Thailand
Nationality: Philippines

As a UNV HIV/AIDS Officer, I am in charge of the HIV/AIDS portfolio of UNDP. Currently, I am steering a project aimed at, in the long run, developing a National Guideline for MSM (male having sex with male) Prevention. The project is geared at finding out the State of the Art of HIV Prevention among MSM by looking into the critical strategies that has been implemented and the guidelines developed alongside them.

Another key project that is in the pipeline is the development of stigma and discrimination index in Thailand that will illustrate the magnitude of stigma and discrimination experienced by people infected and affected by the disease and be used as component in developing national data sets for stigma and discrimination in the country. On top of this, I get to participate in government and civil society activities by providing technical inputs on some interventions/programs being developed. Working in HIV/AIDS area in Thailand allows me to learn the intricate web and network of people working for this issue--coming from government, civil society and the community, both at the national and international level. Bangkok is a charming city, but the best reason to be here is the brand of kindness and friendliness that I encounter every single day at the office and the partners we work with.

Name: Supunya Yonpiam
Assignment: UNV Water and Sanitation Engineer
Host Agency: UNMIL
Nationality: Thai

I have been UNV volunteer working for UNMIL in Liberia since August 2008. My works help Liberian people indirectly through UNMIL mandate for peace keeping in this country. My assignments as a Water and Sanitation Engineer in the Water, Sanitation and Environmental Control Unit, Engineering Section are water quality analysis and water treatment process control for all UNMIL’s water treatment plants served to both civilians and military troops around Liberia. The first biggest challenging job for me was to establish the laboratory which had never taken off since the Mission started. Now our water laboratory is operating fully.

I started working alone until I can train the local staff to work closely with me. As a volunteer, I feel delighted that finally my expertise can be applicable to the host country and hope that he will multiply to his country fellows in the future for their country development. This is not my first experience working abroad but the first time working with UN and the first arrival in Africa region where I have never dreamt for. I found myself enjoy working in multi –national/cultural environment, for instance, there are 5 international staff (different country) and 20 national staff in my unit where we join hands together. Besides, I have an opportunity to learn new thing about UN system as well. This is not only my great experience but some people can also obtain if they choose.