Our Team in Belarus

Dr. Rasul Baghirov assumed the post of the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus on 30 March 2024. Dr. Baghirov, a national of Azerbaijan, has more than 25 years of extensive experience within the spectrum of human development, particularly in pivotal sectors such as health, education, and social protection. His contributions have been instrumental in aiding countries in both natural and man-made disaster response efforts, alongside his dedication to fortifying communities' resilience in confronting such challenges. Prior to his appointment as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Belarus, Dr. Baghirov led the Country Strategy and Support Unit within the Director-General's Office at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva. His primary focus was on bolstering WHO's leadership capabilities at the country level. Among his array of experiences, Dr. Baghirov has also made significant contributions while serving with the World Bank Group, where he played a key role in both its lending and non-lending operations. Dr. Baghirov holds professional degrees in medicine, general management, and health economics from universities spanning Baku, London, Nottingham, and Aberdeen. He has been honored with several awards, including the esteemed Takemi Fellowship at Harvard School of Public Health.

Aliaksandr brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare, marketing, and project and program management. Prior to joining the UN system in 2017, he worked across different fields, including military medicine as a general practitioner for about ten years, and then as a project manager and marketing manager in an international pharmaceutical company. For the past three years, Aliaksandr has served as a Programme Analyst in the UNFPA Country Office in Belarus, where he was responsible for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Youth, and HIV work. Aliaksandr is passionate about continuous education and his hobbies are sports, reading, and cooking. He holds a Medical Doctor diploma from Belarus State Medical University and has obtained several postgraduate certificates in Healthcare and Marketing. Aliaksandr is married and has two children. He speaks Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, and English.

Dr Sergei Diordica, MD, PhD, took up his duties as WHO Representative in Belarus/Head of the WHO Country Office in Belarus from 17 August 2022. Prior to this appointment, Dr Diordica served as WHO Representative in Mongolia from 2017 to 2022 and as Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunization at the WHO Office for the Western Pacific from 2011 to 2017. From 2003 to 2011, Dr Diordica worked as a medical officer at the WHO Office in Bangladesh. Dr Diordica joined WHO in 2001 as a consultant for the Expanded Programme on Immunization. Prior to joining WHO, Dr Dyorditsa was a junior and then senior researcher at the Institute of Viral Preparations in Moscow and a resident at the Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine in Moscow. Dr Dyorditsa graduated from the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical Institute. He has a MSc in Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Epidemiology and Tropical Disease Control from the Marcinov Institute of Medical Parasitology and Tropical Medicine in Moscow. E.I. Marcinovsky and a PhD in Virology from the Research Institute of Viral Medicines (Russia). Dr Sergei Dyorditsa speaks Russian and English and is a citizen of the Russian Federation.

In February 2023, Mr. Erol Arduç assumed the role of the UNHCR Representative in Belarus, leading the international protection of persons UNHCR cares for. Mr. Arduç is an advocate in asylum and human rights law, who has been serving in UNHCR since 2002 and contributed to UNHCR’s operations in countries across the globe, most recently as the Chief of UNHCR Mission in Kosovo, as well as in various capacities in Zambia, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, Switzerland, Kenya, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of Türkiye. He commenced his career as a lawyer practicing in Germany and Türkiye. Mr Arduç holds degrees in Public International and European Union Law as well as academic certificates in Political Science and Philosophy from the University Bonn, Germany. He is married and speaks Turkish, German, English, French (intermediate).

Mrs. Mahym Orazmuhammedova assumed her duties as Chief of Mission of IOM Belarus in February 2020. During the last two years (2018-2019), she served as Chief of Mission for IOM in Fiji, leading the national and multi-country migration agenda and being principal interlocutor with the Government of the Republic of Fiji. For seven years (2010-2017), she held the position as the Head of Office in IOM Turkmenistan. Prior to joining to IOM, she worked for UNDP (2006-2008) and USAID (2001-2005) managing projects and programs in environment and health issues. Mrs. Mahym’s main areas of expertise are civil society development, counter-human trafficking, migration, and climate. In addition, she leads the Belarus country programs on migration issues and supports the country on border management, emergency preparedness and response, and health issues.

Olga Atroshchanka was appointed UNFPA Head of Office for Belarus in April 2019. She joined the UN in 2007 as a member of the UNDP team implementing programmes targeting treatment and prevention of HIV and tuberculosis. In 2012, she became a UNDP Programme Officer for the Global Fund portfolio in Belarus. From 2014 her scope of work at UNDP expanded to include management of programmes on non-communicable diseases, gender equality, promotion of healthy lifestyles, social inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities as well as support to local development initiatives. While on temporary assignment with the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub in 2018, Olga supported the HIV/Health and Development Team with resource mobilization and coordination of HIV Legal Environment Assessments in the region.

Olga Shcherbina has been the Head of the IFC Office in Belarus since November 2012. She is responsible for designing and delivering the IFC country strategy, engaging with the Government, developing the investment program and overseeing IFC advisory operations in Belarus. Ms. Shcherbina, a Belarusian national, joined IFC in 2004. She has experience in delivering IFC investment operations in manufacturing, food retail, affordable housing, commercial estate and the banking sector, and advisory operations focused on improving business environment, promoting competition, supporting small and medium enterprises, improving competitiveness and developing export opportunities for Belarusian business. She has worked in Belarus, USA and Central Asia. Ms. Shcherbina graduated with distinction from the English Language Department of Minsk State Linguistic University. She holds a Master’s degree from the School of Business and Technology Management of the Belarusian State University. Also, she earned an MBA from the University of Mississippi, USA.

Ms. Liu brings 27 years of experience in international development cooperation to her role as the UNDP’s Resident Representative in Belarus. She has previously served as the Senior Advisor on Global Partnership in UNDP China, the Resident Representative a.i., and the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Timor-Leste, and Senior Governance Advisor in UNDP Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam. Throughout her career, she has focused on global and regional cooperation, sustainable finance and investment, climate change, and green energy transition, striving to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in diverse and complex country contexts and identifying strategic opportunities for all.
Prior to joining UNDP, Ms. Liu served as the Director/Policy Advisor at the Foreign Ministry of China, covering the pillars of development and human rights. She substantively contributed to various initiatives under the cooperation frameworks of the G20, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), APEC, the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation, and other integration initiatives. Ms. Liu holds professional degrees and certificates in diplomacy, economics, security and general management from Monash University, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and Harvard Business School.

Rustam Haydarov was appointed as UNICEF Representative in Belarus in September 2022 and has over 20 years of experience, most of which is with UNICEF across countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Mr. Prior to the appointment, Mr. Haydarov worked at UNICEF Headquarters leading a communication portfolio for polio vaccination and eradication as well as advancing the organizational agenda on social and behavioural communication. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Haydarov served as Regional Adviser for Eastern and Southern Africa leading UNICEF response to the Horn of Africa polio outbreak in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan. Mr. Haydarov managed communication for development programmes in Pakistan from 2011 to 2013 tackling vaccine hesitancy and building partnerships with the private sector, foundations and influencers. Rustam Haydarov started his career in his home country Uzbekistan focusing on public health communication and emergency response to epidemics and natural disasters. Throughout his career, Mr. Haydarov was deployed to several countries to support emergencies and onset crises. He also worked for the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA and Institute for Academic Alliances at the Kansas State University.