Azerbaijani diplomat appointed head of UN Refugee Office for Central Asia

Azerbaijani diplomat Mahir Safarli has been appointed as the head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Office for Central Asia, UNHCR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.

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 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.