Our team in Bhutan

Ms. Matavel is the Resident Representative for UNFPA India and Country Director for Bhutan. She served as Representative in Cote d’Ivoire, Bangladesh, Mongolia and Botswana. She occupied various leadership positions in World Vision United States and Mozambique (1995-2006), and worked for UNDP Burundi and Mozambique (1983-1993).

Ms. Azusa Kubota was previously Country Manager and Head of UN Joint Presence Office in Solomon Islands for UNDP, UNICEF and UNWOMEN, and led the design and implementation of UN joint programmes in support of peace building, social cohesion and elections prior to and post withdrawal of Regional Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands (RAMSI), as well as a number of climate change projects. Prior to joining the UNDP office in the Pacific, Ms. Kubota served as Deputy Resident Representative in UNDP Lao PDR where she oversaw programmes supporting legal reform, environmental protection, democratic governance, UXO and the Round Table processes. Prior to Lao PDR, as the Deputy Resident Representative in the Maldives, she supported climate adaptation and democratic governance projects.

Kiran Subedi is responsible for implementation of EU-Bhutan Trade Support project in collaboration with Gross National Happiness Commission and in partnership with Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Agency for Promotion of Indigenous Crafts, CSOs and private sector. He joined ITC in October 2018. Prior to joining ITC, Kiran worked as a civil servant with the Royal Government of Bhutan. At Department of Agriculture, he was responsible for managing food security and climate change projects while also contributing to policy formulation and socio-economic analysis. He worked as District Agriculture Officer in Pema Gatshel leading agricultural development programs in the district from 2009 to 2013. He started his career in 2007 as an Agriculture Extension Officer in Trongsa. Kiran holds BSc Agriculture from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in India and MSc Agricultural Economics from University of Hohenheim, Germany. ​

Dr Rui Paulo de Jesus is the WHO Representative to Bhutan. Prior to his current appointment, Dr Rui worked at WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia in New Delhi, India, in various capacities as the Coordinator, Country Support and Coordination and Regional Adviser for Communicable Disease Department. He joined WCO Bhutan on 8 Feb 2017 as an acting WHO Representative.

Mr. Svante Helms is the Head of Office of WFP Bhutan Country Office. He has been a part of the UN system since 2005 and has worked in different positions in Tanzania, Johannesburg, Nepal, Egypt and China. Prior to his arrival in Bhutan in August 2018, he was the Programme Policy Officer for WFP, Safety-Nets & Social Protection Unit in HQ. He holds Masters Degree in Geography and Communication Studies with focus Development Studies, Regional Development, Business Policy, Communication Theory and Journalism, Discourse Theory, Organizational Innovation and Political Science from the University of Roskilde in Denmark.

Tandin Wangmo brings a diverse professional portfolio with her. Prior to joining UNODC, she was the Executive Director of RENEW. She consulted with Bhutan’s Institute of Management Studies on numerous social issues – including those related to gender, youth, program design and leadership training. In the political sector, she served as the Spokesperson and Director of Media & Knowledge Center for the People’s Democratic Party of Bhutan. She was the Deputy Executive Director of the Gross National Happiness Center (GNHC) from 2012-2013. She is a scholar and educator and began her career as a teacher with the Ministry of Education from 1997-2002. She holds a Masters in Educational Studies from the University of Newcastle, Australia and a Bachelor’s in Education from Samtse College of Education, Bhutan.

Mr. Will Parks, Representative of UNICEF Bhutan Country Office. For the last 26 years in over 40 countries, Will has led the design and management of programmes that have achieved strong results for children as well as built the capacities of communities, governments, civil society organizations, academia, the private sector, media, and international agencies. He specializes in economic policy, communication, public health, and evaluation.