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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