New Head of UNICEF Officially Presented in Georgia

The newly appointed Representative of UNICEF in Georgia, Dr. Ghassan Khalil, presented his official letter of accreditation to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ms. Khatuna Totladze.

“It is a great privilege for me to be in Georgia. I am very enthusiastic about my new position and I am looking forward to working closely with the Georgian government for improving the wellbeing of children and families in Georgia," said Dr. Khalil.

Dr. Khalil expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their fruitful cooperation with UNICEF over the past 25 years and on its considerable efforts to protect children’s rights in Georgia. He underlined the considerable progress for children in Georgia since independence in 1991. There are many children, however, who still need support.

“We will continue to work with the Government of Georgia to address the needs and to protect the rights of these vulnerable children and their families. We need to create stronger systems and policies so that children have full access to services,” added Dr. Khalil.

Before moving to Georgia Dr. Khalil, a Lebanese national, served as the Senior Advisor to UNICEF's Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, he served as the UNICEF Special Representative in Libya. He has more than 25 years of relevant professional experience in various capacities, which include senior positions with governments, NGO’s, the United Nations, and as an independent senior consultant, university professor, researcher, and training expert.

Dr. Khalil’s work has been focused on promoting human rights, the rights of women and children, social policy, legal reform, cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue, with extensive experience in strategic management and rights-based approaches to programming, in both development and emergency settings.  

Dr. Khalil holds a Maitrise in Law from the Lebanese University, a Master's in International Business Law from the Sorbonne in Paris, and a Doctorate in International Law from Sorbonne Descartes (Paris-V) University.

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

By Samantha Guthrie
Photo: UNICEF Georgia