FAO names its new programme coordinator in Ukraine

Khushnid Sattarov, a professional with broad experience in project management, research analytics and humanitarian strategic planning, took up his duties last week as FAO programme coordinator in Ukraine. He succeeds Farrukh Toirov, who was appointed recently as FAO’s deputy representative in Pakistan.

Sattarov, a national of Uzbekistan, holds a master’s degree in development studies from Sweden’s Lund University and a master’s degree in international politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.

Before joining FAO, Sattarov gathered more than a dozen years of professional experience working with such international development and donor agencies as Polish Humanitarian Action, Oxfam GB, People in Need, and various United Nations agencies. He has led humanitarian work in conflict-affected zones in Ukraine and Yemen.

Sattarov has become familiar with Ukraine’s current political and economic situation, having worked for three years in Kyiv and the eastern parts of the country, coordinating emergency programs to address the needs of internally displaced persons and vulnerable populations. In addition to working as a humanitarian program manager, he has managed large-scale projects in early recovery, disaster preparedness and risk reduction.

“Taking up from where my predecessor left off, I have no doubts that our work will build on the strong foundation and vast experience of the FAO team in Ukraine,” he said. “I believe that we will provide highly needed technical assistance programs and introduce new aspects of the FAO mandate not yet represented in the country.”

FAO’s future activities in Ukraine – where agriculture is a leading sector of the economy – will focus on food security and nutrition through support for national food security policies, the promotion of small and medium farming businesses, the sustainable management of natural resources, and the improvement of sustainable agricultural productivity and competitiveness, among other efforts.

Among Sattarov’s first tasks will be starting to implement a new European Union-funded project in eastern Ukraine. Through that project, the local FAO team will contribute to the recovery support of small- and medium-sized agricultural businesses and to the revival of broken value chains. Activities will include strengthening advisory services, facilitating access to finance and investments, providing equipment and establishing an agriculture producer’s association.

Those activities are aimed at generating employment opportunities in the agricultural sector and, in doing so, aiding the revitalization of the entire economy.

In parallel, the team will continue working on a four-year project funded by the Global Environment Facility aimed at improving the legislative and institutional framework for more sustainable management of natural resources in Ukraine’s forest steppe zones.

Activities under these FAO projects relate to broader global efforts as they contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 8 and 15.

15 August 2018, Kyiv, Ukraine