Suruchi Pant, Deputy Representative, South Asia

Dr Suruchi Pant is the Deputy Representative of UNODC Regional Office for South Asia. She is responsible for the overall management and programmatic oversight of all technical cooperation projects/programmes/initiatives at UNODC ROSA. Over the last several years, she has managed various projects and initiatives on drugs and health, organized crime, corruption and criminal justice and her focus is to identify and develop new programmes, raise funds and advocate for the implementation of the Regional Programme for South Asia in close cooperation with UNODC partners in the South Asia region. She works with Governments, funding partners, UN and civil society to explore new partnerships for programming in UNODC mandated areas of drugs, crime, terrorism, criminal justice and corruption.

Deepika Naruka, Programme Coordinator for Countering Transnational Organised Crime and Trafficking, South Asia

Deepika is the Programme Coordinator for countering transnational organized crime (TOC) and trafficking.  She has extensive experience on human security, gender and development, having worked in Croatia, Geneva, Vienna, Bangkok and India.  With UNODC Deepika has worked in South Asia, East Asia & Pacific, and at the headquarters in Vienna, on programmes related to countering trafficking in persons, Afghan opiate trade, drug and narcotics control, anti-money laundering and countering wildlife crime and trafficking.  She also brings experience of having worked with other UN agencies and organizations, including UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), UN Development Programme (UNDP), Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), SARI/Equity etc.  Her academic background is in Science, and higher specialization in International Relations, Conflict Analysis and UN Peacekeeping.  She can also be connected via: LinkedIn  and Twitter/X 

Jayant Misra, Consultant (Drug Law Enforcement), South Asia

Jayant is associated with UNODC South Asia as an expert consultant on drug law enforcement. A career civil servant, Jayant joined the Indian Revenue Service, Government of India in 1981. Prior to UNODC, he served as the Director General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. He last assignment before leaving the Government in 2019 was Chairman, Settlement Commission. He has held several important positions including Member, Customs, Excise and Service Tax Settlement Commission; Director General, GST and Director General, Systems. Misra previously served as the Chief Commissioner, Customs and Central Excise Zone, Vadodara (Gujarat), the Development Commissioner, NEPZ, Ministry of Commerce, and OSD/Joint Secretary/Director, Rajya Sabha. He was also a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the Allahabad University. A graduate in Physics, he holds a Masters in History; Masters in Business Administration with specialization in Finance and a degree in Law from Delhi University. His hobbies include Photography, Travel and Reading. 

Seema Joshi Arya, Criminal Justice Expert, South Asia

Seema works as the Criminal Justice Officer at the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia. Her work includes providing policy level inputs on matters relating to criminal justice and transnational organized crime. She has extensive experience in the field ofhuman rights, criminal law, justice sector reform, access to justice, drug trafficking, gender and prison reform.She has over fifteen years of experience in working with diversified systems, sectors and organizations, ranging from the civil society, government, international organizations, and other UN organizations. She has attained her degree in Law from the University of Delhi, India and holds a Master's in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.

Stella Thomas, National Programme Officer (Finance and Operations), South Asia

Stella Thomas joined UNODC in 2004. She holds the overall responsibility of managing UNODC South Asia’s finance, budgeting, programming requirements related to Implementation and Operations. As NPO, Stella leads the Finance team and guides the Regional Office to effectively enhance overall financial and operational delivery. She is part of the core operations team of the Regional Office which is charged with backstopping implementation and administration of all programmes, projects and special initiatives, including planning and reporting. Besides oversight and quality assurance on finance matters, Stella works closely with project teams in the South Asian countries, UNODC HQs, government, UN partners and civil society.

Poonam Bhambri, Programme Associate (Human Resources), South Asia

Poonam joined UNODC in 1989. She is responsible for the human resource management of the regional office.

Ruchika Aggarwal, Finance and Administration Associate, South Asia

Ruchika Aggarwal joined UNODC in February 2023. She provides financial and administrative support to the regional project on countering transnational organized crime and trafficking.

She has experience working with UN agency WFP- World Food Programme and MNC as well. She holds Master's Degree (M.com and MBA-Finance) and Bachelor's degree in Commerce.

Samarth Pathak, Communications Officer and Focal Point (Youth and Education), South Asia

Samarth joined UNODC in May 2017 as the Communications Officer for South Asia. In this role, Samarth coordinates strategic advocacy, communications, public affairs and external relations for UNODC in the region. He also leads youth and education-focused initiatives on the SDGs, peace, crime prevention and integrity in the region. During COVID-19, he spearheaded in India the 'Lockdown Learners' series, aimed at strengthening youth action on peace, SDGs and the rule of law through education, with an emphasis on bridging socio-economic and gender-divides. The series was featured in the prestigious UN Innovation Network's 'Best of 2020 Initiatives' for its innovation and impact. Samarth has also moderated prominent forums engaging youth and educators, including the first and second Global Youth Forums convened by the Ministry of Justice, Government of Japan; UNESCO-UNODC Regional Dialogues and participated in media panels and podcasts. He has also provided substantive inputs and knowledge support to various initiatives on education and youth engagement with a focus on crime prevention, SDGs, integrity and peace. Prior to UNODC, Samarth worked as a news producer with Reuters TV and moved to the policy-development space in his stints with reputed international think tanks. His work experience encompasses strategic communication, community engagement on the SDGs, partnerships and external relations, policy analysis and public advocacy, Track II Diplomacy, network building and news reporting and production. Samarth has previously written for The Huffington Post, Medium, The Guardian, Reuters Alertnet, The Dawn, Hardnews and The Asian Age, and has appeared as a panelist in media dialogues and podcasts. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Savita Bhat, Admin and Finance Associate, South Asia

Savita has been working with UNODC since 1999. She provides financial and administrative support to the regional project on drug law enforcement.

Anupama Chouhan, Management and Admin Associate, South Asia

Anupama joined UNODC in April 2007. She assists the Regional Representative in the overall day-to-day management and coordination of office activities and manages her agenda. She also acts as the security focal point for UNODC.

Geeta Bhaskar, Admin and Finance Associate, South Asia

Geeta joined UNODC in New Delhi in March 2012. She supports the Office's work on anti-corruption and HIV prevention in prisons.

Rajesh Kumar, Field Office Support Engineer, South Asia

Rajesh joined UNODC in November 2003. He is responsible for providing support to field offices with their day-to-day information technology needs. 

Santosh Kumar Sharma, Admin and Finance Associate

Santosh is an experienced Finance and Accounts professional with over 9 years of experience in the various social development Sectors like Health, Rural Development, Rehabilitation, Environment and Livelihoods, mostly in the Govt. setup. He joined UNODC-ROSA in July 2023 as an Admin and Finance Associate. Prior to joining UNODC-ROSA, Santosh worked at the United Nations Development Programme in Leh Ladakh (India), the National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana (India), the Haryana State Rural Livelihoods Mission (HSRLM) in Haryana (India), and the Regional Centre of the National Institute of Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disability (NIEPVD) in Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh- India). Santosh holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (Finance), a Master's degree in Commerce, and a Bachelor's degree in Commerce.

Mr. Felipe Ramos - Head of Office a.i. in Programme Office, Bangladesh / Programme Officer (P3), GMCP IOE Bangladesh Office

Felipe possesses over 18 years of professional experience acquired within diverse national and international environments. Felipe started his career in 2005 as an agent of Rio de Janeiro's Harbor Guard. In 2008 he joined Rio de Janeiro State Police Department (PMERJ) where he led the 4th Company of the 20th Battalion and co-led the 1st Company of the 27th Battalion in Rio de Janeiro City. He also worked as the Deputy Commander of the Community Policing Unit in the city of Duque de Caxias, and as the Deputy Chief of the Planning Section of different operational units. Felipe was deployed to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti from 2014 to 2016. He also worked for INTERPOL from 2019 to 2024, first at the Strategic Planning Unit in Lyon, France, and more recently as a Criminal Intelligence Officer at the Maritime Security Unit in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and in Nairobi, Kenya.

Felipe graduated from Rio de Janeiro State Police Officer’s School in Brazil, holds a Bachelor of Law degree and a master's degree in international public administration and politics.

S.M. Naheeaan, National Programme Coordinator, Bangladesh

Naheeaan started his work with UNODC Bangladesh in June 2020 as National Programme Coordinator. His responsibilities with UNODC mainly comprise coordination and effective implementation of the UNHCR-funded project on building knowledge, capacities and resilience to counter threats of drugs and crime in Cox's Bazar, as well as advocacy and coordination with the Government of Bangladesh and other relevant stakeholders with regard to project activities in the field of countering organized crime and drugs, with a focus on human rights and gender. He will also support ongoing initiatives and help develop new projects for Bangladesh under the Regional Programme for South Asia; provide substantive inputs to the Government of Bangladesh and other relevant stakeholders in the field of countering drugs and crime, human rights and gender, and support fundraising efforts. Naheeaan has been working in the UN system for over ten years and has worked with four UN agencies. In his last position before joining UNODC, he had worked with UN Women on Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW), Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Planning (GRB&P) and Gender & HIV areas. He had also worked with UNDP on Business and Human Rights and GRB&P areas. Before that he had worked in various capacities with UNAIDS, UNFPA, Cairn Energy Bangladesh Limited, and SHURID-Bangladesh. Naheeaan holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. Currently he is pursuing another Master’s in Governance Studies.

Md. Abu Taher, National Programme Coordinator (HIV/AIDS), Bangladesh

Taher started his job with UNODC Bangladesh in March 2020 as National Programme Coordinator (HIV/AIDS). His responsibilities with UNODC include leading the HIV/AIDS Programme in Bangladesh, programme management and development, contributing to resource mobilization for the HIV/AIDS programme in Bangladesh, contributing to developing and maintaining strategic partnerships, as well as assistance in fundraising efforts of UNODC. Before joining UNODC, Taher worked with CARE Bangladesh for over 19 years. Throughout his career, he has worked in different capacities on development issues including HIV/AIDS & Drugs; Migration & Development; Labour Empowerment and Promotion of Labour Rights; Women & Child trafficking; Child Marriage, as well as Governance and System Strengthening. He has good working experience both with public and private donors including EC, DFID, USAID, World Bank and others. Academically, Taher obtained a Master’s in Sociology and has also completed a professional Master’s degree in Governance Studies.

A.B.M Ziaul Kabir, National Programme Officer (Prisons), Bangladesh

Ziaul joined UNODC in Bangladesh in March 2021. His responsibilities at UNODC include managing the programmatic and financial implementation of prison reform projects, developing and facilitating regional and national level training activities, facilitating establishment of technical working groups on prisons, contributing to technical consultations with donors and other actors on criminal justice and prison related matters and exploring new fund-raising opportunities. He has more than 20 years of professional experience on programme development, management and policy advocacy in different countries in Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand) and Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Burkina Faso) on issues related to poverty reduction, violence against women, girls and children, human and child rights, trafficking in persons and safe migration, and strengthening parliamentary institutions and practices. He obtained both his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Social Anthropology from Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka and a LLB degree from National University. Prior to working with UNODC, he worked with UNDP Bangladesh, Plan International Bangladesh, the Asia Foundation, Danish International Development Assistance–Government of Bangladesh (DANIDA-GOB), ICDDR,B and WaterAid Bangladesh.

Mohammad Hasibul Haq, Admin and Finance Associate, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Bangladesh

Hasibul joined UNODC GLO.ACT-Bangladesh project on countering trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants in April 2020. He contributes to effective project implementation and operations, with extensive support on all issues related to administrative and financial management, procurement, travel, and ensuring the overall timeliness of delivery. Before joining GLO.ACT-Bangladesh, Hasibul had been working with UNODC Bangladesh since August 2018 providing administrative and financial support under various projects. Hasibul has more than 16 years of experience working with different organizations including UNODC, UNDP, the World Bank and others. During this period, he worked in the areas of finance, accounts, audit, budget, sub-grant management, procurement and other relevant project support activities. Hasibul completed his Master’s degree in Commerce, with a major in Accounting.

MD SHARIF HOSSAIN, GLO.ACT-Bangladesh

Sharif joined UNODC with GLO.ACT-Bangladesh project in February 2023. He contributes to effective project implementation and operations, with extensive support on issues related to administrative and financial management. Before joining UNODC, Sharif had been working with UNDP Bangladesh since March 2020 providing administrative and financial support in Partnership for a Tolerant and Inclusive Bangladesh (PTIB) project. Sharif has more than 14 years of experience working with different organizations including Transparency International Bangladesh and Social & Economic Enhancement Programme. During this period, he worked in the areas of financial reporting, audit, budget, sub-grant management and other relevant project support activities. Sharif completed his master’s degree in commerce, with a major in finance. Besides his mother tongue (Bangla), Sharif is fluent in English.

Tasneem Binta Karim, Programme Associate, GLO.ACT-Bangladesh 

Tasneem joined with UNODC in Bangladesh in December 2022 as Programme Associate for GLO.ACT-Bangladesh Programme. Her role aims at supporting the implementation of GLO.ACT activities at the national and regional levels. She  is a qualified lawyer with diverse work experience in the migration and labour sector. Before joining UNODC, she had been working with World Food Programme (WFP) where her focus was on project implementation, partnership management, and strategic planning. Prior to joining WFP, Tasneem worked with Solidarity Center Bangladesh office keeping close involvement with the grass-root level workers in the migration and labour sector in South Asia Coalition. She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) and Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degrees with a specialization in Public International Law from BRAC University. She is currently pursuing her second master’s in Development Studies from Dhaka University. Besides her mother tongue (Bangla), Tasneem is fluent in English.

Fahmida Noor, Admin and Finance Associate, Bangladesh

Fahmida joined UNODC in March 2021 as the Admin and Finance Associate in Bangladesh. Fahmida has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Murdoch University Perth Australia, Dubai Campus and a BSc in Applied Accounting from the Oxford Brooks University, United Kingdom. Since 2017 Fahmida is also a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a global body of successful professionals in the finance and accounting field. Prior to joining the UN, Fahmida worked for over 10 years in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in sectors such as Banking, Manufacturing, Engineering and Oil & Gas refinery. 

Tandin Wangmo, Programme Coordinator, Bhutan

Tandin Wangmo was previously the CEO/Executive Director of RENEW. Founded by Her Majesty the Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck (2004), RENEW is the only organization dedicated to the empowerment of women and children, with specific attention to the survivors of domestic/gender-based violence. Ms. Wangmo holds a Masters' degree in Educational Studies from the University of Newcastle, Australia. She has also worked with the Media and Knowledge Centre, People's Democratic Party, Institute of Management Studies, Gross National Happiness Centre and the Ministry of Education in Bhutan. She has proven resource mobilisation skills and experience of developing strategic plans and policies. She has been a Master Trainer in Life Skills Education, Public Health Issues, Leadership and Communication Skills. 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.

Enrico Boninsegna, Head of Office a.i., Maldives

Mr. Enrico Boninsegna started his assignment with UNODC in May 2020, supporting activities carried out in the field of preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Prior to his current position, Mr. Boninsegna worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe as a Monitoring Officer in Donetsk (Non-Government-Controlled Areas of Ukraine) for one year, and as a Human Rights Officer on Countering Terrorism in Warsaw (Poland) for six years. Additional professional experiences include working as an Associate Expert for UNODC’s Regional Office for Central Asia (2010-2012) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and as a defence Case Manager at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (2009-2010) in The Hague, The Netherlands. Mr. Boninsegna holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Bologna (Italy) and a LL.M. from the University of Turin (Italy) jointly organized with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. 

Arujun Mohamed, National Programme Officer, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Maldives

Arujun has long served as a police officer in the Maldives prior to joining UNODC. His 17-year career in law enforcement has contributed to the improvement of law enforcement services and stakeholder agencies such as the Maldives Anti-Corruption Commission, Immigration, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), and other cooperative institutions in the Maldives. His primary contributions were related to criminal investigations and law enforcement communication, as well as training and educating the police force and its stakeholder agencies. Arujun holds a Bachelor's degree in Security and Law Enforcement Studies and a Master's degree in Communication from Malaysia's Taylors University.

Buddhika Ranadheera, Assistant Programme Management Officer (Global Maritime Crime Programme, Indian Ocean - East), P1, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, MALE

Ms. Buddhika is a Sri Lankan national with a degree in social sciences and Maters in International Relations from University of Colombo. Buddhika worked in one of the largest private sector conglomerates in Sri Lanka, John Keells Holdings for 1 year before moving to Parliament of Sri Lanka where she worked as a Foreign Relations Officer for 6 years serving the SAARC Parliamentary Association, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretariats. She has also been working as Deputy Director, Programmes and Research in the civil society organization, SLYCAN Trust before moving to United Nations. She worked in UNDP Sri Lanka for 1 year before joining GMCP HQ of UNODC in 2019 where she has been working with GMCP Head Quarter’s team of UNODC for three years first in the capacity as Programme Assistant and subsequently as National Project Officer where she was responsible for annual staff events, communications, visibility, pipeline development, counterparts’ management, donor coordination, staff development and programme development. She recently assumed the post of Assistant Programme Management Officer in GMCP, UNODC Office, Male.

Md Mohaimenul Islam, Programme Support Officer, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Maldives

Mr. Mohaimenul, a national of Bangladesh, is a Programme Support Officer for the UNODC's Global Maritime Crime Programme in Maldives. His role involves supporting project implementation and operations, as well as providing legal assistance to address the challenges presented by maritime crime. Mohaimenul began working with UNODC's office in Dhaka in 2020. In his capacities, Mohaimenul provided support to several UNODC programmes operating in Bangladesh, including the Global Maritime Crime Programme, Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants, the Global Programme to Strengthen the Legal Regime against Terrorism, and the Container Control Programme. In April 2021, he joined the Pre-Trial chamber of the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials in Cambodia and gained expertise in international law. In May 2021, Mohaimenul rejoined UNODC to support the Global Maritime Crime Programme as a Project Support Associate. From July 2023 to December 2023, he led the operation of the UNODC’ Global Maritime Crime Programme as a Programme Manager in Bangladesh. Mohaimenul has completed his LLB and LLM degrees from the Department of Law at Jagannath University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a published author and has contributed to several publications. He has a special interest in human rights and criminal justice. 

Grace Wimaladasa, Programme Management Assistant, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Maldives.

Grace joined UNODC Global Maritime Programme (GMCP) Sri Lanka in May 2021. She contributes to project implementation and operations, with extensive support in all areas related to administrative and financial management, procurement, travel, and ensuring the overall timeliness of delivery. Before joining UNODC Sri Lanka, she has worked in UNDP and RCO and has 16 years of UN experience and 13 years of work experience in the Media field as a journalist. Prior to joining IOE team, she was engaged in HQ team as a Programme Assistant. Currently she is working for IOE-Maldives team as a Programme Management Assistant, based in Sri Lanka

 Ulrich Meiser, Law Enforcement Expert, Nepal

Mr. Ulrich Meiser, Law Enforcement Expert, has joined the UNODC Programme Office in Nepal as the Head of Office effective 10 July 2023. Mr. Meiser holds a master’s degree in business and administration from the Federal University of Münster, Germany.  Previously (since October 2017), he has served as the Regional Coordinator of the UNODC-World Customs Organization (WCO) Container Control Programme (CCP) for South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, and prior to that (during February 2014 – September 2017) as the UNODC CCP Programme Coordinator for Afghanistan. Before joining UNODC, Mr. Meiser worked as Senior Technical Officer at the World Customs Organization (from December 2003 to January 2014) in Brussels, Belgium, and as Senior Customs Officer with the German Customs Administration (during August 1990 – November 2003). He is also functioning as the Regional Coordinator of the Passenger Cargo Control Programme (PCCP) for South Asia, under the overall guidance of the UNODC ROSA.

Reena Pathak , Project Officer, Nepal

Reena Pathak joined UNODC in October 2018. She has over 11 years of professional experience working on gender, human rights, labor migration and human trafficking issues. She has worked with The Asia Foundation, Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD), Peoples Law Firm and Research Center, Kathmandu School of Law. Her responsibilities with UNODC will include substantive and financial implementation of project activities; support of law reform initiatives on gender-based violence issues, human trafficking, human smuggling, drug trafficking and assistance to the Programme Coordinator in a number of areas, including exploration of new funding opportunities, providing legal and policy implications on those areas. Her good rapport with the human rights agencies and stakeholders of the justice system and experience of working in with the government and non-government agencies will prove to be highly helpful in delivering required results, developing work plans and building collaboration with other national and international stakeholders. She holds bachelor's degree in Law and Master's Degree (LL.M) in Human Rights and Gender Justice.  

Krishna Prasad Sedhain , Admin and Finance Associate, Nepal

Krishna Prasad Sedhain has joined as the Admin and Finance Associate with UNODC Programme Office in Nepal effective March 27, 2023.

Krishna holds a master’s degree in Business Studies with specialization in Finance. Before joining UNODC, he worked as an Admin and Finance Assistant with WHO Nepal. He has also worked with UN-Habitat Nepal as a Finance Assistant. Krishna will be mainly working to provide the general administrative support to the Programme Office and to organize virtual regional / national workshops, trainings, consultations for policy makers, civil society organizations and Law enforcement officials in Nepal.

Siri Bjune, Head, Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) / Head of Programme Office in Sri Lanka a.i.

Ms. Bjune is a Norwegian national and holds Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Oslo. She assumed the posts of Head of GMCP and the Head of Office in January 2022. She has been working with UNODC for 15 years. Prior to taking up the current post, Ms. Bjune worked with the Norwegian law enforcement for a year, before moving abroad. She worked as a trainee for the EFTA Surveillance Authority in Brussels and joined the UNODC HQ in Vienna in 2007 as an Associate Expert within UNODC’s Anti-Corruption Branch. Following which, she worked in Eastern Africa and Kenya, where she helped launch the first UNODC Regional Programme. In 2013 she joined the Global Maritime Crime Programme and was based in Nigeria where she was responsible for developing the GMCP Atlantic Ocean Regional Team with focus on legal reform and capacity building in maritime law enforcement. She joined the GMCP headquarters in 2019 and is responsible for strategic direction, policy development, programming and portfolio management for GMCP while providing advisory support and guidance to all regional teams under GMCP and the Programme office of Sri Lanka. 

Siji Song, Programme Coordinator, Indian Ocean East Team of the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP)/ UNODC

Ms. Song is a South Korean national, and a lawyer with Master’s degrees in Public International Law, International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, as well as Law of the Sea and Maritime Security. She assumed the post of Programme Coordinator of Indian Ocean East Team of the GMCP in December 2022. She has been working with UNODC since 2015. Prior to taking up the current post, Ms. Song worked for different UNODC’s programme, country and regional offices in East, West and Central Africa. In 2019, she joined the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) where she is human rights focal point. Throughout her UNODC experience, she was responsible programme/project coordination and management on criminal justice responses to transnational organised crime and illicit trafficking both on land and at sea. 

Anusha Munasinghe, National Programme Coordinator, Sri Lanka 

Anusha is the National Program Officer in Sri Lanka. Her work includes a wide range of areas, including criminal justice reform, drugs and health, prison reform, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, legal aid and access to justice. Prior to her current role with the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, Anusha was the Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Sri Lanka. She also served as UNHCR’s Bali Process Project Coordinator based in the Regional Support Office (RSO) in Bangkok. Anusha has extensive experience on rule of law, administration of justice, access to justice, child rights, legal aid, alternative dispute resolution, migration and human trafficking, policy planning, development and analysis. Anusha studied Law at the University of Colombo and holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Management from the Monash University in Australia.

Dushanthi Fernando, National Project Coordinator, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Sri Lanka

Dushanthi joined the UNODC in 2020 as a National Programme Officer and supported all UNODC activities on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism. In 2022, she joined the Global Maritime Crime Programme, to support its projects focused on detention, imprisonment, prevention of violent extremism and management of High-risk Prisoners. She has over ten years of experience under different capacities in both humanitarian and development sectors, working on peacebuilding, human rights, forced migration, gender and advocacy. Prior to joining UNODC, she provided technical assistance, programme management and external relations support to the Office of the Resident Coordinator and UNHCR in Sri Lanka. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from Uppsala University in Sweden and a Master’s degree in International Relations from University of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Maria Belevoni, Programme Support Officer, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Sri Lanka

Maria Belevoni is a Greek national and a qualified attorney at law, registered with the Athens Bar Association. She holds an LL.M. in Public International Law from the University of Athens Law School and an LL.M. in Global Criminal Law from the University of Groningen, with additional coursework in gender studies. Since January 2023, Maria has been a Programme Support Officer for UNODC's Global Maritime Crime Programme in Sri Lanka. Her role encompasses project implementation and providing legal assistance to address the challenges posed by transnational crime at sea. She is also the Gender Focal Point for the Global Maritime Crime Programme in the Eastern Indian Ocean region. Her primary research interests and areas of expertise lie in transnational criminal law and its intersection with gender. Prior to joining the GMCP, Maria worked as an attorney-at-law in Greece, focusing on transnational criminal and human rights cases. She also completed a legal internship with UNODC’s Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section and contributed to various transnational crime research projects.

Supunika Subasinghe, Programme Assistant, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Sri Lanka

Supunika joined UNODC Global Maritime Programme (GMCP) Sri Lanka in July 2019. Being the first Programme Support staff joined for GMCP Sri Lanka team, she contributed extensively in building up the operational and financial base to carry out the programme implementation activities. She currently provides financial and administrative support to the GMCP Indian Ocean East team in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. Prior to joining UNODC, she has worked in UNDP and also has 9 years of work experience serving in private sector organizations in management and advisory roles. Supunika is an Associate member of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)-UK, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems and Management from University of London.

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Thowfeek Ismail, Programme Assistant, Indian Ocean East Team, Global Maritime Crime Programme, Sri Lanka

Thowfeek joined UNODC in Sri Lanka Project Office in November 2018 and moved to Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) in April 2020. His responsibilities would be providing administrative and financial support to GMCP in Sri Lanka. He has extensive experience with UN in Admin and Finance and Procurement over 16 years. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and an Executive MSc in Finance also, reading an MBA at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Thaminda Perera, Admin and Finance Associate, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Sri Lanka 

Thaminda joined UNODC in 2020 as the Admin and Finance Associate at the Project Office in Sri Lanka. Thaminda has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Cardiff Metropolitan University, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sustainable Performance Management from the Manchester Metropolitan University. He further studied management accounts from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, London, United Kingdom. Thaminda’s first appointment with the UN was with UNICEF Regional Office in Denmark. He joined UNHCR Colombo Office as Admin and Finance Associate in 2016. Prior to the UN, Thaminda worked for KPMG and Ernst & Young for nearly seven years. During his tenures with the UN and Mercantile sector, he has worked as an Auditor, Audit Supervisor, Finance Controller, Finance Assistant and Admin and Finance Associate. 

Devendra, R S Yadav, Diwan Ram, Security Guards, India

The Guards have been with UNODC since April 2004. They ensure proper security checks at the entrance and exit of persons and goods into and out of UNODC premises.

Nabaraj Giri, Driver, Nepal

Nabraj joined UNODC in Nepal in July 2008. He works for the Nepal office and drives staff and official guests safely to their destinations.