New UN Resident Coordinator accredited to Turkmenistan

“For me this was a great honour to meet with H.E. Mr. Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and present the letter of credentials signed by the UN Secretary-General appointing me as UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan. This is my first assignment to Turkmenistan and to Central Asian region” said Ms. Elena Panova.

During the meeting, prospects for deepening strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and the United Nations were discussed, especially in realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and implementation of national development priorities, such as economic diversification, promotion and protecting human rights and addressing climate change impact.

Ms. Elena Panova expressed gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan for providing the UN with magnificent UN Building and creation of excellent working conditions for the UN agencies in the country.

Prior to her appointment as the highest-ranking UN official in Turkmenistan, Ms. Elena Panova served as Senior Programme Coordinator at UNDP RBEC, Istanbul Regional Hub (2014-2016), Deputy Country Director at UNDP Ukraine (2010-2014).

Ms. Elena Panova holds Master’s Degree in International Law and Foreign Trade from University for National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria and  Master’s Degree in Microelectronics from Technical Chemical University in Sofia, Bulgaria.