Republic of Moldova

Chisinau, June 27, 2007 - Kaarina Immonen, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations and Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Republic of Moldova presented today her credentials and met with Andrei Stratan, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.
Before being appointed to Moldova, Kaarina Immonen served as Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in the Russian Federation.
A national of Finland, Ms. Immonen previously served with UN and UNDP in many countries, including Cambodia, Vietnam, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and more recently Georgia and Russia.
Kaarina Immonen holds a Masters degree in Political Sciences, major in International Relations from the Graduate Institute for International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Immonen speaks English and French, has a working knowledge of German and Italian, and is conversant in Russian. Her native tongue is Finnish.

The Republic of Moldova joined the United Nations on March 2, 1992. The United Nations opened its office in Chisinau in 1993. The UN Country Team in Moldova includes several UN agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO), the Bretton Woods Institutions – IMF and World Bank, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and a number of other Funds and Programmes which provide assistance to Moldova.

The UN Agencies in Moldova operate on the basis of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, a common strategy that provides a collective, coherent and integrated UN response to national priorities and needs within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals.

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For contact: Ludmila Tiganu, Communications Officer, tel. 22 00 45, ext. 112, e-mail: ludmila.tiganu@undp.org