Our Team in Trinidad and Tobago

Before taking up the position of Director of the UNESCO Office in Jamaica in 2022, Dr. Anna Paolini was UNESCO Representative
in the Arab States of the Gulf and Yemen and Director of the UNESCO Doha Office for the Countries of the Gulf and Yemen from September 2013 – June 2022. She was also UNESCO Representative and Head of Office in Uzbekistan from 2007 to 2009 and later she covered the same position in Jordan. In 1992, she joined UNESCO as specialist in the field of culture at the Regional Office in Amman. In 1997, she moved to UNESCO HQ covering several positions within the Culture Sector including being responsible
of movable heritage activities and on heritage in conflict response in the Arab region. Prior to that, she held a research associate role at the Institute of Architecture of Venice, worked in restoration in Italy and carried out research in the field of urban rehabilitation in several Arab and African countries. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and a Master's degree in Urban and
Regional Planning for Developing Countries, a post-graduate degree on Development Cooperation, as well as a Ph.D in Urban and Territorial Engineering. Dr. Paolini is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Italian Association of Professional Architects and author of several papers on different cultural heritage subjects.

In July 2019, Ms. Carolyne-Mélanie Régimbal, Canadian, resumed her duties as Director of the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) after 18 months working at the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia where she served as Head of Field Coordination contributing to the Colombian Peace Process. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2006, Ms. Régimbal previously worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Canada where she began her professional career in 1996.

Mr. Cleveland Thomas ITU’s Area Representative for the Caribbean region. Prior to this appointment, he was the CEO-National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited of Trinidad and Tobago. He was also the National Chief Information Officer. Mr. Thomas helps to implement the Caribbean Governments’ vision for development using ICTs: improvement in health care, education, security, commerce, transport, tourism etc.

Mr Zulu brings extensive experience and knowledge of key issues related to the work of the ILO Caribbean Office. As Director of ILO-Abuja, he led development projects and activities on employment creation, entrepreneurship development, microfinance and social dialogue.

Before joining the ILO in 2003, Mr Zulu worked in academia and the private sector in his home country. In the ILO, he has worked in various positions including Programme Officer in the ILO Office in Zambia, ILO Coordinator for the UN pilot “Delivering As One” Programmes in Mozambique, and the UN Adviser on Youth Employment and Empowerment to the Liberian Government.

Diane Quarless has been the Director of the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean in Port of Spain since 2011, where she leads a multidisciplinary team of experts in the search for solutions to the many development challenges facing the countries of the Caribbean.

She previously served as Chief of the Small Island Developing States Unit and as Head of Partnerships for Sustainable Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.

As the Country Representative for PAHO/WHO, Dr Erica Wheeler is responsible for all programs of work of PAHO/WHO, which covers the full spectrum of health in communicable and noncommunicable diseases and mental health, emergency disaster preparedness, health systems strengthening, climate change, women’s’ children and adolescents health, among others. She has worked and studied in the field of Public Health for over 27 years.

Mr. Guwani is responsible for overseeing support for implementation of UNAIDS Caribbean programmes, working closely with UNAIDS Country Offices in the region to strengthen national and partner capacities for Fast-Tracking the AIDS Response. Prior to joining UNAIDS in 2004, James was an M&E Specialist at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Senior Program Evaluator for the Red Cross HIV and AIDS Education and Prevention Programs.

In 2001 James received his Doctorate in Medical Epidemiology from the Pennsylvania State University. He also holds a joint Master’s degree in Public Health and International Development Studies from Ohio University.
James’ international experience with rolling out the Fast Track agenda in the context of the world’s largest epidemics and familiarity with this region auger well for his ability to work with partners to accelerate progress toward an AIDS-free Caribbean

Jewel has been with IOM Trinidad and Tobago office since 2007. She has served on the national counter-trafficking Task Force, civil society working group and co-facilitates training on countering human trafficking for Government officials, including immigration officers and police.

José Vila Del Castillo has over 20 years of experience in the field of transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. Prior to the UN he worked as a senior advisor to the government of Spain in agencies responsible for drug prevention, treatment and social services. He carried out similar work with the European Commission.

He joined UNODC in 1999 as Representative of the Regional Office in Mexico. He has also served as UNODC Regional Representative for East Africa. He has written books on drug demand prevention and treatment.

Juan Miguel Diez formally joined the United Nations in 1997 as the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre for Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In this position, he coordinated the development of educational and outreach programmes and liaised with national and international media. He was promoted in 2006 to the position of Public Information Officer (which soon developed into the role of Deputy Director) at the Centre. In this capacity, he helped manage the national and regional responsibilities of the Centre, including the development and coordination of communications strategies for the UN in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region. In 2013, he was appointed Director of the Centre in Mexico and continued in this role at the UNIC in Port of Spain from December 2014.

Mr. Diez speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Miriam Aertker assumed the role of Head of National Office at UNHCR in Trinidad and Tobago on June 1, 2021. She brings with her a wide range of experience, coupled with a good understanding of the cross-border mobility challenges currently facing the different Caribbean countries. Since February 2019, Miriam has been based in Trinidad and Tobago, working as a Senior Field Coordinator with the Response for Venezuela (R4V) platform, which is jointly led by UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In this role, and together with her team, Miriam has worked closely with 26 Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) partners across the Caribbean sub-region as well as with five national platforms in Aruba, Curaçao, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and in the Dominican Republic. In addition to her role as Head of National Office for UNHCR, Miriam continues to oversee the R4V platform in the Caribbean together with sub-regional counterparts from IOM.
Miriam has spent the last 14 years with the UNHCR, with posts in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, working in some of the world's most critical refugee crisis responses, including Yemen, Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Somalia, Myanmar, Greece and now Trinidad and Tobago. Miriam has held positions in coordination, management, refugee status determination and protection (including Community Based Protection). Miriam trained as a social worker in her native Germany and holds a Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo (Egypt), as well as a Masters in Refugee Studies from the University of East London (UK).

Ms. Randi Davis has been appointed as Resident Representative of UNDP in Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, based in Port of Spain where she arrived on 6 October 2019.

Ms. Davis brings to the position extensive experience within the UN system, having served most recently as Director of UNDP’s Gender Team based in New York. In that position she led UNDP’s global policy and programming on gender equality and women’s empowerment overseeing teams based in UNDP’s five regional hubs. Ms. Davis was also part of the founding team that established the United Nations Democracy Fund, and she spearheaded UNDP’s Global Practice on Parliamentary Development. She brings extensive expertise in the fields of governance and over a decade of field work in Asia where her focus was on issues of economic transition, local development, housing and urban development.

Mr. Chapman is the Representative & Country Director for the World Food Programme (WFP) Caribbean Multi-Country Office, covering 22 countries and territories in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean and overseeing the agency’s support to regional institutions, national governments, and people.

Mr. Chapman has over 20 years of international development and humanitarian experience, including the past 17 years working with WFP. Prior to his appointment in the Caribbean, he has served in a variety of programme leadership roles with WFP including in the Regional Bureau for Latin America & the Caribbean, Somalia, Afghanistan, Regional Bureau for East and Central Africa, Timor Leste, Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific and Indonesia. He has also worked with the Red Cross Movement on food security and emergency and with the United States Peace Corps on community development efforts at a grass roots level in rural El Salvador.
Regis is a national of the United States of America. He holds a graduate degree in Marketing from Arizona State University.

REUBEN Hamilton Robertson is a national of St Vincent and the Grenadines, is a holder of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture, and a Master of Science Degree in Agriculture Economics, both from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus.

Prior to taking up his appointment in Trinidad and Tobago, he served as FAO Representative in Guyana and previously as the FAO Consultant and Technical Advisor to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Tonni Brodber is the Representative of the UN Women Multi-Country Office- Caribbean.

Prior to her appointment in August 2020, Ms. Brodber served as Deputy Representative from 2015 -2020 with the MCO Caribbean. Before this Ms. Brodber was the Team Leader for the Advancing Gender Justice in the Pacific programme with the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office.

Ms. Brodber served as the Gender Specialist for the United Nations Development Programme in South Africa, as well as briefly with the UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office and established what is now the UN Women Country Office in Haiti.

Ms. Brodber’s work experience also includes lecturing in International Relations and Development Studies at Yanshan University in China, and directing and co-producing, a film on Haiti.

Ms. Brodber received her first degree from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and has post graduate degrees in Development Studies and Business Administration from the London School of Economics and ESADE Business School in Barcelona.

Ms. Brodber is raising two sons with her husband.

Vincent Sweeney is Head of the Caribbean Sub-Regional Office for UNEP and previously spent 4 years as the Coordinator of the GPA, in UNEP’s headquarters. He also served for 10 years as Executive Director of the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute.