Alex Heikens
UNICEF Representative to the Republic of Azerbaijan
- Available in:
- English
- Azərbaycanca
Alex Heikens is UNICEF Representative to the Republic of Azerbaijan, a position he took up in August 2021.
A national of the Netherlands, Mr. Heikens served for four years as UNICEF Representative in Mongolia, leading the implementation of the UNICEF Country Programme, covering such areas as child protection, health, nutrition, water/sanitation/hygiene, education, early childhood development, adolescents life skills, social protection, air pollution and climate change. Since 2020 his focus was on supporting the government’s efforts to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, getting access to COVID-19 vaccines and strengthening the cold chain across the country.
He joined UNICEF in 2013 as a global adviser on climate change, environment and energy at UNICEF Headquarters, New York.
Prior to UNICEF, he worked for UNDP and FAO across Asia Pacific Region on issues of water, environment, climate change, agriculture and sustainable development.
Mr. Heikens holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences and an MSc in Biology from Utrecht University.
He is joined by his wife and two daughters.
