Iran

Our team

 

Who are the decision makers?

The UN Resident Coordinator and designated representative of the UN Secretary-General is also the leader of the United Nations Country Team playing a central role in coordinating the UN operational activities for development.

The UNDP Resident Representative is the UNDP Administrator's representative at the country level, and head of the country office being ultimately responsible for the quality and sustainability of UNDP interventions.

a person posing for the camera
Ayshanie Medagangoda - Labé

Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labé, from Sri Lanka, assumed the role of Resident Representative ad interim for UNDP in the Islamic Republic of Iran in October 2024.

She is a seasoned development professional with over 25 years of leadership and management experience across various country contexts, including Low-, middle- and high-income counties.

Her expertise spans policy advisory, program management, and research, with a focus on public and private sector collaboration. Within the UN/UNDP She served as Resident Representative (and stepping in as acting UN Resident Coordinator) in Nepal; Country Director ai/Deputy Country Director in Nepal (2018- 2019), Deputy Resident Representative in Morocco (2012-2018) and Algeria (2008-2012). Prior to that, she held policy advisory, portfolio management and coordination positions in Agriculture, Climate, Food Security, Rural Development, Development effectiveness/ UN (Bangladesh) and, crisis and Tsunami Emergency Coordination, (Sri Lanka) as well as research and teaching in Vietnam and Belgium.

Ayshanie holds a Msc in Agro-Economics, Sociology and Rural Development from the Faculty of Agriculture, Gembloux/(Liege), Belgium. Completed Executive Education programmes (IMD Lausanne, Switzerland/INSEAD Paris-France).

She Speaks Sinhalese, English French and is a debutant in Arabic and Spanish.

Khurshid Alam

Mr Khurshid Alam took on the role of Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Iran in September 2025.

A passionate advocate for an equitable, multilateral and resilient world, Mr Alam's work spans over 25 years in 50 countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe. He contributed significantly to advancing the theory and practice of climate and disaster resilience and played a critical role in responding to numerous international crises.

His career combines an array of leadership, consulting, and brief media roles. Before his UN career, he was the Managing Director of ThinkAhead Limited, a UK-based consulting company; and at ActionAid, also based in the UK in various roles, including as the International Tsunami Programme Director and Global Policy Advisor.

Before joining UNDP Bhutan, he was with the UNDP Bangladesh Country Office, holding the dual role of the Assistant Resident Representative and Head of the Inclusive Growth and Resilience Portfolio with eight practice areas and an annual delivery of over US$50 million.

A frequent keynote speaker, he authored three books and numerous journal articles - and has been engaged in major inter-governmental processes. He is a self-proclaimed post-humanist and futurist - who believes in planetary health first philosophy. He loves collecting arts and antiques – and is an admirer of world music, politics, and history.

Mr Alam is from Bangladesh. In 1998, he married Farzana Afrin, a statistician by training. They are proud parents of two daughters.

Follow on X (Twitter) @khurshidundp