Welcoming YPARD representative for Kyrgyztan - Meerim Shakirova!

YPARD welcomes Meerim Shakirova as YPARD Country Representative for Kyrgyzstan.

Meerim Shakirova was born and raised in Kyrgyzstan. When Meerim was 16, she moved to Moscow and started her active role in the international sphere, which has allowed her to play leadership roles as a global youth leader, climate change consultant and educator.

Meerim has received scholarships from the Kyrgyz government to study at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (International Journalism); as of September 2011 she is a PhD candidate at MGIMO University, focusing on energy economics.

She is working as a regional consultant at the WB (World Bank), focusing on Land Management and Land Administration for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She is a Founder of "SAVE ENERGY for Youth" NGO to better meet the needs of Kyrgyz communities and to manage sustainable development in the country. She has worked as a national expert on carbon offset in forestry for CAREC in the Kyrgyz branch. In addition, she is a correspondent in GSDM (Global South Development Magazine) for Central Asia and Eastern Europe. You can find her articles at gsdmagazine.org.

Meerim gained a broad experience in international organizations and agencies in developed and developing countries (Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, India, Nepal, Philippines and Cambodia). She notably worked with ADB (Asian Development Bank), UN ESCAP (United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and Pacific) in Bangkok, with local NGOs focusing on Early Childhood Development (ECD) projects in India and Nepal, in an orphanage in New Delhi and in a school at Jitpur village in Southern Nepal.

Meerim blogs at www.meerimshakirova.blogspot.com, writing stories on environment, sustainable development, youth empowerment, climate change and inspiration. You can reach her via 该邮件地址已受到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它需要在浏览器中启用 JavaScript。.

Meerim and her colleagues have created the Go GREEN and Stay COOL initiative. It serves as a platform to raise awareness, take collective action toward social, economic and environmental sustainability and make our environment secure for the future. Join the Go Green and Stay Cool group on Facebook.

"Being a YPARD country representative, I would like to highlight the importance of young people`s engagement in the agriculture sector and food security challenges. I believe working with YPARD, we can inspire, empower and motivate youth in making a difference in our community and home - country." Meerim says.

Meerim was one of the selected participants to the Youth Social Reporting Program organized by GFAR, CGIAR and YPARD at the GCARD2 : Second Global Conference for Agricultural Research for Development. Meerim asked to her peers why they have chosen agriculture as a career path. Check their answers: "Giving a voice to Young Professionals in Agriculture"!

A Warm Welcome to our First and talented Young Female Representative from Central Asia!