Ainur Kanafina

Ainur holds an MSc in public policy from University College London, UK and a BSc informatics in business from Indiana University Bloomington, USA. Ainur currently works in the UNFPA’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office focusing on issues of demographic resilience and development.

She has obtained professional experience at the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the British Embassy, the European Union project, Nazarbayev University, KAZGUU Higher School of Economics, Global Center for Cooperative Security and the Institute for Strategic Development.

Ainur participated in the ‘change programme’ for the General Prosecutor’s Office in Kazakhstan and other law enforcement agencies. She implemented a number of projects on gender equity, governance, prevention of violent extremism, empowering youth, rule of law, increasing electoral awareness in rural areas, mediation and public service delivery.

She is an alumna of various programmes organised by the Council of Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Riga Graduate School of Law and OSCE Academy. Ainur is also a Bolashak Scholar and a PMP certified project manager.