Alexey Dudarev
Biography
Country: Russia
My path to Fletcher
In 2020, as Protection Officer for UNHCR Syria, I was the senior international UN staff in the coastal region and was leading the humanitarian response to wildfires ravaging the area, displacing thousands and wiping out agricultural lands. This experience made me realize that my knowledge of the international human rights framework, refugee law, and my managerial skills were not sufficient to effectively respond to the changing nature of humanitarian crises and new patterns of displacement. This realization inspired me to return to school to build upon my skills.
On the GMAP
Out of several international programs aimed at working professionals I chose GMAP due to its multidisciplinary focus and its impressive alumni network. I learned about The Fletcher School while on assignment with UN in Cambodia from 2011 to 2012; I read Sergio Vieira de Mello’s biography, Chasing the Flame, written by the current USAID administrator and former US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power. In this book about the UNHCR Special Envoy to Cambodia, which influenced me greatly, Power mentions Fletcher, explaining that the distance learning program offered by the school was specifically tailored for UN officials.
On the alumni weekend
The alumni weekend organized during the international residency in January 2023 gave me an opportunity to hear directly from former students on how GMAP influenced their professional lives. I was particularly impressed with the experience of one senior UN colleague who told me how he still relies in his daily work on concepts and tools learned in his international negotiation class at GMAP some 15 years ago.
Education before Fletcher:
- Specialist Degree (MA Equivalent) Social Psychology, St. Petersburg State University
Experience before Fletcher:
- Protection Officer, UNHCR, Sana’a, Yemen; Tartous, Syria; Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
- Associate Resettlement Officer, UNHCR, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Assistant Refugee Status Determination Office, UNHCR, Moscow, Russia
- Associate Protection Officer, UNHCR, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Associate Eligibility Officer, UNHCR, Hong Kong
- Social Protection/Durable Solutions Assistant, Refugee Counseling, Centre of Russian Red Cross, St. Petersburg, Russia