As Head of Partnerships, Irina Sahakyan Vetter leads the work of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in building partnerships and institutional relations with the European Union institutions, European associations of local and regional authorities, multilateral organisations, such as the United Nations, and Council of Europe non-member states.
Prior to joining the Congress, Ms Sahakyan Vetter served as the Country Director for Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Belarus in the United Nations Office for Project Services and as the Deputy Head of Office of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade. Before joining the Council of Europe, Ms Sahakyan Vetter’s career was in the Canadian public service, preceded by work in the World Health Organization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
Ms Sahakyan Vetter has extensive experience in international development and cooperation both at the country and HQ level, with a focus on strategic partnership engagement and management in the field of local democracy, good governance, human rights, infrastructure, education and health. Her portfolio of work includes programmes in the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership countries, Central Asia, South and West Asia, and Africa.
A dual Canadian and Armenian national, Ms Sahakyan Vetter holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa (Canada) and a Master’s degree in Educational Policy, Research and Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (USA). She also holds a postgraduate management certification from Stanford University (USA).