George Gigauri
George Gigauri | |
|---|---|
 George Gigauri being inaugurated as honorary tribal chief in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea (2014) | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge St Antony's College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Humanitarian Coordinator |
| Organization | United Nations |
George Gigauri or Giorgi Gigauri (Georgian: გიორგი გიგაური) is a Special Advisor and former United Nations official with over 20 years of experience in humanitarian and development work.
Early Life and Education
George Gigauri was born in the Soviet Union. He is the son of Georgian scientist Vladimir Gigauri. Through his maternal family, he is a descendant of Georgian general and nobleman Count (tavadi, თავადი) Nestor Gardapkhadze (1867–1924), who led the 1921 anti-Soviet uprising in Svaneti and later participated in the August Uprising of 1924. Gigauri was educated at Battle Abbey School, an independent boarding school in East Sussex, England. He obtained postgraduate degrees from Christ's College, Cambridge[1] and St Antony's College, Oxford[2][3]. While studying at Oxford, he founded the Oxford University Georgian Society in 2003.[4][5]
Pembroke College, University of Oxford
In 2025, Gigauri joined Pembroke College, Oxford,[6] as a Visiting Fellow with the Global Security Programme. His research focuses on the humanitarian–development–peace nexus in post-conflict settings.[7]
United Nations
Iraq
From 2021 to 2025, Gigauri served as Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq, leading one of the IOM's largest country operations. He oversaw a workforce of more than 1,000 staff and managed an annual programme portfolio exceeding US$150 million. Under his leadership, IOM Iraq expanded its stabilization, peacebuilding, and migration-governance activities across all governorates, supporting the recovery and reintegration of conflict-affected communities. He secured significant international funding for post-conflict reconstruction, spearheaded private-sector partnerships and job creation (over 15,000 jobs), as well as chairing the UN Durable Solutions Taskforce to develop long-term policy frameworks for internally displaced persons and returnees. His tenure marked the transition from humanitarian response toward sustainable development, emphasizing local ownership, economic resilience, and institutional reform.
Bangladesh
At IOM Bangladesh, he was overseeing a programme portfolio, which includes humanitarian emergencies,[8] with primary focus on the Rohingya crisis,[9][10] migrant protection,[11] policy and governance,[12] migration and development,[13] and economic reintegration.[14] He was one of the three Co-Chairs, with UNHCR and the UN Resident Coordinator, of the Strategic Coordination Group (SEG)[15] which oversees and manages the 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis response in Bangladesh,[16] which is the largest refugee camp in the world. He was also the Coordinator of the United Nations Migration Network that brings together key UN agencies and civil society partners working on migration policy and development in the country.[17][18][19] Over 2020–2021, he was the IOM Crisis Management Team Leader for the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency programmes and the UN Inter-Agency Co-Lead for Points of Entry operations in the country.[20]
Papua New Guinea
Gigauri served as the IOM Chief of Mission in Papua New Guinea from 2013 - 2016,[21][22][23] leading programmes in disaster management,[24] community stabilization, and border management.[25] He led IOM crisis response during the drought of 2015–16 in the Highlands,[26][27][28] joint counter human trafficking operation in the Dogleg area of Papua New Guinea[29] (Torres Straights),[30] and various peacebuilding initiatives in local conflict affected areas of the country.[31]
Other Countries
During his tenure as the IOM Deputy Chief of Mission in Indonesia, he spearheaded a humanitarian effort leading to release of thousands of refugees from detention across the country.[32] His prior assignments include Head of Programme Support in Ukraine, Project Development Officer in Moldova,[33] and research support at the Regional Office in Austria. He has led numerous emergency response surge teams in Asia-Pacific, including in Fiji,[34] Tonga,[35] and Vanuatu.[36]
Other
He is a contributor to international publications, including The Daily Star,[37] the Bangkok Post,[38] UN Migration Weblog,[39] and Cambridge Judge Business School.[40] Gigauri was inaugurated as an honorary tribal chief in Oro, Papua New Guinea in 2014.
References
- ↑ Giorgi Gigauri: Tackling complex humanitarian issues, Cambridge Judge Business School
- ↑ Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford
- ↑ St Antony's College Alumni Updates
- ↑ "St Antony's in the 2000s". St Antony's College, University of Oxford. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Oxford Georgian Society". Oxford Georgian Society. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Pembroke College, Oxford". University of Oxford. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ↑ "Giorgi Gigauri". Global Security Programme, Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "5 Questions with Giorgi Gigauri". Archived from the original on 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ↑ Q&A: IOM Bangladesh mission chief on post-monsoon priorities for Rohingya
- ↑ IOM Chief Giorgi Gigauri in Bangladesh calls for Continued Support of Japanese Government and People for Resolution of Rohingya Crisis
- ↑ Promoting safe migration to reduce trafficking: IOM chief
- ↑ ‘After two years, we need to focus on the local community’, Giorgi Gigauri
- ↑ Giorgi Gigauri / Chief of Mission, IOM Bangladesh
- ↑ Chief of Mission of IOM Giorgi Gigauri visits YPSA
- ↑ "Inter-Sector Coordination".
- ↑ 'Illusion of stability' hides truth about Rohingya camp
- ↑ "A joint statement made on behalf of the Bangladesh UN Network on Migration".
- ↑ "The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated agreement on a common approach to international migration".
- ↑ "Implementation of Global Compact for Migration".
- ↑ Giorgi Gigauri. Bangladesh: Preparation for tackling COVID 19. IOM - UN Migration.
YouTube
- ↑ Training and awareness to fight human trafficking in PNG
- ↑ Luncheon with Mr George Gigauri, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- ↑ Reuters: U.N. fears 'the worst' after typhoon batters Vanuatu
- ↑ IOM The UN Migration Agency
- ↑ The Last Children of the Tide, Shorthand Social, 2016
- ↑ IOM Expands Drought Response in Papua New Guinea as El Niño Effects Deepen
- ↑ IOM Aids Agricultural Recovery in Drought-hit Areas of Papua New Guinea
- ↑ European Union and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Provide Water, Sanitation, and Agricultural Support to 65,000 Drought-hit People in Papua New Guinea
- ↑ The Guardian: Hunt on for slave-crewed Thai trawlers whose catches are UK-bound
- ↑ The Courier-Mail: Officials on hunt for ‘slave boats’ in Torres Strait
- ↑ Peacebuilding Programme Aims to “Give Peace a Chance” in Papua New Guinea
- ↑ UN Migration Agency Facilitates Release of Refugees from Indonesian Detention Centres
- ↑ "United Nations Moldova". Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- ↑ Flying the Red-Eye to Fiji By Aaron Watts-Jones
- ↑ "Tonga - Cyclone Gita IOM Emergency Response". Archived from the original on 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ↑ Flash Appeal: Vanuatu – Getting People Home After Devastating
- ↑ "Giorgi Gigauri". The Daily Star. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Rohingya still live under threat of another tragedy". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Grass-roots disaster preparedness in Papua New Guinea". UN Migration Weblog. International Organization for Migration. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "It Takes Three to Tango: The Three-Body Problem in Social Innovation" (PDF). Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, Cambridge Judge Business School. 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.