National of Belarus, Ms Maryna Yazianok joined the Geneva Centre in November 2019. As a Project and Information Officer, she assists with the organization, coordination and implementation of the activities of the Centre. She also focuses on conducting program-related research and preparation of publications. Her thematic focus areas are gender equality and women’s rights, rights of the child and the impact of climate change and environmental destruction on human rights. She is also a focal point for the UN Human Rights Council reporting, where she closely follows and reports on general debates and adoption of resolutions.
Previously, Maryna was involved with several human rights NGOs in Geneva. At Geneva for Human Rights, she coordinated the Department of Human Rights Policy Studies assisting with organization and conducting of training activities for human rights defenders and other stakeholders. Maryna also interned with the Indigenous Peoples’ Centre for Documentation, Research and Information (DOCIP) where she contributed to preparing, setting-up and operating the Technical Secretariat for indigenous delegates during the United Nations conferences in Geneva and New York.
For more than 10 years, Maryna has been actively involved in civil service and volunteer work, collaborating, among others, with Creu Roja Barcelona and Croix-Rouge genevoise.
She holds a Master of Arts degree in International Studies on Media, Power and Difference from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.
Apart from her native Russian and Belarusian, Maryna is fluent in English, Spanish and French.