Shabari Nair Profile

Mr. Shabari Nair recently took up the position of Labour Migration Specialist for South Asia, based in the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team (DWT) in New Delhi. He provides technical advisory services to seven countries in the sub-region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Before joining the DWT, he was leading ILO’s work on global migration policy including for the inter-governmental negotiations and adoption of the Global Compact for Migration and for the newly established UN Network on Migration with postings in both the ILO Headquarters in Geneva and at the ILO’s Office for the United Nations in New York. He was also focal point for Asia and the Middle East in the Labour Migration Branch.

Prior to joining the ILO, Shabari worked with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Switzerland. His last posting with SDC was as Regional Advisor on Migration and Development for South and South-East Asia and was based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He managed programmes and projects in thirteen countries across Asia and represented Switzerland in regional inter-governmental dialogues on migration including the Colombo Process, Abu Dhabi Dialogue, Bali Process, ASEAN, and SAARC.

While at SDC HQs in Bern, Shabari was also responsible for the portfolio tasked with coordinating Switzerland’s position for the integration of migration in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals and was a member of the Swiss delegation to the Global Forum on Migration and Development from 2011-2016. He has previously worked with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organisation for Migration, and international NGOs.

Shabari has a double degree in Communication / Asian and International Studies from Griffith University in Australia and an MA in International Relations from the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations in Switzerland.