ESTDEV director Klen Jäärats to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work on European Union issues
Klen Jäärats, the executive director of the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), will step down to begin working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 2026, where he will focus on general European Union issues.
During Jäärats’ two-year tenure as ESTDEV’s executive director, the organisation has increased its size and visibility and completed accreditation by the European Commission. Accreditation has opened new funding avenues, giving Estonia the opportunity to achieve its ambitious international cooperation goals.
According to Jonatan Vseviov, the secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chairman of ESTDEV’s board, accreditation by the European Commission is a significant step forward and will propel ESTDEV into its next phase of development.
“This is a great achievement, and it is an appropriate moment to move on and set new goals. Klen has significant knowledge of and experience with European Union issues and will return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he will deal with general EU affairs and the upcoming EU long-term budget negotiations,” said Vseviov.
Jäärats has previously worked as the director of EU Affairs at the Government Office, successfully led the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU, participated in Estonia's EU and Schengen Area accession negotiations, and was involved in the processes leading to the Lisbon Treaty.
Klen Jäärats said that when he became the head of ESTDEV, his main goal was to create the first Estonian development cooperation implementation plan, secure EU accreditation, increase funding from foreign sources, and develop a Ukraine reconstruction programme.
“These goals have been achieved. Among other things, we have multiplied the volume of development cooperation, the number of partners, and visibility in both Europe and Africa in the past few years,” he said. “The new leader will face the task of creating a suitable implementation plan for the next development stage, while growing the footprint of ESTDEV as an organisation and increasing the impact of Estonia’s development cooperation.”
The ESTDEV board will meet on December 15 to discuss the election of a new leader.