Klen Jäärats to head the Estonian Centre for International Development

According to Klen Jäärats, the Estonian state and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set high expectations for the growth of Estonia’s visibility and influence in global development cooperation by creating ESTDEV.

“I am happy to take over the leadership of ESTDEV as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia — our partner countries and our partners in destiny — are taking decisive steps to cross the threshold of the European Union. I started my journey in the Estonian public sector when Estonia was returning to the European family. I now want to use this successful transition experience and Estonia’s expertise to support the development path chosen by our partner countries and build relationships with international donors and cooperation partners,” Klen Jäärats said.

“Ukraine’s reconstruction and accession to the EU will continue to be a priority for Estonia and ESTDEV for many years to come. We have to be proactive and creative when finding ways to support Ukraine and its people during this challenging time,” he added.

According to Jäärats, it is important to continue building open and democratic digital societies on the African continent as well, which Estonia has been doing successfully for years within the framework of Team Europe initiatives.

“I am extremely happy that we have come to the end of the selection process and have reached an agreement with Klen Jäärats. His long-term work experience with European Union issues will help him successfully bring ESTDEV’s development cooperation to a new level,” said Jonatan Vseviov, ESTDEV board chairman and Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The focus of ESTDEV’s work is now and will continue to be the reconstruction of Ukraine. This must be carried out hand-in-hand with the requirements of the European Union to prepare Ukraine to join the EU. I am convinced that Klen Jäärats is the best person to take on this responsibility,” he said.

Klen Jäärats has worked in the Government Office since 2010, initially as deputy director of EU Affairs and later as director. Previously, Jäärats worked in the Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU in Brussels. Mr Jäärats has also worked in the Ministry of the Interior during the negotiations for Estonia’s accession to the EU and as the head of the refugee department for the Citizenship and Migration Board.

Operating under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ESTDEV organises and coordinates the implementation of Estonian development cooperation initiatives and the resolution of long-term humanitarian crises in Europe’s eastern neighbourhood and Africa. ESTDEV’s budget for 2023 was 23 million euros, of which the lion’s share — 9.5 million — went to reconstruction projects in Ukraine.