Oleh Nikolenko

Biography:

Born on August 19, 1986, in the city of Kherson, Ukraine.

In 2008, he graduated from the Institute of Philology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a master's degree cum laude in English and Arabic translation. In 2011, he graduated from the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, majoring in international law.

Professional career:

From 2008 to 2013, Oleh Nikolenko worked as a Political Affairs Officer at the Ukrainian Embassy in Libya. During the outbreak of the war in Libya in 2011, he was involved in the evacuation activities of Ukrainian citizens from conflict areas.

After returning from Libya, from 2013 to 2015, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv, focusing on the North Africa and Middle East region. He also served as an assistant to the Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa.

From 2015 to 2020, he served at the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations in New York as a spokesperson. From 2016 to 2017, he was a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the UN Security Council during Ukraine's non-permanent membership, where he addressed issues concerning North and West Africa, the settlement of the Western Sahara, and served as the coordinator of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on Sudan 1591 (2005).

From 2019 to 2020, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the UN Committee on Information. In this role, he contributed to the reform of the UN information policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2020 to 2024, he served as the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv.

On March 11, he assumed his duties as Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto.

He speaks Ukrainian, English and Arabic.