Biography

Dr. Chikvaidze's distinguished career spans nearly four decades, with a wealth of experience in diplomacy, international relations, and governance. He provided political counsel, ‘backchannel diplomacy’ and substantive support to five Directors-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) as their Senior Political Advisor and then Chef de Cabinet. As Director of the UN Library and Head of the UNOG Cultural Diplomacy program, Chikvaidze implemented a new strategic direction, raised the Library’s profile and developed new forms of cultural, intellectual, and academic outreach. He was Senior Adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in charge of Communications and NGO relations and spokesman for the Commission on Human Rights and other Human Rights Bodies. 

Chikvaidze’s career frequently involved him in important issues of the day: humanitarian aid to North Korea, Western Sahara talks, Yugoslavia humanitarian aid needs, Afghanistan earthquake relief, Tajikistan post-conflict needs assessment, 2013 Geneva rounds of the EU-led P5+1 Talks on the Nuclear Program of Iran, etc. 
 
A seasoned observer of geopolitical dynamics, Dr. Chikvaidze possesses a keen understanding of great power relationships, Eurasian geopolitics, and global security challenges, and their impact on energy security, connectivity, strategic stability and risk.

Prior to joining the UN, Chikvaidze negotiated the programs of state visits by Presidents Gorbachev and Yeltsin to the UN, US, Japan, Spain, France, the UK, and South Korea. He served as Deputy Chief of the Front Office for President Gorbachev and as a presidential advance officer for President Yeltsin. He spent five years in Washington, D.C. (1985-1990) as special assistant to the Soviet Ambassador and chief of protocol of the embassy, where he worked with the White House, the Department of State, and other Executive Departments, preparing and managing US-Soviet Summits and ministerial meetings. 

Diplomat by training, Dr. Chikvaidze holds a Ph.D. in political science and has authored several articles on international relations. He has taught courses on geopolitics and served as a thesis advisor. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Master’s Program of Advanced Studies in European and International Governance (MEIG) of the University of Geneva and the Scientific Committee of the European Association of International Studies (AESI).
    
David Chikvaidze is vice president of the Swiss Forum for International Affairs (FSPI); Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), vice president of the Geneva Diplomatic Club, Associate Fellow of the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP), together with Levan Mikeladze, founding member of the Georgian Association of Switzerland. He is a member of the Consultative Council of the Committee on Culture of the Parliament of Georgia. 

He is fluent in his native Georgian, English, French, and Russian.