Tomas Kvedaras

Tomas Kvedaras is an international development practitioner with over 15 years of experience working across Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Currently based in Bangkok, he supports regional initiatives on the rule of law and inclusive governance with the UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau.

Over the years, Tomas has worked with communities, governments, and civil society to strengthen institutions, improve access to justice, and promote public accountability. His efforts have focused on connecting local needs with broader policy reforms, with the aim of making governance more responsive and inclusive.

In Afghanistan, he collaborated with local and international partners to support vocational training, improve access to services like education and health, and help communities build essential infrastructure.

In the Middle East and North Africa, he helped promote youth engagement through volunteering and skills development, supporting young people to access employment opportunities.

While working across ten governorates in Jordan, Tomas supported local development initiatives, from launching a public administration master’s programme for civil servants, to helping local organisations implement projects focused on women’s empowerment, education, and health. These efforts were guided by consultations with local communities, with a strong emphasis on building trust between people and public institutions.

In Southeast Asia, he has worked closely with judiciaries and NGOs to support integrity, innovation, and gender equality in justice systems. Together, they have delivered training and capacity-building activities for more than 4,000 judges and court officials across the region.

Earlier in his career, Tomas served in diplomatic roles, including at Lithuania’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations during its term on the Security Council.

At the core of Tomas’s work is a belief that governance is most effective when it reflects people’s everyday realities and is built through collective action. When communities are engaged and have a say in shaping decisions, institutions become stronger, more trusted, and better equipped to support human flourishing.