Petra Heusser
Executive Director
Secrétariat
L’Association pour le Secrétariat du Hub mondial de Genève pour l’éducation dans les situations d’urgence a été créée en septembre 2022 par décision du comité directeur du Hub ESU.
En tant qu’association de droit suisse, basée à Genève, le Secrétariat soutient le Hub ESU dans l’exécution de son mandat. Il œuvre à la réalisation du droit à l’éducation pour les enfants et les jeunes touché·e·s par les crises et déplacé·e·s, et soutient le Hub ESU par le biais d’un soutien technique et de conseils stratégiques. Il contribue ainsi à la mise en oeuvre des objectifs stratégiques et des activités énoncés dans la stratégie 2022-2025 du Hub ESU.
Petra Heusser
Executive Director
Petra Heusser has worked for the past 17 years in the international humanitarian field for the protection and education of children, refugees and migrants. Since its establishment in late 2020, Petra heads the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies Secretariat and strategically steers collective objectives. Petra worked previously for the UNICEF-led Global Child Protection Area of Responsibility and has extensive field experience spanning Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, collaborating with Governments, UN agencies and civil society organisations.
Nicole Riedle
Senior Policy and Partnerships Advisor
Nicole Riedle
Senior Policy and Partnerships Advisor
Nicole Riedle joined the EiE Hub with 15 years’ experience in the legal and international humanitarian sectors. A trained lawyer, Nicole worked several years with the ICRC in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, DRC and Colombia where she assumed various roles in the protection and assistance of victims of conflict, including coordination positions. Earlier in her career, she also worked for an NGO dedicated to the defense and rehabilitation of children living on the street in Latin America, contributing to the implementation of its educational activities.
Anne-Laure Jollivet
Finance and Administration Manager (40%)
Anne-Laure Jollivet
Finance and Administration Manager (40%)
Anne-Laure Jollivet is a finance and administration manager with over 20 years’ experience. Anne-Laure’s ample and relevant expertise has been gained through roles including her work at the GAAMAC Support Office (Global Action Against Mass atrocity Crimes), an association based in Geneva that she has supported for the last five years. Prior to this, Anne-Laure also worked for the American Red Cross, on Haiti and Tsunami programmes, and for health assistance companies in Europe and in the United States.
Martin Szoke
Programme and Policy Officer
Martin Szoke
Programme and Policy Officer
Martin has more than five years of experience working for NGOs and UN agencies. He previously also worked as teaching instructor at the University of Cambridge, where he also did his PhD as a Benefactors’ Scholar at St John’s College. Martin has a particular interest in the impact of climate change on education in emergencies, and the intersection between the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and the environment more generally.
Olof Blomqvist
Senior Advocacy Advisor
Olof Blomqvist
Senior Advocacy Advisor
Olof Blomqvist has more than a decade of experience in the human rights and humanitarian fields. He has previously worked as a human rights investigator and team leader with OHCHR and as a researcher on South Asia with Amnesty International. He previously led Save the Children’s humanitarian advocacy work in Asia Pacific, and has worked as an advocacy consultant for UNICEF and several regional and international NGOs. He is fluent in English and Spanish as well as his native Swedish, and speaks basic Hindi.
Suren Hettiarachchi
Project Officer
Suren Hettiarachchi
Project Officer
Suren Hettiarachchi is an accomplished Project and Event Manager with over 15 years of international experience in hospitality, MICE, and event project management. With a proven track record across Europe and Asia, Suren has successfully led complex events, developed strategic partnerships. He brings strong expertise in relationship building, contract negotiation, humanitarian and fundraising. Earlier in his career, Suren also worked as Volunteer Coordinator – Tsunami Programme in Sri Lanka for an NGO based in London, United Kingdom and as a Project Coordinator for NGO in Geneva.
Le Comité de l’Association pour le Secrétariat du Hub mondial de Genève pour l’éducation dans les situations d’urgence
Martin Dahinden
President
Martin Dahinden
President
Martin Dahinden is a Swiss diplomat. He was Ambassador to the United States from 2014-2019 and Head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC. From 2000-2004, he built up the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining. As adiplomat, he has served also in Paris, Lagos (Nigeria), New York (Mission to the UN), Brussels, Geneva, and Bern.
Mr. Dahinden is a member of the Advisory Group of UNICEF (New York), a lecturer at the University of Zurich, Vice-Chairman of the think tank ICT4Peace and a board member of the World Demographic and Aging Forum. He holds a doctorate in business administration and was a researcher of economic and social history at the University of Zurich.
Beatrijs Vanhove
Vice-President
Beatrijs Vanhove
Vice-President
Beatrijs Vanhove brings 34 years of humanitarian experience from within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. She worked for the Belgian Red Cross and for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the fields of education, communication and events management. From 2021 to 2023 and prior to her retirement, she was ICRC’s Access to Education Advisor and the ICRC focal point for all work of the EiE Hub’s Technical Working Group. Ms. Vanhove lives in Geneva. She actively engages in the practice of philosophy for children with the association proPhilo, to reflect with children and young people to think for and by themselves, all the while learning to think together, and developing critical, creative, collaborative and caring thinking.
Martine Kaufmann
Treasurer
Martine Kaufmann
Treasurer
Martine Kaufmann is an experienced finance specialist in the areas of development cooperation and humanitarian aid. She worked for more than 20 years for the Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA in Bern, in the finance department and in the representations of the FDFA as head of finance, human resources, and administration.
Miren Bengoa
Member
Miren Bengoa
Member
Originally from Geneva, Miren Bengoa has a degree in international relations from Sciences Po in Paris, a certificate in economic development from EPFL and a Master’s degree in public health from the University of London. She has worked with MSF-CH and Terre Des Hommes, and spent eight years as Programme Manager for maternal health at UNFPA and Programme Specialist for monitoring and evaluation at UNICEF’s Child Survival Unit. She has undertaken numerous assignments in Africa and Latin America on community health, child protection and HIV prevention projects for young people. Miren led the Fondation CHANEL for nearly ten years in the fight against gender inequality. In 2013 she founded and chaired the UN association ONU Femmes France of which she is now Honorary Chair. In 2021 she joined Groupe SOS, the European leader in social economy, as Managing Director for International Action. Miren is currently Director of Swiss Solidarity, the independent Swiss foundation for humanitarian aid donations established by a Swiss public radio station in 1946.