alumni
Saif El Din Abdelrhman - IOB Training
Programme PRSP 2006 - Sudan
Works at?
IGAD Climate Prediction & Applications Centre
(ICPAC) (Kenya)
The Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa
was created in 1996 to supersede the
Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and
Development (IGADD), which was founded
in 1986. The recurring and severe droughts
and other natural disasters between 1974 and
1984 caused widespread famine, ecological
degradation and economic hardship in the
eastern Africa region. The magnitude and extent
of the problem argued strongly for a regional
approach to supplement national efforts.
Works on?
Resilience analysis. As Coordinator for the
project undertaking a joint regional resilience
analysis (JRA), I’m performing both oversight
of the project and pioneering the intellectual
capacity to develop new tools that could help in
understanding better what is resilience analysis
constitute.
IOB influence on your work?
My education at IOB through the international
training program has changed my life. The
course has helped me to specialize in Fragile
States (worked on this topics at WB, AdB,
Technical group led to implementation of the
historic Sudan’s Household Budget Survey…)
and then later to join IGAD with this high level
position, first as Capacity Development and
recently Resilience Analysis Coordinator where
five UN agencies staff seconded to work under
my Unit.
Tatevik Davtyan - GOV 2006-2007 - Armenia
Works at?
Council of Europe
Passionately involved in?
Tatevik was (outside of her work) spokesperson
for two (2011 & 2014) “Stop Changes in Maternity
Leave Law” campaigns, a civic initiative formed
in 2010 against the changes in the law on
maternity leave benefits. This initiative was
formed through a Facebook group, with over
2,300 members involved as of present. The
initiative “Stop Changes in Maternity Leave
Law” launched (twice) a succesful advocacy
campaign to prevent the proposed legal
amendment, using letters, petition, street
actions, and participating in public hearings
and press conferences. As a result, large public
attention was drawn to the issue, and many
government members and parliamentarians
supported the initiative. The draft of the law
amendment was revised to include most of the
suggestions of the initiative, and in December
2014, the new amendment was approved by
the parliament - most importantly all women
earning less than fifteen fold of RA minimal
salary (99% of all women in Armenia) will
continue to receive 100% compensation
during maternity leave. The success of the
civic campaign also had a significant effect
on stimulating civic participation culture and
pushing accountable decision-making by state
officials.
IOB influence on your work?
My education at IOB gave me knowledge and
skills on development policy, developed my
skills of formulating policy positions enabling
me to contribute to the campaign as a skilled
professional.
8 Exchange to change June 2016