Catherine Mbengue Member

I am an accomplished international child rights and protection professional with over 30 years’ international professional experience in the areas of advocacy, leading technical assistance to governments and organizations for the formulation and implementation of policies, strategic frameworks and programmes, as well as leveraging resources toward the realization of children’s rights. Successfully steered programmes of cooperation with host governments, including in complex emergency and transition environments. I have also assumed high-level advocacy, technical advisory, and coordination responsibilities, leading to enhanced organisational visibility and response against sexual exploitation of children at continental and global levels.

Extensive experience in child rights and protection systems strengthening and capacity building in development, humanitarian, and transition country contexts.

Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills and proven ability to develop, articulate and implement common goals and strategies among a diverse and broad range of stakeholders.

Skilled at leading design, planning and implementation of policies, strategic frameworks and programmes grounded in a human rights-based approach as well as gender-based and inclusive lenses.

Programme and operational expertise in key sectoral and thematic child rights areas: sexual and gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, child labour, justice for children, education, health and nutrition, water, hygiene and environmental sanitation (WASH) as well as HIV/AIDS.

Solid expertise in organising technical support to facilitate State parties and civil society reporting and communications to treaty bodies and other human rights mechanisms and special procedures.