The Handshake With: Kirsten Mildren of UNOCHA

• Date: 14 June 17:00 - 19:00
• Location: The Hague Humanity Hub

Navigating your career in the world of peace & justice can be tough: with so many potential options, causes, and routes into the sector. Sometimes it can even be difficult to think where to begin- do I need to do several internships? Does everyone need to go into 'programme management'? And why does every UN job require a 24-page application form?

That's why The Hague Peace & Justice Talent Hub is launching 'The Handshake': an event series where we invite senior figures from the world of peace & justice to join in conversation and reveal how they've ended up where they are! You'll have the chance to ask questions, get insights, and be inspired. Beginning with Kirsten Mildren, Chief of Public Advocacy and Campaigns at UNOCHA on June 14 (17:00 - 19:00).

About Kirsten

Kirsten Mildren is the Chief of Public Advocacy and Campaigns for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). She leads communication efforts around the world to provide support for the 230 million people who need humanitarian assistance, mostly through global advocacy campaigns.

UN OCHA has a unique mandate to speak out on behalf of the people worst affected by humanitarian situations. It’s the humanitarian arm of the UN responsible for coordinating the international humanitarian response to save more lives.

Grinding conflict, the deadly climate crisis and health epidemics, are causing record levels of hunger and displacement, worsened poverty, and has put equality for women and girls increasingly out of reach. As a result, one out of every 23 people now needs humanitarian assistance.

It’s her job to keep world attention focused on humanitarian issues.

Kirsten is passionate about storytelling and innovative digital content. Many of her campaigns for World Humanitarian Day have won awards such as Impossible Choices, The Human Race and Share Humanity - https://about.worldhumanitarianday.org/past-campaigns/

Kirsten has just celebrated 20 years with OCHA where she has worked in Addis Ababa, Geneva, Bangkok and New York and has deployed to dozens of emergencies all over the world including most recently for the Syria and Turkey earthquake.

Before joining the UN, she worked as a television journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which she joined as a cadet after graduating from law and journalism in Australia.

Kirsten and her three sons are based out of The Hague with their chocolate Labrador Toffee who is a pandemic puppy.

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