Ufuoma Choice Okoro
Abuja,FCT
Overview
35
35
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Head, Strategic Communications Unit
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA
Islamabad
02.2021 - 04.2023
- Served as main policy advisor to the UN RC/HC, the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the humanitarian country team on safeguarding the humanitarian principles, and initiatives to facilitate effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection;
- Developed and maintained contacts with the international community in order to raise awareness and advocate for issues of humanitarian concerns;
- Acted to strengthen cooperation across humanitarian organisations on policy issues of inter- agency concerns and served as a key interlocutor with relevant Government partners;
- Advised, promoted and provided guidance to the UN RC/HC, the UNCT and the humanitarian country team on humanitarian affairs including sector coordination, humanitarian financing, duty of care
- Provided strategic support to the UN RC/HC in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of a coherent and comprehensive humanitarian needs overview and work plan for the broader humanitarian response (usually expressed though an HNO/HRP), soliciting and negotiating inputs with relevant authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, etc.;
- Consulted on a regular basis with the HC, Heads of UN Agencies and Programmes, NGOs heads of mission, the government and the donor community on all appropriate aspects of the implementation and delivery of humanitarian activities, to ensure that coordination structures at local, provincial and national levels operate in a coherent and cost-effective manner, including supporting coordination reviews as appropriate;
- Promoted appropriate and best practices in humanitarian planning, response and evaluation;
- Managed and established relevant information management systems to effectively map areas of humanitarian needs and response activities in support of coordination and response efforts, including support for cross coordination analysis to inform effective decision-making;
- Fostered and reinforced linkages between field monitoring, information management, coordination efforts;
- Supported inter-agency efforts to build in-country UN, government and civil society capacity to manage natural disasters;
- Provided substantive support and leadership to government institutions and local humanitarian entities to build national capacity for emergency and/or disaster management;
- Develop joint initiatives on disaster management with other UN and (if applicable) regional actor
- Served in roles and capacities as the OCHA Head of Office in Pakistan, providing oversight of all programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the efficient functioning of the OCHA office:
- Led the HAT in Pakistan to strengthen gender balance.
- Represented the Office at international, regional or national meetings, and led and supervised the organization of meetings, . on substantive issues. Managed the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings.
- Ensured regular and effective supervision of OCHA staff, particularly by leading, managing, developing, and training staff; fostered teamwork and communication among staff; and strengthened linkages between the staff in field, regional and headquarters offices;
- Promoted OCHA's mandate, objectives and tools in the designated area through contacts with the government, diplomatic missions, UN entities, non-governmental organizations and the media;
- Ensured the Office produces timely, high-quality outputs including comprehensive work plans, concise and factual situation reports, analytical papers, comprehensive and fact-based information products; ensures that all outputs produced by the Sections under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates;
- Coordinate the work carried out by different work units under the Office and by other agencies and bodies of the United Nations system and the humanitarian community, NGOs, the government and the donor community on all appropriate aspects of the implementation and delivery of humanitarian activities, to ensure that that coordination structures at local, provincial and national levels operate in a coherent and cost-effective manner;
- Undertook and oversaw the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Office.
- Starting Salary: 140,000USD
Head, Humanitarian Advisory Team
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA
Addis Ababa
11.2015 - 02.2021
- Responsible for leading and managing the Strategic Communications Unit for the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Humanitarian Country Team in Ethiopia;
- Developing and implementing a Public Information, Communications and Advocacy strategy for the Humanitarian Country Team to raise the profile and funds for Ethiopia humanitarian issues;
- Managing relationship with Senior Government officials and with donors to ensure Government buy-in on Public information for the response and build confidence of donors. Role included identifying opportunities for collaboration, facilitating consensus building amongst the Humanitarian Country team and ensuring quality briefing and communication materials
- Facilitating senior UN official mission to Ethiopia, including to drought affected communities, leading media outreach and facilitating press briefings;
- Providing strategic and timely advice to the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and other Heads and Directors of UN agencies and NGOs through the Humanitarian Country team on high-profile or sensitive internal or external communications issues. Managing all aspects of risk associated with the Humanitarian response and Country Office external reputation;
- Creating and maintaining networks of global and regional media contacts on the visibility of humanitarian interactions with the media;
- Developing and/or overseeing the development of an array of communications products, including (but not limited to) speeches and talking points for senior management; events or launches; news releases; stories; documentary films, op-eds; multimedia products;
- Coordinating the day to day work of Strategic Communications Unit/Team, providing task management support, guidance and mentoring to team members;
- Working closely with other Communications and Public Information staff of UN agencies and NGOs at the national, regional and global offices, staff of Government Ministry of Communications, and Donor members to align, coordinate and support communications around humanitarian issues, initiatives, projects or programs, including Chairing the Ethiopia Humanitarian Country Team Emergency Communications Group; and
- Ensuring OCHA regional and HQ offices in Geneva and New York are kept abreast of Public information activities.
- Starting Salary: 140,000USD
- Final Salary: 140,000USD
- Type of Business: Humanitarian Advocacy and Coordination
- Name of Supervisor: Paul Handley
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 3 Professional and National
- Reason for Leaving: Still employed
Head of Communications and Advocacy
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Abuja
10.2012 - 11.2015
- Served as a senior policy advisor to the UN RC/HC, the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the humanitarian country team on humanitarian principles and initiatives;
- Developed and maintained contacts with the international community to raise awareness and advocate for issues of humanitarian concerns;
- Led public information and outreach with the media to raise awareness on the escalating humanitarian situation in the country, especially the northeast insurgency; including drafting and/or supervising the drafting of situation reports, speeches, talking points for senior UN officials;
- Starting Salary: 134,000USD
- Final Salary: 140,000USD
- Type of Business: Humanitarian affairs coordination and p
- Name of Supervisor: Allegra Baiocchi
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 16
- Reason for Leaving: Lateral Transfer
Outreach Officer
UN OCHA - Kenya
Gigiri Nairobi
07.2009 - 10.2012
- Developed and managed a high-level, highly visible and very successful advocacy campaign in 2011 for enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction as part of drought response in the Horn of Africa in the 2011 drought emergency in the region. I conceptualized, drafted and implemented the advocacy strategy termed `Ending Drought Emergencies’ which led to IGAD, donors and five heads of state in the region expanding drought response to include enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities to drought. My role also involved acting as spokesperson, and facilitating partnership with diverse stakeholders. This initiative led to approximately 300 million USD being committed to
- Starting Salary: 96,000USD
- Final Salary: 98,000USD
- Type of Business: Humanitarian Coordination
- Name of Supervisor: Gabriella Waaiman
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 3, P3 and National Staff
- Reason for Leaving: Restructuring
Program Officer, Human Rights and Peace
UNOCHA
10.1999 - 10.2007
- Working under the direct supervision of OCHA ROCEA Head of Office, and acting as Officer-in-charge (OIC), I managed the communications and outreach of the office and
- Developed and drafted the overall annual communication work plan of the regional office’s unit on natural disasters and preparedness focusing on Pastoralists and vulnerability, including providing support and guidance to staff;
- Provided authoritative technical, communication and policy advice to OCHA senior management as well as other UN
- Starting Salary: 58,000 CAD
- Final Salary: 75,000 CAD
- Reason for Leaving: Lateral Transfer
Writer – Field Researcher
The General Council LLC
Toronto
08.1992 - 11.1995
- Directed policy development, public awareness and global partnership consultations on Civil rights issues, peace-building, conflict prevention (Disarmament) and Human Rights together with Canadian and international civil society organizations, partners in Africa and Asia. Specific responsibilities;
- Managed a sub-team, to direct strategic communication planning, policy development, public awareness and global partnership on Human Rights, Peace building and Conflict Prevention;
- Starting Salary: 12,000 Pounds
- Final Salary: 12,000 Pounds
- Type of Business: International and Civil Society organization
- Name of Supervisor: Richard Chambers
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 2
- Reason for Leaving: Restructuring
International Peace Project Coordinator, The Creators of Peace Project - Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria
For A Change Magazine
London, UK
09.1990 - 08.1992
- Key responsibilities and accomplishments;
- Expanded the magazine’s mandate from covering development challenges to identifying resources, structural and human, for addressing some of these challenges and increased readership;
- Wrote articles on development and humanitarian relief/support issues in Africa that led to new partnerships between British based NGOs and development groups in Africa;
- Researched and reported on the contexts in which partnerships between African based NGOs and Western funding agencies/NGOs operate;
- Covered major humanitarian crisis in sub-Sahara Africa and provided policy advice to donors for appropriate humanitarian relief
- Starting Salary: 9,000 Naira
- Final Salary: 10,000 Naira
- Type of Business: International humanitarian and development affairs/publishing
- Name of Supervisor: Mary Lean
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 0
- Reason for Leaving: To start my Masters
International Peace Project Coordinator, The Creators of Peace Project - Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria
Initiative for Change
Lagos
04.1988 - 09.1990
- The Creators’ of Peace (CoP) is an international women’s initiative promoting the inclusion of women in Africa in peace building and conflict prevention. Key accomplishments;
- Coordinated peace programs and organized major events and seminars in six African countries, (Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Canada and Switzerland);
- Facilitated national conferences for mainstreaming women’s role in peace-building and development. Designed and conducted community-based workshop in collaboration with women’s groups in Uganda, Nigeria, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa that led to establishing a high-level panel committee from Africa including the First Ladies of two African countries. Both dignitaries were part of the African Women’s delegate who met at the Caux
- Starting Salary: 9,000 Naira
- Final Salary: 10,000 Naira
- Type of Business: International Humanitarian affairs and Peace-building
- Name of Supervisor: Ahunna Eziakonwa
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 0
- Reason for Leaving: Lateral Transfer
Reporter-Writer
Nigerian News
Lagos
- Type of Business: Name not available
- Name of Supervisor: Chief Chris Okolie (Deceased)
- No. and Kind of Employees Supervised by You: 0
- Reason for Leaving:
Education
Concordia University
Montreal, Canada 11.1995 - 05.1998
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University of Benin
Nigeria 09.1983 - 12.1987
Executive Certificate Programme - undefined
University of Toronto
Toronto, CanadaProfessional Development - undefined
Centre for Excellence in Communications (CEC)
Ottawa, CanadaProfessional Development - undefined
Ryerson University
Toronto, CanadaSkills
- Persuasive Verbal Communication
- Outreach and Partnership
- Stakeholders Facilitation
- Renewed Team Manager
- Result Orientated
- Top Expertise in Diversity Programming
REFERENCES
- Perry, Bellegarde, Head of the Assembly of First Nations, Assembly of First Nations, Indigenous right organization, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Sani, Sidi, Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, Abuja, Lagos, Nigeria
Affiliations
2023 – Present – Founder Of Gender Electoral Representation In Nigeria – Abuja Nigeria
LIST ANY SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS YOU HAVE WRITTEN
Over 30 publications in major international peace and development magazine in my career as a journalist and communications coordinator for humanitarian relief, human
Timeline
Head, Strategic Communications Unit
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA
02.2021 - 04.2023
Head, Humanitarian Advisory Team
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA
11.2015 - 02.2021
Head of Communications and Advocacy
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
10.2012 - 11.2015
Outreach Officer
UN OCHA - Kenya
07.2009 - 10.2012
Program Officer, Human Rights and Peace
UNOCHA
10.1999 - 10.2007
Concordia University
11.1995 - 05.1998
Writer – Field Researcher
The General Council LLC
08.1992 - 11.1995
International Peace Project Coordinator, The Creators of Peace Project - Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria
For A Change Magazine
09.1990 - 08.1992
International Peace Project Coordinator, The Creators of Peace Project - Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria
Initiative for Change
04.1988 - 09.1990
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University of Benin
09.1983 - 12.1987
Reporter-Writer
Nigerian News
Executive Certificate Programme - undefined
University of Toronto
Professional Development - undefined
Centre for Excellence in Communications (CEC)
Professional Development - undefined
Ryerson University