Guest Speaker from UNICEF Participates in NGO Management Class

On November 22, Christine Knudsen of UNICEF was at the American Graduate School in Paris to participate in the NGO Management class where she discussed the subject of the cluster approach, the transformative agenda, and their impact on UN/NGO relations. As the Chief of the Inter-Agency and Humanitarian Partnerships at the Office for Emergency Programmes at UNICEF in Geneva, Ms. Knudsen was able to bring to the AGS in Paris students first-hand expertise on these questions in the field of humanitarian aid.

Ms. Knudsen emphasized the effects of urbanization on the frequency and consequences of disasters as well as on the organization and rendering of aid in those heavily populated area. She explained that this changing situation and the need to better respond to the needs of internally displaced persons have led to the development of the cluster approach, where groups of humanitarian organizations work together to address emergencies with a need-based, rather than capacity-driven, humanitarian response. This approach brings together international organizations, national and local authorities, and civil society. Christine Knudsen remarked: "Keep in mind that the cluster coordination is not the goal. It is a proxy for a better response and better results."

After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in French Literature at La Sorbonne University in Paris and a Master's in International Relations and Affairs from Johns Hopkins University's SAIS, Christine Knudsen worked for the NGO Save the Children before joining the United Nations as a Senior Protection Officer. Since 2009, she has been working as Humanitarian Partnership Manager in the Office of Emergency Programmes at UNICEF in Geneva. In this capacity, she negotiates and builds common policies and positions on key humanitarian issues, with the UN, the Red Cross, and the NGO community, and strengthens bilateral operations with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP). She manages stand-by emergency deployments with over twenty private sector, governmental and civil society organizations.

Mathew Wood, Master's candidate in the International Relations and Diplomacy program at AGS in Paris, says: "Christine Knudsen's lecture was fascinating! Being able to dialogue with practitioners who are currently working in the field really makes a difference. Ms. Knudsen was able to offer insights into the current events that had never before considered. After hearing her speak, I have changed the way I think about NGOs and humanitarian aid today."

This guest lecture was an initiative of Solène Edouard, one of three professors on the team teaching the Certificate program in NGO Management at AGS in Paris along with Jean-Marie Fardeau, France Director of Human Rights Watch, and Ruchi Anand, Professor at AGS in Paris. More information on this program here.