Mark Choonoo has been involved in humanitarian action for the last 22 years during which he has worked on children’s rights extensively. As a young South African, he developed the interest to expand his academic interest in child care and to focus on emergency response. His first international humanitarian experience was in response to the conflict in former Yugoslavia where we worked as a volunteer for a local NGO to provide programmes to children affected by the conflict. He is an alumni from the Centre for Development and Emergency Practices at the University of Oxford Brookes, United Kingdom, where he developed thinking on IDP policy in Kosovo and the impact of UN Convention Article VI actions.

Mark has worked with UNICEF for the past 5 years and is currently an Emergency Specialist in the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Office. This UN experience complements over 15 years of work with international NGOs in countries that include all former republics of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and now supporting the 17 countries of the MENA region. His is an experienced training facilitator in the MENA office and his humanitarian interest focuses on Disaster Risk Reduction, all components of emergency preparedness and response, simulation practices and practical aspects of global humanitarian policy.

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