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Senior international development professional with over 20 years of advanced technical expertise in Child Protection, Child Rights advocacy and Children’s Participation. Dedicated to building efficient teams and facilitating strategic processes at all levels. Managing and implementing complex programs and designing practical tools and methodologies. Progressively promoting equality and innovation. |
 Contact Rasa Sekulovic
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Area of Expertise: |
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Social, Education, Gender, Youth, Child
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Professional Experience: |
1. Plan International Asia-Pacific Regional Hub (March 2008 – July 2022):
JULY 2016 – JULY 2022: Regional Head of Child Protection and Partnerships and Interim Global Child Protection Lead (2016-2018);
MARCH 2008 – JUNE 2016: Regional Adviser, Child Rights and Protection;
Key Roles and Responsibilities (combined):
- Advanced combined senior advisory, management and technical expertise in the areas of Child Protection (including Safeguarding), Child and Youth Participation and empowerment, and Child Rights based advocacy and campaigning;
- Providing substantive strategic guidance to programme and advocacy efforts aiming to prevent and eliminate Child, Early and Forced Marriage;
- Conceptualizing and managing complex multi-year and multi-million USD Child Protection programmes and projects, including designing and supporting implementation of Child Rights and Child Protection focused advocacy and campaigning;
- Supporting creation of strategies and strategic frameworks guiding organizational work at national, regional and global levels, and contributing to their effective roll-out;
- Creating innovative methodologies and practical technical tools and resources for field application and delivering related training events;
- Building and managing high profile internal and external inter-agency teams, networks and coalitions through inclusive involvement and supportive supervision;
- Successful fund-raising track record in support of integral Child Protection and Child Rights focused projects and programmes;
- Designing and supervising complex research processes and knowledge management frameworks, and their extensive promotion at different levels.
2. Save the Children UK, Serbia Programme (October 1999 – March 2008):
OCTOBER 2003 – MAY 2005; APRIL 2006 – March 2008: Child Protection Programme Manager (formerly Child Rights, Protection and Participation Programme Manager)
MAY 2005 – APRIL 2006: Country Director
MAY 2000 – OCTOBER 2003: Child Rights and NGO Development Programme Officer
- Key Roles and Responsibilities (combined):
• Overall management of the country programme/office, including team leadership, supervision of quality programme implementation, finance, human and material resources coordination;
• Management of integral Child Protection Programme, with Child Rights and Participation as underlying foundational components;
• Management of Child Trafficking Response Programme for Serbia (within the South East Europe regional initiative);
• Development, coordination and monitoring of fifty-five child-focused projects by local NGOs in the aftermath of 1999 Emergency Crisis, targeting all groups of vulnerable children affected by the armed inter-ethnic conflict, internal displacement, impoverished economy and other negative social trends (including Children’s Community Centres with toy libraries);
• Member of the Serbia Programme Senior Management Team and South East Europe regional Senior Management Team: active involvement in decision-making processes and supporting quality programmes.
3. Freelance consultancies (1995-1999): engagement with different UN agencies and international development and humanitarian non-governmental organisations in various assessment missions and training courses for local partners. Extensive involvement in different UN International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) investigations and field missions as consultant working with war crime witnesses and national authorities.
4. World Health Organisation, Belgrade Office (1992-1995)
Interpreter/translator and personal assistant to the Special Representative at the Serbia Country Office
- Responsibilities: oral and written interpretation and translation of incoming and outgoing mails, relevant documents, meetings at all levels; monitoring of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations;, advisory role in various needs assessments.
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Education: |
B.A. degree in Oriental Studies from the University of Belgrade (1983 - 1988)
Selected Trainings:
- Training of Trainers in Organizing and Facilitating Trainings and Strategic Workshops, HUMENTUM, 2020;
- PMD Pro certified Course: Project Management for Development Professionals (LEVEL 1) (2017);
- Plan Certificate in Management – a Harvard curriculum based advanced modular course on different aspects of managing teams and programmatic interventions (2012-2013);
- Training in Child Protection Systems: key components, functions and actors, 2019;
- Training in Conceptualizing, Planning and Delivering a National Campaign to End Violence against Children in Timor-Leste, 2019;
- Training in Strengthening CSO Fundraising Capacity for Sustainable Impact - for Civil Society Partners, 2018;
- Training in Advancing Gender Equality for Civil Society Partners, 2017;
- Training in Advancing Disability Inclusion in Child Protection for Civil Society Organisations and Coalitions, 2016;
- Training in Mentoring Young People and Meaningful Youth Participation, Bhutan, 2016;
- Training in involving children in their own protection, 2012;
- Training of Trainers in Plan’s Safeguarding Child Protection Policy compliance, 2011;
- Training for Investigators into Alleged Cases of Child Abuse, organized by Plan International ARO, 2008;
- Training in Child Rights advocacy, organized by Save the Children;
- Training in Effective Programming, organized by Save the Children, 2000;
- Training in Child Centered and Community based Advocacy, organized by Save the Children, 2000;
- Training in Child Rights advocacy; Training on Effective Programming; Training on Child Centered and Community based Advocacy, 2000;
- Specialized course in UNCRC and Children's Rights; Human Rights - a Tool for Stability, organized by Council of Europe, 2000;
- Specialized course in Public Health as the World Health Organization staff member, 1994
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Affiliations and Achievements: |
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. "Bamboo Shoots". A Training Manual on Child-Centered Community Development /Child-led community actions for facilitators working with Children and Youth Groups | Save the Children’s Resource Centre, Bangkok 2009 (Project Manager and co-author);
2. Sticks and Stones | Plan International (plan-international.org): A training manual for facilitators on how to increase the involvement of children in their own protection”, Bangkok 2013 (Project Manager and co-author)
3. “Lessons for Protection”, comparative analysis of Community-based Child Protection Mechanisms supported by Plan in Asia. This set of resources containing a briefing, integral report, summary report, child-friendly report and methodology, along with 13 country reports. Bangkok 2012 (Project Manager and Supervisor), http://www.civilsocietyasia.org/resources/Lessons%20For%20Protection
4. “Protection in Action - Report of the Regional Evaluation of the Effectiveness of CBCPMs Supported by Plan in Asia”, Bangkok 2014 (Project Manager and Supervisor), http://www.civilsocietyasia.org/resources/protection%20in%20action
5. “Step by Step - Towards Child Safer Communities: Resource Handbook for Working with Communities to Enhance Child Protection - A Guide for Field Practitioners”, Bangkok 2014 (Project Manager and co-author), http://www.civilsocietyasia.org/resources/Step%20by%20Step%20Resource%20Handbook
6. “Speak Out – Be Protected”, Creating Child-Sensitive Reporting Mechanisms of Alleged Cases of Violence against Children – a Toolkit for Practitioners and Children and Young People; Bangkok, 2016 (Project Manager, Author and Supervisor),
“Speak Out – Be Protected” – Framework for Development/Guide for Practitioners:
http://www.civilsocietyasia.org/resources/speak-out-be-protected-creating-child-sensitive-reporting-mechanisms-of-alleged-cases-of-violence-against-children-development-framework-guide-for-practitioners
“Speak Out – Be Protected” – children’s booklet:
http://www.civilsocietyasia.org/resources/speak-out-be-protected-creating-child-sensitive-reporting-mechanisms-of-alleged-cases-of-violence-against-children-children-s-pocketbook
7. “TIME TO ACT: Accelerating Efforts to Eliminate Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Asia – Emerging Effective Interventions and Strategies”, Bangkok 2018 (Project Manager and Technical Supervisor)
https://plan-international.org/time-act-accelerating-efforts-eliminate-child-early-and-forced-marriage
8. Time to Act – Let’s Go Digital! | Plan International (plan-international.org), Using digital technology to end child, early and forced marriage and reduce adolescent pregnancy, Annual flagship report, Bangkok 2021 (Project Manager)
9. Time to Act! – Toolkit for Practitioners | Plan International Asia-Pacific (plan-international.org), Gender-Transformative Programme Strategies for Addressing Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions in Asia Pacific, Bangkok 2022 (Project Manager)
10. Time to Act! – Louder Than Words | Plan International Asia-Pacific (plan-international.org), Collection of testimonies on preventing and ending child, early and forced marriage in the Asia-Pacific region, Bangkok 2022 (Project Manager and Resource Person)
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