Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Arthur van Diesen is a senior leader whose career has been driven by a passion for social justice. Arthur is a development professional with over thirty years of experience in leadership and technical roles. Arthur has worked and lived in Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East. He has worked for the United Nations, for bilateral aid agencies and for international NGOs. Arthur is a sociologist by training, with a Master's Degree from Tilburg University in The Netherlands. While coaching and mentoring have been a strength in Arthur's management practice for years, more recently he has started pursuing a qualification as Professional Certified Coach. He draws inspiration from working with change makers, supporting them to excel and achieve impact beyond what they thought was within the realm of the possible. He focuses his coaching practice on leadership, career and retirement (or 'rewirement') coaching. Arthur is a willing thought partner for those who aim to make the world a better place, drawing on his extensive experience in management, social policy, social protection, poverty analysis, gender equality and women's empowerment, civil society development, and monitoring and evaluation.
As Representative for UNICEF in Tajikistan, I lead a team of amazing professionals to deliver results at scale for the children of Tajikistan. Tajikistan is an incredibly young country, with over 40% of the population under the age of 18. Our advocacy and programming is focused on ensuring that investment in children’s health, education and well-being is prioritised by all stakeholders, so that the demographic boom the country is experiencing will translate into a prosperous future for the entire nation. Inspired by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we work with Government, civil society and the business sector to ensure every child enjoys every right.
As Representative for UNICEF in Kazakhstan, I was accountable for all aspects of UNICEF's programme and operations and represent UNICEF in relations with the host Government, diplomatic missions of member states in Kazakhstan, civil society and the business sector. During my tenure in Kazakhstan, I focused on diversifying the funding base of the UNICEF programme, including by establishing private sector fundraising; ensured stronger engagement with the business sector; and oversaw the establishment of a volunteering programme.
In this post, I was responsible for technical leadership and oversight of UNICEF's social policy work across twenty countries in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on the measurement and monitoring of childhood poverty and deprivation; the promotion of child-sensitive social protection reforms; and the leveraging of domestic financing for the realisation of child rights. In addition, the post entailed an analytical and advisory function to the regional management team on political, economic and social developments in the region. Main focus throughout this assignment was the application of social policy concepts to humanitarian settings.
I was responsible for providing social development advice across the DFID India portfolio; intellectual leadership on social development issues in DFID India; and quality assurance of the work of other social development advisers in DFID India. I had lead advisory responsibility for a large civil society programme on social exclusion (£25 million) and led social development inputs for DFID's multilateral partnerships in India with UNICEF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. For the first 18 months of my assignment, I also led social development advice for DFID India's support for the education sector. I led thematically on DFID's work on gender equality and women's empowerment; civil society strengthening; voice and accountability; social protection and broader social policy; social exclusion; and the social dimensions of climate change. As a member of the DFID global social development leadership group, I contributed directly to DFID's corporate thinking on social analysis and social policy.
I provided social development advice across the DFID programmes in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with a focus on governance issues (voice and accountability; public financial management; civil society strengthening; human rights); community development; service delivery (health; water and sanitation); HIV/AIDS (harm reduction). I led on gender issues in the region, working closely with UNIFEM in both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. I developed the initial thinking and concept note on a regional migration programme for Central Asia, which has recently been launched. I played a central role in the development of DFID's regional strategy in Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan, I worked closely with the UN Country Team to design a UN joint programme on governance issues. In both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, I was closely involved in the drafting of joint country support strategies and supported the heads of office in both countries in DFID's contributions to donor coordination and aid harmonisation. I was lead adviser on the Zarafshan Valley community development initiative in Tajikistan, collaborating very closely with UNDP. I helped to shape DFID's emergency response in the winter crisis in Tajikistan in 2007/8 and contributed to emergency preparedness planning for the 2008/9 winter in Kyrgyzstan.
I led DFID Uganda's engagement with Uganda's Poverty Eradication Action Plan. I supported the development of poverty-focused and evidence-based decision-making across Government. I also provided social development advice to DFID and the Government of Uganda. Key achievements include the design and management of a large civil society programme; the establishment of a National Integrated M&E System for the Government of Uganda; strengthened poverty monitoring and analysis in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Work with the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social Development resulted in a stronger focus on social development issues in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan, including a stronger focus on gender inequality. I used research and analysis on chronic poverty to introduce the idea of social protection and cash transfers in particular, gaining acceptance for the idea at political and technical levels. I played a central role in the drafting of the Uganda Joint Assistance Strategy, working closely with the World Bank. I supported the DFID Uganda Head of Office in our efforts to move aid practice in Uganda closer to the principles of the Paris Declaration on harmonisation and alignment.
As Poverty Monitoring Adviser, my main responsibility was to assist the Government of Tanzania, in particular the Vice-President's Office, to establish a Poverty Monitoring System in the context of the Tanzanian Poverty Reduction Strategy. In addition, I also provided advice to UNDP and the UN Country Team on monitoring and evaluation, statistics, and social policy issues. I was centrally involved in the drafting of a new UNDAF, in developing joint programmes, and in positioning the UN in the context of donor coordination processes. Key achievements include the design and operationalisation of a Poverty Monitoring System for the Tanzania Poverty Reduction Strategy, which became a model for other countries implementing a PRS; the drafting of a Poverty and Human Development Report; the drafting of the first MDG progress report globally - which became a model internationally; establishment and management of a Joint UN programme on poverty monitoring.
As Senior Policy Officer I managed a research and advocacy programme on the quality of UK and European Commission aid. With Christian Aid partners, three country case studies were conducted (India, Ethiopia and Mozambique). The research looked in particular at the effectiveness and efficiency of donor policies and programmes in the social services - health, education, water and sanitation. Broader policy work for Christian Aid included work on the Millennium Development Goals and influencing work through Christian Aid's observer status in ECOSOC. For the final six months of my assignment, I was posted in Zimbabwe to work directly with Christian Aid partners in Southern Africa to strengthen their capacity in policy and advocacy work. Key achievements included: - Country case studies on the quality of UK and EC aid conducted in India, Mozambique and Ethiopia and reports issued and disseminated. - Synthesis report published and used in advocacy and campaigning. - Capacity of partners in policy analysis and advocacy strengthened. - Publicaton of an influential report on the MDGs - 'Distant Targets'.
As VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer, I provided monitoring and evaluation advice for UNICEF Namibia. This involved supporting the UNICEF programme manager, project officers and Government counterparts on suitable performance assessment systems on health, education, early childhood development, water and sanitation, and community development. I also worked with the National Planning Commission to develop an M&E strategy for the National Plan of Action for Children and the National Development Plan. I provided technical advice and led liaison with the Statistics Office on a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. I played an active role in the regional ESARO and global networks of M&E officers, contributing to thinking on ChildInfo and leading thinking on the M&E of capacity building. I contributed to the analysis underpinning a Situation Analysis and led parts of the drafting and editing. I contributed to results reporting against UNICEF Namibia's country plan.