20th November 2023, Dakar  - The UNFPA West and Central Africa regional office recently organized a groundbreaking regional Humanitarian Leadership Programme aimed at equipping leaders with the necessary skills to address escalating humanitarian challenges in the region.

In his opening remarks Dr Sennen Hounton, UNFPA WCARO Regional Director said: “In a world where human rights, and particularly women’s rights including reproductive health rights, are under threat, the need for principled, ethical and transformational leadership is paramount. As senior humanitarian leaders, we are entrusted with the responsibility of embodying international norms and standards, and defending them courageously and with conviction.”

The Programme reinforces the leadership teams in UNFPA's 23 Country Offices in the Region making them better prepared to respond effectively to complex challenges in humanitarian contexts. 

Held from 14 to 26th November with one cohort in French and a second in English, the Programme brought together 18 Country Office Representatives, 12 Deputy Representatives, 5 Assistant Representatives, 7 Humanitarian programme Coordinators and 11 Operations Managers from all UNFPA offices in the WCA Region.

Covering topics such as, among others, humanitarian principles, UNFPA's leadership and accountability in the humanitarian architecture, preparedness and contingency planning, the programme stengthens UNFPA's leadership to ensure our programmes are resilient and that our prevailing communications, human resources, and operations systems and resources can more robustly and rapidly meet UNFPA's mandate in emergencies to better serve women, girls and youth.