Ms. Bernadette Sene holds a PhD in International Law from the University René Descartes-Paris V, France. She has more than 18 years’ experience working on peacekeeping and humanitarian settings with 14 years in peacekeeping missions: MINUSMA in Mali as Senior Women’s Protection Advisor (2014-2019). Before that Bernadette occupied Child Protection Advisor Positions in several peacekeeping missions from 2013 to June 2019:  MINUSTAH in Haiti from September 2010 to December 2013, BINUB in Burundi from March 2008 to September 2010 and MONUC, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Bernadette started with the UN as a volunteer then a Child Protection consultant in UNICEF Malawi from August 2002 to May 2004. Bernadette brings to UN Action a rich experience of working with UN agencies in coordinating the monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements (MARA) on conflict related sexual violence and the monitoring and reporting mechanism on the 6 grave child rights violations (MRM) in all the missions she worked as SWPA and CPA.

Lindsay worked for six years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on CRSV and WPS; as a Women’s Protection Advisor, Gender Advisor for the Peacekeeping Mission, and as a Trust Fund Specialist with UNDP, where she managed a 50 million USD multi-partner trust fund, dedicated to stabilization and peacebuilding. Before working in the DRC, Lindsay worked with UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy on programming for women’s political participation and governance. In addition to the United Nations, she has also worked in the field for I/NGOs, such as Search for Common Ground, during the 2011 political process in Liberia.  Lindsay has a strong interest in how media and film can be used as a tool to amplify the voices of women’s rights activists and organization, and she previously worked at the documentary lab within the Canadian Film Centre and the National Film Board of Canada.

Julian Herrera’s work with UNHCR has spanned a period of 26 years, covering 16 years in the field, working in a variety of contexts including emergency and regular programs. He has taken assignments in Turkey, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Thai-Myanmar border, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. He has also worked at HQs in Geneva and the Secretariat in New York, most recently as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for International Migration (the Global Compact). His expertise is in the areas of protection, inter-agency coordination and emergency preparedness and response.

Ntombifuthi's work in the health response to HIV, SRHR and GBV spans a period of over 11 years. During this time, she provided technical guidance for programmes focused on reaching adolescent girls and young women, LGBTQI community, sex workers and other vulnerable populations. Ntombifuthi has a background in public health and medical sciences. Ntombifuthi has also worked as a Research Associate at Harvard Medical School and a Global Health Teaching Fellow at the Harvard College. She previously worked at the National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) in Swaziland Her research interests include structural influences of epidemics, how social forces become embodied as pathology and how research can provide an epistemological reconstitution for marginalized populations.

Fareen Walji joined the UN Action Secretariat in 2019. She has previously worked with or consulted for UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP and the WHO, as well as academic institutions, feminist funds and grassroots human rights organizations across Africa, and the Asia – Pacific regions in both humanitarian and development contexts. She has a special interest in gender equality, inclusion, and the rights of people with disabilities, LGBT communities and other historically excluded groups. She holds a B.A in Political Science, an M.A in Development Studies and an M.Sc in Women’s Health.

Fukumi is an Associate Expert, Junior Professional Officer with the UN Action Secretariat. She has worked in the conflict and development space with UN Women, Search for Common Ground, and the Kofi Annan Foundation. Her professional interests include human trafficking, electoral integrity, and human rights with a focus on gender. Fukumi holds a B.A. in History and Film Studies from the University of Rochester and an M.A in Conflict and Development from the Graduate Institute Geneva

Meggie Dumas is Rotary Peace Fellow from the U.S. currently obtaining a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Research from Uppsala University in Sweden. After working as a state-certified Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor in Minnesota, she worked on WPS issues within Uganda as an intern for Women’s International Peace Center. Prior to joining UN Action as an intern, Meggie spent 3 years working as a project manager, and later Acting Co-Executive Director, at INGO WoMena Uganda, supporting the implementation of menstrual health interventions and research in Southern and East Africa. Meggie holds a pre-medical Bachelor’s degree in Global Studies/Public Health from the University of Minnesota and is interested in further pursuing a career at the intersection of SRHR and CRSV

Katie Sadd recently completed an LL.M. in Human Rights Law with International Conflict and Security, during which she volunteered with the university’s EU Rights Legal Clinic. Before pursuing graduate school in Brussels, Katie spent more than three years as a public policy advisor and later district director, serving under local and state officials in the U.S. She has also worked on women’s empowerment and capacity-building as an Africa program intern for an NGO, and through a ten-month fellowship, during which she lived in Bangladesh, supporting female university students from across the region. Previously, Katie has also spent time volunteering in the Volta Region of Ghana and has assisted human rights organizations as a remote UN volunteer. Her areas of interest and those at the centre of her graduate research include civilian protection, humanitarian access, and conflict-related violence against women and girls.