UNICEF representative to present Carleton convocation
Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF representative to Vietnam, will reflect on the global effort to protect children.
UNICEF representative Youssouf Abdel-Jelil will present Carleton’s weekly convocation address on Friday, September 28 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Abdel-Jelil will reflect on his diverse experiences working for UNICEF in his presentation titled, “Serving Children Around the World.”
Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. They are also recorded and archived for online viewing here.
Abdel-Jelil has two decades of experience with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which provides humanitarian aid to children and mothers in 190 countries and territories. Currently, he is UNICEF’s representative in Vietnam, where he leads an initiative that helps provide equity, social protection, basic services, and expanded partnerships for Vietnam’s most disadvantaged children.
As a trusted and strategic development partner, UNICEF has been active in Vietnam since 1975 improving the lives of children and their families. The first country in Asia and the second globally to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, Vietnam and its children today face new and emerging challenges following a sustained and dynamic period of economic and development growth. In response, UNICEF is working with the government and partners to reduce disparities and bring about an inclusive, non-discriminatory and caring society that protects the rights of Vietnam’s 26 million children, including the most marginalized and vulnerable ones. Learn more online here.
Prior to his work in Vietnam, Abdel-Jelil was the UNICEF representative to Syria, where he led an emergency response for child survival, protection, and development during the current humanitarian crisis.
A native of Mauritania, Abdel-Jelil joined UNICEF in 1998 as the Deputy Representative in Lagos, Nigeria. He has since served in various capacities and locations for the UNICEF program. Between 2009 and 2012, he was based in Geneva, Switzerland with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as its Regional Team Leader for the Middle East and North Africa. He is a 1989 graduate of the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.
This event is sponsored by Carleton College Convocations. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located at First and College Streets in Northfield.