Christina Dorothea de Bruin is currently the Deputy Representative in UNICEF Cote d’Ivoire where since 2011, she is managing the Country Programme and its 6 programme components for a coordinated implementation in support of achieving results for children and child rights in Cote d’Ivoire. The Cote d’Ivoire UNICEF Office has an average annual budget of 45 million USD and 110 staff to implement the Country Programme. She spearheaded the development of the new country programme for 2017- 2020, and leads the UN inter-agency Human Capital and Social Services group.
With over 15 years of experience in the areas of development aid, humanitarian assistance and international development, Ms. De Bruin has worked in different country contexts with UNICEF in NY Headquarters, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire, and as a Policy Advisor at the Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Netherlands.
Between 2008 and 2011, Ms. de Bruin served as Chief of Field Office for UNICEF in Casamance, Senegal where she led a team of programme professionals in the implementation and monitoring of the UNICEF programme spanning 4 regions in Southern Senegal, bordering Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and Gambia. She provided leadership to the implementation of the first Social Protection programme implemented in 2 regions in Southern Senegal including safety nets and cash transfers to the most vulnerable population.
Prior to that, Ms de Bruin was Chief of Field Office in Batticaloa from 2005 -2008 in Sri Lanka where she oversaw the UNICEF program within the Batticaloa region focusing on conflict and post-tsunami rehabilitation; she monitored UN Security Council Resolution 1612 and implemented the 2003 Action Plan for War-Affected Children. She led and managed a large Field Office team 23-35 personnel to implement the humanitarian conflict response programme. In this capacity, she was assigned as UN Area Security Coordinator for 14 UN Agencies in Batticaloa.
From 2004 – 2005 she worked in the UNICEF Country Office in Sri Lanka where she led and coordinated the implementation of a Joint UN Programme (Repatriation, Reintegration, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction) with four UN agencies (UNHCR, UNDP, ILO and UNICEF), Geneva and HQ and direct donor liaison with the Government of Denmark.
Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. De Bruin worked at The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2001 –2004 as Policy Advisor at the Human Rights, Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Aid Division where she delivered and coordinated the Dutch humanitarian aid assistance to Eastern Africa and allocated funding via UN Agencies (WFP, UNICEF, FAO) in cooperation with the respective Royal Embassies of The Netherlands
Ms. De Bruin is a national of The Netherlands. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Human Rights Law and she graduated from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands with a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration.
