Nurten Yilmaz

• Serve as a liaison with the World Bank for the USD 250M Kenya Social and Economic Inclusion Project (KSEIP), leading the design and establishment of foundational systems for social and economic inclusion under the Nutrition Improvements through Cash and Health Education programme, benefiting approximately 138,600 individuals.
• Provide technical leadership to national and county governments to expand risk-informed delivery systems and strengthen shock-responsive safety nets for vulnerable populations.
• Coordinate closely with multilateral and bilateral partners (World Bank, FCDO, Government of Kenya) to ensure aligned implementation, risk mitigation, and system resilience building.
• Represent UNICEF on national Technical Advisory and Steering Committees, leading strategic negotiations and integrating child protection and social inclusion into national frameworks.
• Manage strategic partnerships and large-scale grants, including the EU Partnership on Education and Social Inclusion (USD 10M investment targeting 369,400 children and young people), and the Global Partnership to End Violence (Online Safety Programme). Lead resource mobilization efforts, ensure quality implementation, oversee performance monitoring, and produce high-quality donor reports to secure sustained funding.
• Provide technical leadership for Kenya’s national pledge development for the Inter-Ministerial Conference on Violence Prevention (Bogotá), driving legislative and policy reform initiatives. This resulted in the Government of Kenya making significant, formal pledges at the Bogotá Conference, advancing national commitments to violence prevention and child protection.
• Represent UNICEF in high-level national and UN coordination platforms, advocating for the integration of child protection priorities into broader humanitarian and development strategies.
• Spearheaded bilateral cooperation efforts by facilitating strategic partnerships between the Department of Children Services and donor agencies, aligning technical and financial support to strengthen the child protection workforce, and scale up integrated social service delivery.
• Supervise 2 employees and a 7- member consultancy team

• Supervised programme implementation with national authorities and resource allocation to achieve sustainable child protection results aligned with national priorities and UNICEF performance frameworks and ensuring full application of results-based management (RBM) methodologies.
• Managed the Justice for Children Component of the EU-funded Joint Programme with UNDP (“Support to the Justice Sector Project”), providing technical leadership, financial oversight, and strategic donor engagement. Led programme delivery that resulted in strengthened governance structures that included improved cross-sectoral coherence, and legislative reforms benefitting children in conflict with the law.
• Organized and led a multi-stakeholder partnership, including government, civil society, and international actors, to advance legislative reforms for the criminalization of corporal punishment, contributing to stronger legal protections for children.
• Provided leadership for performance monitoring, strategic reporting, and contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022–2026) outcomes.
• Supervised 5 employees

• Contributed to high-level strategic dialogue with the Ministry of Justice, supporting the formulation of Iraq’s Justice for Children Strategy to strengthen national legal frameworks, institutional capacity, and professional standards for child protection.
• Led capacity-building efforts by training and mentoring over 100 community volunteers on GBV prevention, child safeguarding standards, and Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) protocols, fostering child-friendly and rights-based practices in humanitarian settings.

• Provided strategic leadership for UNICEF Myanmar’s Child Protection Programme, serving as Acting Chief of Child Protection and leading the development of the Annual Workplan with national authorities. Oversaw the Programme Budget Review process and restructured the Section’s organizational set-up to better align with evolving child protection priorities.
• Led political and risk analysis to monitor the rapidly changing governance and security environment; provided weekly strategic situation updates to UNICEF HQ and donors, revised programme strategies accordingly, and negotiated humanitarian access with emerging de facto authorities.
• Managed a USD 15M multi-donor portfolio (ECHO, Canada, KOICA, Norway, EU, USAID/BHA, and the Government of Japan), securing sustained investments to expand child protection programming in a high-risk context.
• Coordinated closely with national, regional, and headquarters stakeholders to design frameworks that expanded the social service workforce, improved access to justice for children, scaled up violence prevention programming, and enhanced protection mechanisms in humanitarian settings.
• Designed and led Myanmar’s first cross-sectoral Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Strategy, reaching over 2 million children by 2022; recognized as a regional best practice and adopted across multiple sectors.
• Fostered strategic partnerships with over 35 national and sub-national institutions, resulting in a 250% increase in programme reach and substantial improvements in violence prevention and protection service quality.
• Supervised and mentored a diverse 16-member team, including international staff, national officers, and consultants, while providing technical support to eight field offices to ensure cohesive and results-driven programme delivery.

• Programme manager of a large-scale, sustainable refugee and resilience programme for child protection in response to the Syria crisis, fully aligned with the Government of Türkiye’s national priorities and the UN Country Team’s development agenda.
• Oversaw the implementation of integrated service delivery models - including cash assistance - reaching over 600,000 vulnerable children and their families and resulting in Strengthened national child protection systems by embedding refugee-responsive services into Türkiye’s broader social protection structures, enhancing social inclusion and long-term resilience.
• Led strategic negotiations with the Government ministries in Türkiye, and counterparts in Greece, and Bulgaria, successfully securing the integration of refugee and migrant children into national child protection systems and fostering cross-sectoral collaboration to enhance resilience.
• Secured and coordinated multi-donor funding proposals (ECHO, Norway, EU), managing a combined annual portfolio exceeding USD 25M, resulting into strengthened bilateral partnerships, high donor trust, and continued investment in child protection and social inclusion programming.
• Facilitated the Adolescent and Youth Engagement Programme with the Ministries of Family, Youth, and Sports, achieving a 250% increase in adolescent girl participation and leading the development and national rollout of Türkiye’s first Adolescent Engagement Strategy.
• Established a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework and digital reporting tools, resulting in a 250% increase in evidence-based reporting and significantly enhancing programme accountability, adaptive management, and results-based learning.
• Championed the institutionalization of the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Child Safeguarding frameworks, conducting partner risk assessments, leading capacity-building initiatives, and achieving full operationalization of PSEA action plans across all programme partners by end-2020.
• Supervised and mentored a diverse 11-member team, including international staff, national officers, and consultants, while providing technical support to one field office

• Provided technical support to over 40 country offices on the implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), resulting in strengthened country-level reporting and enhanced integration of disability rights across programming.
• Coordinated the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities (GPCwd), facilitating collaboration among more than 120 stakeholders, including UN agencies, governments, disabled persons' organizations (DPOs), and academic institutions.
• Authored UNICEF’s first background paper on disability inclusion in humanitarian action, informing global policy development and advancing organizational commitments to inclusive humanitarian responses.
• Co-organized three global youth forums, amplifying the voices and leadership of young persons with disabilities at major United Nations platforms and UNICEF Executive Board events, contributing to increased visibility of disability inclusion in global advocacy efforts.
• Supervised 1 staff member and 4-member consultancy firm

• Contributed to high-level strategic dialogue with the Ministry of Justice, supporting the formulation of Iraq’s Justice for Children Strategy to strengthen national legal frameworks, institutional capacity, and professional standards for child protection.
• Led capacity-building efforts by training and mentoring over 100 community volunteers on GBV prevention, child safeguarding standards, and Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) protocols, fostering child-friendly and rights-based practices in humanitarian settings.

• Provided technical guidance on rights-based humanitarian programming, cash and voucher assistance, and gender-sensitive approaches, contributing to the design and implementation of more inclusive and accountable emergency responses.
• Delivered targeted capacity-building support to 12+ country offices on Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), and Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) submissions, significantly enhancing the quality and effectiveness of humanitarian funding proposals.
• Drafted strategic advocacy papers and key messaging for United Nations Security Council briefings on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) and Protection of Civilians and contributed to reporting for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC) annual review, strengthening UNICEF’s global advocacy positioning.

• Contributed to the global child protection systems strengthening agenda, providing technical guidance and supporting the rollout of toolkits to enhance juvenile justice and alternative care frameworks across multiple regions.
• Provided specialized technical support to the Better Care Network for the development of global guidance and training materials on alternative care standards, promoting cross-country knowledge sharing and capacity building.
• Managed the implementation and reporting of a USD 4M AusAID-funded programme in three countries on the rights and protection of children with disabilities, overseeing pilot projects in three countries and ensuring results-based delivery and donor accountability.
• Organized the Global Child Protection Systems Conference in India and coordinated multiple technical seminars on juvenile justice and alternative care, facilitating strategic dialogue and best practice exchange among international stakeholders.

• Coordinated with UN agencies and local partners to design and operationalize an Action Plan for four refugee camps, resulting in 200% improved service delivery, and inclusion of vulnerable women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
• Conducted comprehensive needs assessments and human rights monitoring across camp settings, ensuring programme interventions were rights-based and responsive to community needs.
• Oversaw the implementation and monitoring of 10 community development projects, aligned with UNRWA’s strategic objectives to enhance protection, resilience, and social inclusion for vulnerable refugee populations.

• Provided legal advisory support on administrative procedures, staff status matters, dispute resolution mechanisms, and disciplinary actions, strengthening internal governance and accountability processes.
• Drafted legal analyses and strategic position papers for over 25 cases submitted to WHO’s internal appeals boards, providing technical support to central administration on conflict resolution and due process.

• Awarded the prestigious Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), administered by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) of the Swiss Confederation.
• Conducted in-depth research on refugee protection frameworks, international legal standards, and policy innovation to support UNHCR’s global advocacy and programme development efforts.
• Produced policy briefs and legal analyses to inform strategic decision-making and enhance refugee protection mechanisms.

Research Project: "An Optimal Innovation Policy and Infrastructure"

• Conducted a comprehensive literature review and authored a detailed analytical report examining the role of patents as either stimulators or barriers to innovation.
• Designed and executed empirical research through targeted surveys of innovative enterprises across Europe.
• Conceptualized, organized, and led the international conference “Innovation and the Role of Patents in a Knowledge-Based Economy,” facilitating dialogue between policymakers, academics, and industry leaders.
• Research findings were presented at the Conference on Innovation, Brussels, Belgium, November 18–19, 2006.

• Delivered actionable research on optimizing patent and license portfolio management, contributing to enhanced commercialization strategies at the university.
• Successfully assessed and identified projects eligible for Spinout Support and Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Fund (Industrial Research Fund – IOF), directly facilitating startup creation and early-stage management.
• Strengthened the university's innovation pipeline by providing strategic insights that supported the growth of spin-off companies.