R o b e r t T H O M S O N

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1 R o b e r t T H O M S O N Policy development, programme monitoring and advocacy with emphasis on youth health and development Permanent contact: Box 50, 3718 Kandersteg, Switzerland Mobile Robert@youthpolicy.org Key achievements in fields of professional interest Expertise in comprehensive health, social and youth policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation. This interest contributed to participation in the setting up of the global online community and knowledge base: youthpolicy.org (2012) and editing of a series of national youth policy reviews. Social and preventive health research model identifying how Internet and other new information and communication technologies influence adolescent sexual behaviour (2006) identifying mental health approaches, counsellor training, participatory and peer based methodologies in sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention. Current position November 2013 to present The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Governance Specialist Office of Board Affairs Supporting engagement in health governance of developing and transition country governments, civil society, implementing communities and youth. Direct technical assistance and diplomatic advice to members and partners of the Global Fund governing bodies. Member of the inter-departmental working group on adolescents and youth, with mandate for providing more room for youth leadership and involvement in the response to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Global Fund Board recognizes the diversity and special needs of young people and stresses the importance of protecting young people s health and human rights, especially for the 5.4 million young people who are living with HIV and the millions who are at risk, in particular young women and girls; but also those who are marginalized, including but not limited to young sex workers and people who use drugs; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth; and young migrants. The working group considers how better to include young people, facilitate youth-led action at global and national level and ensure that their ideas and perspectives are better reflected in the work of the Global Fund and the Board. Geneva, 2 December 2014

2 Employment history August 2003 to October 2013 Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs January 2003 to February 2009 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) July 2001 to December 2002 World Health Organization (WHO) and UNFPA March 1998 to May 2001 WHO Headquarters Scientific Adviser Division of International Affairs, Federal Office of Public Health, Berne Coordination of the Swiss government delegation to the WHO governing bodies (World Health Assembly, Executive Board, Programme, Budget and Administration Committee, Regional Committee for Europe). Substantive contributions to: the Swiss Health Foreign Policy (negotiated between representatives of the government bodies responsible for public health, foreign affairs, development cooperation, trade, intellectual property, defense) and the Country Cooperation Strategy between Switzerland and the World Health Organization (same bodies, plus cantons, civil society and academia). Technical relations with both the Secretariat and other Member States. Upstream negotiations for consolidation of government inter-departmental health foreign policy positions prior to WHO Executive Board meetings. Liaison with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and sectoral policy sections of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Recently negotiated positions include on mental health, noncommunicable diseases, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child nutrition, humanitarian health coordination. Regional Adviser in Sexuality & Reproductive Health Advocacy Country Technical Services Team, Bratislava Responsibilities included technical cooperation with European and Central Asian governments, Arab States, as well as with the European Commission and the Council of Europe on UN country programme processes, policy dialogue addressing sexuality and HIV/AIDS as public health issues; on reproductive health information and communication, advocacy and funding, adolescent health and comprehensive sexuality education, youth in sector reform, UN Development Assistance Frameworks and in poverty reduction strategies. Adolescent Health Officer UNFPA Egypt Country Office and WHO Regional Office, Cairo Collected, synthesized and assessed policy statements, revised regional situation analysis. Identified regional inter-agency priority approaches for WHO, UNFPA, United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF), UN Foundation (UNF), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the League of Arab States. Carried out two internal management audits. Established intern programme in adolescent health, nutrition, medical ethics, emergency and humanitarian departments. Assisted American University, Beirut to initiate Arab regional HIV/AIDS prevention course. Wrote Egypt country programme on adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health. Sat on HIV/AIDS national body. Technical Officer, Adolescent Health and Development Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, Geneva Conducted situation analyses and staff training needs assessment in Central Asian Republics, Central and Eastern Europe, Baltic States, West and Central

3 Africa and the Russian Federation. Planned and carried out inter-country programming workshops and provided direct technical assistance to countries. Incorporated adolescent health in WHO Africa regional reproductive health policy. Assisted francophone countries conducting operational research to improve professional training and adolescent health services. Initiated protocol for sexual behaviour research, Medical Research Centre, Iran. Provided technical advice on youth participation to UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS for two World AIDS Campaigns and two World AIDS Conferences. Revised counselling manuals and delivered counselling skills training in Moscow and Djibouti. Sat on WHO Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, participated in WHO and UNFPA global and regional consultations. Wrote UNF grant application on HIV counselling and testing services for adolescents. August 1992 to December 1997 UNFPA and WHO March 1985 to July 1992 World Scout Bureau, Geneva Regional Adviser for Adolescent Health West and Central Africa inter-agency support team, Dakar Technical assistance to UN funded projects, government programmes and NGO activities in adolescent health, training and research. Negotiated bilateral and multi-lateral assistance. Facilitated drafting and adoption of national adolescent health policies and national youth policies. Provided technical advice to Global Dialogues Trust on HIV prevention for African television productions: World Assembly of Diseases and Scenarios from the Sahel. Organized and led seminars, conferences, training and workshops on adolescent health services, contraception, health education and sex education, counselling at international, region, national and local level. Health Project Officer then Assistant Director of Programmes Managed International Youth Year collaboration with UN agencies. Designed health education material for children, youth, peer leaders, adult leaders. Management support to health projects in developing countries. Set up and directed health promotion courses for volunteer leaders, supported social mobilization projects in developing countries. Initiated development education and fundraising in industrialized countries. Designed, mobilised resources for, and delivered global programmes on health, disability, human rights. In the previous three years, held national positions of responsibility in the UK Scout Association Academic background Qualifications Bachelor of Arts (Psychology, Theology) at Ushaw College, University of Durham. Graduated 1980 Postgraduate Certificate (Education) from St Mary s College, Newcastle Polytechnic. Graduated 1982 Master of Science (Training) Research: adolescent and family culture, Leicester University. Graduated 1996 Teaching Course coordinator Training in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research and lecturer, introductory courses on sexology, (Geneva, 2006 to present) Coordinator PhD Programme in Public Health Swiss School of Public Health (Basel, )

4 Visiting lecturer for Research Methodology, Laos University of Health Sciences, Post-Graduate Institute (Vientiane, ) Invited lecturer: on health promotion at Department of Social Studies, (University of Mauritius 2006); on most at risk adolescents at Refugee Studies programme (American University in Cairo 2002); and at medical students summer school (Berlin, Germany, Arborg, Denmark ) Speaker and participant at monthly adolescent health seminars (University Hospital, Lausanne ) concurrently, university chaplain and student counsellor (University of Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Polytechnic) Writing Right to be there national youth policy analysis, UNICEF Algeria (2013) Youth Policy Review Series Building a global evidence-base for youth policy (ongoing) International Editorial Board of the Open Society Youth Initiative: editor of a new series of public youth policy reviews, including Serbia, Estonia and an Arab regional review ( (2010 to 2012) Moldova chapter of Youth-friendly health policies and services in the European Region published by WHO (2010) Member of Editorial Board of Entre Nous European Magazine on Sexuality & Reproductive Health data/assets/pdf_file/0003/69528/en69.pdf (1999 to 2009) Conducted a fifteen-country mapping Counting on Youth for United Nations and Council of Europe bodies ( ) Book review Jung and Education for Teachers College Record, Columbia University, New York (2006) Compiled health chapter of UN Secretary General s report Global Situation of the World s Youth, published (2004) by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Co-wrote chapter 2 Growing-up Healthy in Young People in Changing Societies Regional Monitoring Reports, No. 7. Monitoring Eastern Europe, published (2000) by UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence Joint editor of Coming of Age, a guide to adolescent sexual and reproductive health situation analysis, published by WHO p112).pdf (1997) Professional development Courses Global health diplomacy executive course, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva, June 2010) Negotiation and Mediation course, Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (Berne, October 2010) Effective Adolescent Health Care (European Training, Lausanne, 2005) Poverty Reduction, Health Reform and Reproductive Health (World Bank Institute, UN Staff College, Turin 2003)

5 UN staff HIV/AIDS focal point training (Bratislava, Slovakia , Dakar ) HIV/AIDS Counselling and Testing (Federal Office of Public Health 1994) Transactional Analysis (Formation, Animation, Relations Humaines, Lausanne ) Family Therapy short course (Centre for Psychotherapy, Geneva University Hospitals 1988) Creativity in Educational Methods (Department of Education and Science, London 1982) Memberships Panel of European Youth Researchers (2010 to now) Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (2006 to now) Founder member, Swiss Association for Adolescent Health (1998 to now) Skills Language English mother tongue French fluent for professional and personal use (C2) German and Spanish conversational (A2) Some social Arabic and Russian Civil society involvement Computer literate as user of MS Office, SPSS and Internet Training techniques professional level (Master trainer of trainers) Memberships Activities Member, International Scout Centre Association, Kandersteg (current) Secretary General, International Federation of Powerchair Football Associations, Paris ( ) Evaluator of the IPPF Youth Sexual Awareness for Europe sexual and reproductive health and rights programme (Brussels, 2013). Consultant for Lutheran Federation, (Geneva, 2010); adviser to Refugee Education Trust, (Geneva 2008); technical contributor to expert group on human sexuality, World Council of Churches (Geneva 2007); expert reviewer for Drosos Foundation (Zurich 2006). President of the NGO Committee on UNICEF and member of UNICEF Executive Board advocacy groups for the World Summit for Children (New York ). Awards Ousseimi Foundation Study Grant (1993) Gold Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh (1980) Queen s Scout Award (1975) Personal Interests Civil status References International cinema, mountain walking, music and collecting postcards. Born, Walton Park, 5 June 1957, Swiss and British nationalities. Available upon request, as are copies of diplomas and official documents. Thomson_PEYR_resume_ docx