Civil Society Briefing "The Role of Civil Society in Times of Humanitarian Crisis"

Hawa Diallo
Chief, Civil Society Unit

Hawa Diallo, Chief of the Civil Society Unit at the Civil Society and Advocacy Section, UN Department of Global Communications has extensive United Nations experience in public information outreach and fostering civil society partnerships, with a particular emphasis on youth and women’s organizations. Ms. Diallo began her United Nations career in 1987 in the Department of Public Information and has served in two United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Cambodia and Somalia, respectively. She has also worked for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) in Nairobi, as an Associate Human Settlements Officer and as a Partners and Youth Officer.

Kehkashan Basu
M.S.M., Founder-President, Green Hope Foundation

Kehkashan Basu, M.S.M. is an iconic global influencer, environmentalist, champion of women and children’s rights, TEDx speaker, Climate Reality Mentor, author, musician, peace and sustainability campaigner. She is the recipient of Canada's Meritorious Service Medal and the only Canadian to win the International Children’s Peace Prize. A Forbes 30 Under 30 and the first-ever Winner of the Voices Youth Gorbachev-Schultz Legacy Award for her work on nuclear disarmament, Kehkashan is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, a National Geographic Young Explorer, a UN Habitat Young City Champion, a UNCCD Land Hero, the Regional Organizing Partner for North America for the NGO Major Group and one of Canada's Top25 Women of Influence. Kehkashan is the Founder-President of global social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation, that works at a grassroots level in 26 countries, empowering young people and women, especially those from vulnerable communities, in the sustainable development process. She has spoken at over 500 United Nations and other global fora. She is the youngest Trustee of the Parliament of the World's Religions, Co-Lead of UN Women Generation Equality Forum's Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice, the Co-Chair of the University of Toronto's SDG Student Advisory Council, Council Lead of the Toronto-St. Paul's Constituency Youth Council, Canada and a member of the World Humanitarian Forum Youth Council. She is the recipient of several awards that include the World Literacy Award for Significant Contribution to Literacy by a Young Person, Canada's Global Energy Show Emerging Leader Award and the Pax Christi Toronto Teacher of Peace Award. She continues to work tirelessly to amplify the voices of young people, women and girls in decision-making processes. 

Anna Jefferys
Public Information Officer, Strategic Communications, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Anna Jefferys has worked for over 20 years in humanitarian assistance, policy, advocacy and communications. She started her humanitarian career in NGO ActionAid’s advocacy team and went on to join Save the Children UK’s Emergencies Unit, where she deployed as a communications and policy officer in numerous emergency settings, from Liberia to Pakistan. She then became the NGO’s emergency advocacy adviser, driving engagement in several global advocacy campaigns. Anna went on to join IRIN (now The New Humanitarian), as a reporter in their Dakar office, moving on to become the West and Central Africa editor. Anna left Dakar to join OCHA Headquarters as a Content Editor. She is now the Speechwriter for the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. 

Tracy Yeulande Browning
Relief Society Advisory Council Member, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Tracy Yeulande Browning was born in New York to Clive Adams and Sharon Cox and raised on the island of Jamaica. She joined the Church at the age of 16. Sister Browning studied at St. John’s University. She has worked in financial services for 15 years and is now a director in the Publishing Services Department of the Church. She and her husband, Brady Browning, are the parents of two children. 

Prior to her call to the Relief Society general advisory council, Sister Browning served as a ward and stake Relief Society presidency counselor, Relief Society teacher, and Mia Maid adviser and in various Relief Society and Young Women callings. 

Sister Browning has volunteered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Habitat for Humanity, and United Way’s Day of Caring. She enjoys travel dining and reading. The scripture Enos 1:4–8—“And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie” (verse 6)—had a profound impact on Sister Browning as she read the Book of Mormon for the first time, and it was instrumental in her conversion.

Rula Hinedi
Chief, Guided Tours Unit, Visitors Services Section, United Nations Headquarters in New York
(Former Public Information Officer from United Nations Peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste, South Sudan and Guinea Bissau)

Rula Hinedi started her UN career as a tour guide, before moving to the Peace and Security Section of DPI (now Department of Global Communications (DGC)) where she provided web support to peacekeeping missions. She then served as a Public Information Officer in Timor-Leste, South Sudan, Guinea Bissau and, more recently, was part of the start-up team for the mission in Sudan. Rula has also worked on the Syria crisis with a local NGO, advocating for humanitarian access and funding.  Fluent in Arabic, English, French and Italian, she obtained her BA in Graphic Design and Advertising at the Instituto Arte Design Tecnica in Milan, Italy and her Master of Advanced Studies in Peace and Conflict Transformation from the University of Basel in Switzerland.