The Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) Speaker Series is a regular student-focused forum that draws on the expertise of a range of practitioners, academics and researchers both within HCRI and more widely, covering a broad range of humanitarian-related issues and contexts.
The Speaker Series provides an opportunity to learn from and interact with scholars and practitioners in an informal and intimate environment in order to gain insights from people's own experiences.
The speakers will be:
Yasamin Alttahir, Project and Research Manager
Lynne Benson, Head of International Programs
Abdul Basir, Technical Advisor
Dr. Abdul Basir (Program Advisor, Save the Children Australia)
Dr. Abdul Basir is program advisor for Save the Children Australia and was formerly in the position of Deputy Chief of Party for the Children of Uruzgan program. He joined the program during its start-up phase in September 2011 and was instrumental in its implementation in the several years that followed. He moved to Australia in June 2014 and has continued to consult closely on the program since then. During his time at CoU, Dr Basir shouldered a range of significant responsibilities in the very challenging remote and insecure environment. This included leading a team of approximately 1,700 people for over three years, working directly Save the Children staff, partner organisations, government departments, community elders and other stakeholders. He was called upon to listen and respond to concerns about program implementation and quality across the broad range of CoU activities.
Yasamin Alttahir (Project and Research Manager, Children of Uruzgan Program at Save the Children)
Yasamin Alttahir has over five years of field experience in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. She has lived in West Africa, where she worked with grassroots NGOs in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leon and Cote D’Ivoire on UNICEF sponsored initiatives including maternal and early childhood health, documentation of new born children, income generation and capacity building among women affected by ongoing conflict, as well as advising on financial and reporting procedures for major donor organisations. She also worked with refugee programs in Iraq, Jordan and Iran where she was based for a time. Prior to her work with The Children of Uruzgan program she worked with the NSW Department of Trade and Investment on major infrastructure grants programs aimed at regional and remote communities in line with recommendations from the state audit office. As well as work in the public sector, Yasamin has also worked in the publishing and financial services industries across the Asia Pacific region.
Lynne Benson, Head of International Programs
Lynne leads Save the Children Australia's development programs for children across the world, helping to ensure we create real and lasting change in children's lives. With a focus on children's right to education, health and protection, Lynne leads Save the Children's team of Program Managers covering Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Lynne has worked in both East and West Africa, starting out as a volunteer in-service teacher trainer before becoming an Education Program Manager and then Country Director in Kenya and The Gambia for Voluntary Services Overseas. Lynne has held the position of Country Director for Save the Children in Laos and Vietnam, and led our Thailand Tsunami Response. Prior to moving to Melbourne to work in Save the Children Australia's national office, Lynne was our Regional Director for Asia and based in Cambodia. She has published two books; one on child protection and one on child-led disaster risk reduction.
