Orientation session for the 2026 Executive Board

UNICEF Executive Board Year in Review 2025

2025 Stocktaking and setting the stage for 2026 (panel discussion)

Ms. Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF
H.E. Mr. Jonibek Hikmat, Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations, 
President of the Executive Board in 2025

The Challenges of Silent Emergency Response  

Executive Board members were invited to connect with UNICEF operations in Haiti and Afghanistan to hear first-hand from emergency teams currently responding to two silent crises. This live connection provided the opportunity to be exposed to and learn about how UNICEF formulates cross-sectoral responses for children in an emergency context.

UNICEF senior leaders joined to offer their reflections during the live dialogue with teams on the ground 

Global Programme Division (Mr. George Laryea-Adjei, Director) 
Office of Emergency Programmes (Ms. Lucia Elmi, Director) 
Office of Strategy and Evidence-Innocenti (Mr. Bo Viktor Nylund, Director a.i.) 
Supply Division (Ms. Leila Pakkala, Director)

The Power Behind the Promise – a UNICEF Virtual Experience 

With a focus on the criticality of regular resources, this virtual experience took Executive Board members on a journey across UNICEF operations including Cambodia, Ethiopia and Guatemala.

Debriefing and reflections with UNICEF senior leaders on funding and resource mobilization strategies and distribution

Public Partnerships Division (Ms. Mandeep O’Brien, Director) 
Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (Mr. Nicolas Pron, Deputy Director) 
Division of Financial and Administrative Management (Ms. Diane Kepler, Director)

Conversation on the UNICEF Executive Board (Ways of working; 2026 programme of work; available resources; role of the Bureau and of Executive Board members; use of artificial intelligence; field visits)

Mr. Andrés Franco, Director, Secretary of the Executive Board
Ms. Stephanie Kunkel, Deputy Secretary of the Executive Board

Key features of UNICEF work on protection against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment

Mr. Bo Viktor Nylund, Director, a.i., Office of Strategy and Evidence-Innocenti 

Key features of the UNICEF Evaluation Office

Mr. Robert McCouch, Director of Evaluation

Key features of the Office of Internal Audit and Investigations

Mr. Stephen Zimmermann, Director, Office of Internal Audit and Investigations

Key features of the Ethics Office 

Mr. El Cid Butuyan, Director, Ethics Office

Closing

Mr. Andrés Franco, Director, Secretary of the Executive Board