Mr. Theophane Nikyema

Child Rights Expert

Child rights advocate, Mr. Théophane Nikyèma has more than 25 years of experience in international affairs. He served in different senior level positions in intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. He is currently contributing to the work of the International Bureau for Children Rights as its President and that of the global network Keeping Children Safe as a Trustee.

From August 2013 to January 2018, he served as the Executive Director of African Child Policy Forum (ACPF). During his tenure, he elevated the issue of violence against children in Africa, promoted the African Partnership to End Violence against Children, and served as a member of the Founding Executive Committee of the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children.

Prior to that, Théophane Nikyèma held senior leadership roles in the United Nations, including UNICEF Representative ad interim in Mali, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Uganda, UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa, UNICEF Representative in Rwanda, UNICEF Senior Operations Officer in Tanzania, and UNICEF Regional Operations Officer for South-Asia.

A national of Burkina Faso, Mr. Nikyèma holds a Postgraduate diploma in Human Resources Management from the Institute of Policy Development and Management of the University of Manchester, UK; a Master of Business Administration from the Drucker School of Management of Claremont Graduate University, USA, and a bachelor's degree in economics from the Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.