Houssam Chahin, Senior Private Sector Partnerships Officer (MENA) in UNHCR, has more than 18 years of experience in partnership building, stakeholder relationship management and business development, in both nonprofit and governmental sectors. Specialized in fundraising campaigns, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and donor management, Houssam has launched new business development and fundraising programs in world-renowned institutions, such as Greenpeace, Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, and UNHCR. Houssam has been overlooking private sector partnerships for UNHCR in the GCC since 2011, and across the entire MENA region since 2015.
As part of his responsibilities, Houssam leads the team that manages individual, corporate and family foundation relations in the region. In this interview with Bayt.com, Houssam shares what a typical day in his life looks like.
Houssam: I’m usually an early riser. After a brief but sweet morning with my family I head out to work, but not before grabbing the crucial espresso! Once in the office, located at The International Humanitarian City (IHC) in Dubai, I dedicate the first half of my day calling my team members to follow up on some of the key issues related to Private Sector Partnerships in the region. Later, I allocate some time to the cultivation (or development) process of external stakeholders, including existing and potential partners that could team up with UNHCR to support the cause of the refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs). I also spend some time planning fundraising campaigns and various events to involve such partners. Occasionally, I also travel with partners to show them UNHCR’s field operations in locations, such as Jordan and Lebanon, which host a large number of refugees in the region.
Houssam: I believe in the cause I work for. Being from the Middle East – a region that both hosts and produces the largest number of refugees – and with fundraising experience under my belt, I felt like I have a part to play when the crisis hit. Five years down the line the needs are still increasing, the situation is dramatically affecting the development of our society, and I still feel exactly the same way.
Houssam: UNHCR is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve their problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees, and it strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, with the option to return home voluntarily, to integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. In the Middle East specifically, UNHCR leads and coordinates the aid and assistance for Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni and other refugees in collaboration with over 100 partners, providing protection and securing basic services such as healthcare, education and shelter.
Houssam: Commitment to the cause of refugees, time management and organization, and perseverance. And paramount to all is to remember why we’re doing what we do.
Houssam: Everyone can sign up to the Voices for Refugees and join the campaign to raise their voice and call for an end to the Refugee Crisis. Corporations can also support by forming long-term partnerships with UNHCR, through the Partnership Platform, and individuals can donate online through our donation page.
This is very crucial, and even as a UN agency, we are continuously looking to engage individuals and institutions, which make up the private sector, in supporting the cause since the crisis is bigger than what governments alone can handle.
