Candidacy · UNICEF Gulf Area Office · Riyadh · Chief of Communication, P-5 · Job no. 592731
For every child, regional communication leadership.
For fifteen years, I’ve led regional campaigns that turned policy into action. At UNDP, I moved from advocacy to institutional leadership. Now I’m ready to bring that expertise to UNICEF, where regional communication strategy isn’t a support function: it’s a strategic imperative. Born in MENA, based in Riyadh, native in English, French and Arabic. Already in Riyadh, no relocation required.
The stake of this role is not visibility. UNICEF is already known across the Gulf. Authority is the harder part: being the organization governments consult before they decide, and partners fund because they trust the judgment behind the ask. That is built country by country, in Arabic, in the registers institutions actually use.
Thinking like a Chief of Communication, regionally.
Four pillars define how I would lead the UNICEF Gulf Area Office, built from 15+ years across the UN system, international NGOs and multi-country campaigns.
01 · STRATEGY
Regional Vision
- Coherent regional narrative
- Harmonized communications across countries
- Country-adapted storytelling
- Advocacy, visibility and mobilization aligned
- Data translated into decisions
02 · LEADERSHIP
Regional Leadership
- Multi-country coordination
- Team and focal-point management
- Regional workflows and SOPs
- Campaign coordination at scale
- Priority alignment across offices
03 · IMPACT
KPIs & Impact
- Audience growth tracking
- Media reach and quality
- Engagement metrics
- Campaign performance review
- Crisis-response efficiency
- Advocacy and policy impact
04 · ECOSYSTEM
Media Ecosystem
- Regional journalists database
- Influencer and creator network
- GCC media platforms
- Arabic-language outlets
- International media partnerships
Why UNICEF needs a regional communications expert.
A fair question: can a communications expert shaped in the MENA region, and across development finance and human rights, lead children’s advocacy at a global scale?
The answer is yes, because the Gulf isn’t a market to learn. It’s a mandate to lead. I don’t need to discover MENA media ecosystems, government workflows, or cultural sensitivities. I’ve navigated all three. I’ve sat in rooms with Saudi ministries. I’ve built campaigns in Arabic for audiences that hear “international organization” with skepticism. That’s an asset, not a limitation.
At UNDP, my work has shifted from advocacy to institutional leadership. I advise the Resident Representative. I write briefing notes for government partners. I translate policy into messages that don’t oversimplify or alienate. That’s the exact skill a Chief of Communications needs in the Gulf.
And where my campaign experience actually helps. I’ve learned to lead regional communications not by changing audiences, but by finding where children’s rights, women’s rights, and economic development intersect. UNICEF’s presence in the Gulf sits at that intersection. My job is to make that visible.
Every requirement. Met.
Side by side: what the role demands, and what my record shows.
| Chief of Communication, P-5 requires | My record shows |
|---|---|
| 15+ years progressively responsible in communications | From copywriter (JWT, Ogilvy) to UN-system communication expert at UNDP. 15+ years across UN agencies, NGOs, and regional brands. |
| Strategic regional communication leadership | Leading COP16 Riyadh communications, managing 22+ countries, designing multi-country campaigns at Greenpeace, Amnesty, and UNDP. |
| Advanced degree in communications | Master’s degree in Audiovisual Advertising (ESSTED Tunis, 2008). UNDP AI Sprint certified (2025). |
| Media relations and press expertise | Regional media network: Al Jazeera, BBC Arabic, Reuters, AFP. Crisis press management (FSO SAFER, COP27). |
| UN system experience | UNDP Saudi Arabia (current), Amnesty International, Greenpeace, RAWSA MENA. Active across UN and international organizations. |
| Children’s rights and humanitarian focus | Women’s rights and child advocacy (RAWSA MENA). Gender-sensitive communications at UNDP. Humanitarian-development-peace nexus. |
| Native Arabic, English, French (Gulf) | Native Arabic, English, French. Based in Riyadh. Direct creation in all three languages, no translation layer. |
The portfolio I communicate today.
One Country Office, a whole policy landscape. As UNDP Saudi Arabia’s senior communication expert, every day I work across these five domains.
Children & education
National education policy alignment · Dropout and early-marriage prevention · Digital literacy and tech access.
Women & youth empowerment
Women’s economic participation · Youth leadership · Gender-sensitive policy communication.
Health & humanitarian
KSrelief partnership · Cross-border humanitarian coordination · Child health messaging.
Climate & sustainability
COP16 Riyadh · Environmental protection · Water and energy access for vulnerable populations.
Regional partnerships
GCC coordination · Government and civil society alignment · International donor and NGO relationships.
Full portfolio: fakhfakh.com/portfolio
Every required capability, demonstrated.
For each skill the role requires, a concrete case from the past decade.
✓ Press & Media · Crisis
Directing regional media strategy under pressure
Greenpeace, FSO SAFER, COP27 and the Warrior Ship Tour: technical briefings turned into multilingual press releases that mobilized international awareness and emergency funding.
✓ Digital · Content · Governance
Regional content strategy and digital governance
As Regional Content Manager (MENA) at Amnesty International, content strategy for human-rights advocacy with consistent messaging across country offices, multi-format and multi-language.
✓ Gender · Human Rights
Advocacy for women’s rights, rooted in regional context
RAWSA MENA women’s-rights campaigns across digital, radio and TV; gender-sensitive, inclusive language in all UNDP advocacy materials.
✓ Event Communication
Designing communication for global climate moments
Greenpeace COP27 and Warrior Ship Tour: a plan built from Barcelona to ground execution in Tunisia and Egypt, connecting global audiences with regional demands.
✓ Storytelling · Brand
Award-winning campaigns across MENA agencies
Seven years at Karoui & Karoui, Ogilvy and JWT building storytelling, editorial precision and audience insight that still anchor the work today.
A regional strategist, fluent in the Gulf context.
Communication leadership requires cultural intelligence, institutional diplomacy and regulatory sensitivity, adapting international standards to the GCC context.
✓ Cultural Fluency
Born in MENA, based in Riyadh
Native in Arabic, including the registers used by media, government and faith-based institutions.
✓ Institutional Diplomacy
Daily coordination with Saudi institutions
Working alongside Saudi ministries and government institutions at UNDP, inside official protocols and inter-ministerial workflows.
✓ Regulatory Sensitivity
Navigating MENA and Gulf nuance
15+ years across media licensing and brand governance. Risk-aware, never risk-averse.
A regional communications expert who knows where the lines are, and how to do excellent, impactful, principled work within them.
Nine accountabilities, one cohesive response.
01
Communication strategy
Gulf-specific strategy anchored in environmental scans, audience segmentation and KPIs, using the three-phase model proven on COP16.
02
Media relations
Activating an existing MENA media network across print, TV, radio and digital.
03
Networking & partnerships
Building coalitions across UN agencies, government, civil society and private sector.
04
Celebrities & special events
Identifying high-profile Gulf voices and structuring engagements for measurable advocacy outcomes.
05
Global priorities & campaigns
Translating UNICEF’s global campaigns into culturally resonant Gulf narratives.
06
Resource mobilization
Strengthening UNICEF’s B2B brand in the Gulf for private-sector partners.
07
Management
Leading communication teams and managing budgets, proven across 22+ countries.
08
Monitoring & evaluation
Establishing baselines, performance indicators and lessons-learned reviews.
09
Capacity building
Advising the Representative, country team and partner organizations.
90-day priorities.
01 · Regional Strategy & Governance
Design integrated regional communication framework aligned with UNICEF’s Gulf and MENA priorities, establishing governance structures, workflows, and monitoring mechanisms across country offices.
02 · Media Network & Rapid Response
Map and activate regional media relationships, establish rapid-response protocols for crisis communication, build journalist and influencer database, position UNICEF as regional children’s rights authority.
03 · Content & Training Infrastructure
Establish creative guidelines, launch capacity-building programme for focal points, pilot AI-assisted content workflows, create reusable campaign templates for consistent Gulf-wide messaging.
My vision for the role, day one.
The regional vision I would bring, built from 15+ years of MENA and Gulf experience.
01
Regional strategy
A regional communication strategy aligned with UNICEF’s priorities across the Gulf and MENA.
02
Regional narrative
A strong, human regional narrative around children’s and women’s rights.
03
Leadership & management
Stronger coordination between communication teams, country focal points and regional partners.
04
Creative guidelines
Harmonized guidelines for graphic, video and digital content across all UNICEF offices.
05
Media relations
A structured, growing regional database of journalists, outlets and strategic influencers.
06
Advocacy & visibility
UNICEF positioned as the regional reference on children’s rights.
07
KPIs & performance
Measurable regional KPIs tracking campaign performance and digital engagement.
08
Country-office support
Close work with every communication focal point to align objectives and strengthen local capacity.
09
Crisis communication
Regional mechanisms for rapid response in complex humanitarian and media contexts.
10
Partnerships & influence
Strong relationships with agencies, platforms, celebrities and institutional partners.
11
Capacity building
Spaces for training and expertise-sharing in storytelling, digital, AI and data.
12
Innovation & digital
Innovative approaches grounded in AI, social listening and audience analytics. UNDP AI Sprint certified (2025).
Fifteen years: UN, NGOs and regional brands.
June 2024 – Present
Senior Communication Expert
UNDP · Saudi Arabia
Leading strategic communications for COP16 Riyadh: three-phase strategy, AI-assisted production (Runway, Midjourney), multi-level UNDP coordination.
January 2024 – May 2024
Communication & Creative Content Consultant
REINVEST · Saudi Arabia
Communication campaigns and multimedia content for investment initiatives in the Saudi market.
September 2021 – December 2023
Communication Lead & Consultant (MENA)
Greenpeace International · MENA
Led regional advocacy for FSO SAFER and COP27: media relations, proactive pitching, rapid-response messaging.
May 2020 – August 2021
Communication Consultant (MENA)
RAWSA MENA
Women’s-rights advocacy campaigns across digital, radio and TV.
May 2017 – November 2019
Regional Content Manager (MENA)
Amnesty International
Regional content strategy and institutional communications for human-rights advocacy.
September 2013 – February 2017
Senior Communication Consultant
SNOW · North Africa
Campaign design, brand strategy and integrated communication across traditional and digital channels.
2006 – 2013
Senior & Junior Copywriter
Karoui & Karoui · Ogilvy · JWT · Tunisia
Award-winning campaigns for major regional brands. Master’s in Audiovisual Advertising, ESSTED Tunis.
Four campaigns, structured as case studies.
UN · COP16
UNDP Saudi Arabia, COP16 Riyadh
Challenge. Build international and local visibility for COP16 Riyadh while showcasing UNDP’s SDG commitments.
Strategy. Integrated three-phase strategy: preparation, execution, post-event follow-up.
Execution. AI-assisted content production with Runway and Midjourney.
Impact. Sustained UNDP visibility, strengthened partnerships, results aligned to SDG objectives.
Crisis · Multi-country
Greenpeace, FSO SAFER
Challenge. Mobilize international awareness and emergency funding for the FSO SAFER crisis off Yemen.
Strategy. Transform technical briefings into compelling multilingual press materials.
Execution. Multilingual press releases, coordinated outreach, real-time media management.
Impact. Emergency funding mobilized, preventative action triggered.
Global · COP27
Greenpeace International, COP27 & Warrior Ship Tour
Challenge. Create a regional climate-justice narrative connecting global negotiations to youth voices.
Strategy. Regional coordination, multilingual storytelling, rapid-response capacity.
Execution. Press releases, media kits, social campaigns, ground support in Tunisia and Egypt.
Impact. Media coverage at scale, advocacy momentum connecting MENA to global negotiations.
Rights · Women
RAWSA MENA, Women’s Rights Advocacy
Challenge. Advance women’s reproductive rights across MENA with cultural sensitivity.
Strategy. Multimedia storytelling with gender-sensitive language across digital, radio and TV.
Execution. Multi-format content, coordinated rollout across MENA country contexts.
Impact. Audiences mobilized to action, regional advocacy networks strengthened.
Further reading.
UNDP resources related to GCC and humanitarian action themes.
Regional Connectivity
In Riyadh, a New Regional Momentum Comes to Life
The High-Level Regional Roundtable convened by the GCC and UNDP addresses regional connectivity as a driver of resilience, investment and shared prosperity across the Arab region.
Rural Women & Resilience
Bathraa: Sowing the Seeds of Resilience and Rural Women’s Empowerment
A Saudi initiative transforming rural development through agricultural expertise, women’s leadership and sustainable economic opportunity in crisis-affected communities across the region.
UNICEF core values.
Care · Respect · Integrity · Trust · Accountability · Sustainability
The values I already work by, across rights-based, government and institutional contexts.
Ready to lead regional communication in the Gulf.
Available for interview. Already based in Riyadh. No relocation required.
Borhene Eddine Fakhfakh
borhene.fakhfakh@gmail.com · +966 504 586 973
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Portfolio: fakhfakh.com
