Alumni Profile: Mariannick Koffi, an IÉSEG graduate within the United Nations
04/16/2015
Mariannick Koffi graduated from IÉSEG in 2010 with a MSc in International Business (MIB). After working as a project manager for the International Catholic Child Bureau in Brussels for a few months, she successfully applied to a fellowship programme at the United Nations and has been working at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva since August 2010.
Her first role at the OHCHR was as a fellow of the Humanitarian Funds, where she managed a portfolio of projects across different parts of the world aimed at providing concrete humanitarian, legal and financial assistance to victims of contemporary forms of slavery and torture and their families.
She then took up her role as Associate Human Rights Officer supporting the mandate of a UN expert on violence against women. She conducts research on the prevalence of violence against women, organizes and accompanies experts on official country visits, prepares communications to different stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations and other UN agencies, and conducts briefings for relevant stakeholders.
Mariannick, who spent periods of her childhood in the Cote d’Ivoire, New York, and South Korea, explained: “I always knew that I did not want to work in a purely private sector environment and was also interested in international relations, human rights and development. The great thing about IÉSEG is that it provides students the opportunity to customize their degree. For my part, I chose electives such as social entrepreneurship and non-profit management among others. When it came time to do an internship, I applied for one with a non-governmental organization working on children’s rights.”
She is currently pursuing a master in international law in armed conflict in parallel to her work. “Coming from a country that has been affected by conflict, it is of particular interest to me to understand the foundations of international law in armed conflict with a view to one day become part of the solution, she added.
“With that in mind, I have chosen a career path that is in line with that vision, with a particular focus on the rights of women and children.” she concluded.
