Laura Maarit Jokinen

Co-founding an early-stage venture exploring how data and innovation can support a more sustainable world and climate-conscious decision-making.

Currently operating in stealth and focused on research, validation and product discovery.

I led the expansion of UNHCR's community-based protection activities in the Czech Republic, primarily in response to the Ukraine refugee crisis. My work included strategy development, scaling up of partnerships and interventions related to gender-based violence, anti-trafficking, child protection, youth empowerment, education, disability inclusion, and mental health and psychosocial support, and s

My primary objective in this role was to contribute to the strengthening of national asylum systems. I spearheaded the design and development of a universal diagnostic toolkit to identify capacities, gaps and priority areas for the strengthening of institutional capacities in national asylum systems.

My role was rooted in supporting strategic advocacy and policy development within the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in order to realize sustainable and inclusive solutions for refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons in Kenya. My achievements include:

- Policy advice to senior leadership contributing to the protection and safety of refugees, as well as dignified and comprehensive so

My aim in this role was to amplify the meaningful participation of the persons we serve across the age, gender and diversity spectrum. My responsibilities and achievements included:

- Supported the development of guidance materials on age, gender and diversity; LGBTIQ+ persons of concern; sex workers in humanitarian situations; and disability inclusion.
- Facilitated the creation of a task team

My primary goal was to coordinate closely with partners, government counterparts, the persons we serve and other stakeholders to enhance the quality of community-based interventions and child protection case management. I achieved the following:

- Worked in partnership with refugees across the age, gender, and diversity spectrum to plan, implement, report, monitor, and evaluate programs.
- Manage

In this role, I sought solutions to community-based protection, GBV, child protection and disabilities challenges, and provided guidance on the implementation of interventions in these areas. I also coordinated with partners at the regional level to ensure complementarity in responses. My achievements included:

- Provided technical support to 11 UNHCR country operations in the East, Horn of Afric

In this role, my main focus was to interview Syrian asylum-seekers and make decisions on eligibility for refugee status. As a result of my performance, I was selected to join a task team to conduct remote processing of refugee victims of trafficking in Libya, who were at imminent risk. These were my other achievements:

-Interviewed and counseled asylum-seekers, responded to imminent protection ri

My primary objective was to facilitate and support the roll-out and implementation of IOM's humanitarian policy and the Migration Crisis Operational Framework. I did so by supporting the capacity-building of field staff in South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. My responsibilities included:

- Built the know-how of humanitarian policy within IOM’s staff base.
- Documented good practices in the

In this role, I primarily oversaw the interviewing of asylum-seekers for refugee status determination (RSD) and resettlement purposes, provided representation in RSD appeals and ensured quality case management. My responsibilities included:

- Interviewed and managed the interviewing of asylum-seekers for RSD.
- Facilitated the resettlement of vulnerable refugees, including victims of trafficking,

My aim in this role was to support the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran in relation to gender equality. I also reported on Iran’s state obligations under international law on gender equality and women's rights.

My main function was to repot and prepare communication material on the situation of women and children in Iran, share timely updates on the situa

In this role, I primarily conducted protection needs assessments, counseled refugees and referred vulnerable cases to service providers. As a result of my performance in this role, I was selected to participate in Best Interest Determination panels for unaccompanied and separated children to realize safe and durable solutions. Here were some of my responsibilities:

- Represented asylum-seekers be

This role gave me my first experience in utilizing an evidence base to advocate for the strengthening and implementation of national laws. This paved the way for the infusion of the law into the rest of my career. Here were my responsibilities:

-Researched and reported on the status of action against the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including prostitution, child sex tourism, traffi

In this role, I served as a tutor for International Relations students at the Bachelor's degree level on sustainable international development.

In summary, I supported capacity-building by teaching and mentoring. I excelled in explaining theoretical concepts in concrete and practical ways. Positivity, reliability, and clear communication were the foundations of my tutoring success.

Improved well-being of children at-risk and designed solutions to prevent, mitigate and respond to GBV. Led organization of a country-level conference and supported development of training materials.

In this role, I sought to improve the well-being of children at-risk, design solutions to prevent, mitigate and respond to GBV, and improve child protection outcomes, including during a regional emergency. My achievements included:

- Led the organization of a country-level conference on children’s access to justice when in conflict with the law for 500 participants from the government, UN agencie

My main aim in this role was to support Finland’s strategic interests and political responses to foreign policy events and humanitarian crises. In summary, I held the following responsibilities:

- Facilitated the dissemination of information, shared pertinent developments with the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the department, organized travel, made travel claims, and filed docum

This role gave me my first exposure to coordinating and managing a group of people for a common purpose. It also developed my skills in listening to clients and learning how to meet their specific needs.

- Organised a team of 20 students to help create and implement various initiatives designed to improve the employability of prisoners on release.
- Facilitated and managed the compilation of a ha

Modules:
International Human Rights: Law, Institutions and Practice
International Law of Armed Conflict for Humanitarian Situations
The Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons in International Law
Acute Crises and Displacement
International Child Law
Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Africa

Research essay: An examination of autonomy in the context of adolescent marriage

Dissertati

Honours (advanced) modules:
The Evolution of International Law in a World of Crises
The Use of Force in International Law
Law, Elections and Democracy
Peoples, Indigenous Peoples and Minorities in International Law
Comparative Constitutional Law
Arab-Israeli Relations

I also completed all modules as required by the Law Society of Scotland.

Dissertation: “Children in conflict with the law in Addi

Completed the International Summer School in Forced Migration at the Refugee Studies Centre.

Pursued an LL.M. in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, with modules covering refugee protection, international child law, and human rights in Africa.

Completed a Bachelor of Laws degree.

Completed a Master of Laws degree.