Damla Buyuktaskin is the Senior Regional Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer for Asia Pacific Countries in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She oversees the employment, entrepreneurship, skills building training programmes related to labor market integration of asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, stateless and the internally displaced persons with the overall objective of self reliance in 45 countries of the region ranging from Kazakhstan to New Zealand and Pacific Island States.  She is also leading the Social Protection portfolio for the region. Previously she held the positions of Livelihoods Officer for Turkey and Regional Livelihoods Officer for Turkey, Middle East and North Africa. She has started her career in the private sector as an entrepreneur in Turkey, United States and the Netherlands and has dedicated more than half of it to development challenges.

She worked for various United Nations agencies and donor funded projects in countries such as Turkey, Kuwait, Egypt, Azerbaijan and Austria throughout her work experience of 30 years. She is the author of many publications such as the “United Nations Post 2015 Development Agenda – Engaging with the Private Sector, Turkey Country Report for Sustainable Development Goals”. Previously she served as Executive Committee member for the Technology and Innovation Programmes of Tübitak, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and is a Board Member of the Global Entrepreneurship Network.