Leonardo Menchini

Chief of Social Policy and Social Protection, UNICEF Jordan

Leonardo Menchini is Chief of Social Policy and Social Protection at UNICEF Jordan. He holds a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Florence and brings more than 25 years of experience with UNICEF and the ILO, much of it in the Arab region. He has held Chief of Social Policy roles with UNICEF in Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco, supporting social protection reform, child poverty and inequality analysis, and the strengthening of national data and statistical systems. From 2019 to 2023 he was Regional Adviser on Monitoring and Research for the Middle East and North Africa, leading UNICEF's regional work on data and analysis of child poverty and well-being. From 2005 to 2011 he was based at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, working on poverty measurement and child well-being in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in OECD countries. His current work in Jordan focuses on strengthening social protection systems and supporting the inclusion of vulnerable populations in national programmes.