Patrick Daru is the new Operation Manager for the International Labour Organization Global Programme on Skills and Lifelong Learning. He was until recently the ILO Senior Skills and Employability Specialist for the Regional Office for Arab States, for more than eight years, and the Country Coordinator for Jordan for over four years. He previously managed the largest ILO project on youth employment in the Asia-Pacific region. In the early 2000s, he managed two ILO regional projects on forced labour in South Asia and child labour in Eastern Europe, aiming at increasing the capabilities of at-risk populations. For 10 years before joining the ILO, he managed large scale projects related to forced displacement issues in former Yugoslavia, the great lakes region, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, with a strong focus on skills development. He has contributed to and coordinated the publication of numerous ILO research papers and manuals.