Dr. Sezin Tokar is the Lead Senior Hydrometeorological Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the lead federal office responsible for coordinating the U.S. government’s response to international disasters.

With a mandate to save lives, alleviate suffering, and reduce the social and economic impacts of disasters, BHA monitors, mitigates, and responds to global hazards and humanitarian needs as they arise. Dr. Tokar provides technical expertise and guidance on how to mitigate and respond to climate, weather, and water-induced disasters—including floods, droughts, cyclones, tsunamis, extreme temperatures, and climate variability and change. She has advised on numerous U.S. disaster responses, including the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2011 Japan tsunami, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Dr. Tokar oversees BHA’s programs on hydrometeorological early warning systems including droughts, floods, cyclones, heatwaves and other hazards. She developed and has overseen the implementation of Global Flash Flood Guidance which encourages cross-border cooperation and strengthen regional and national capacities to monitor flash floods and severe weather for early warnings, Weather Ready Nations that advance impact-based forecasting and 3D Printed Automated Weather Station that expand monitoring of weather/climate. She is also the BHA technical lead for Early Warning for All Initiative. She also provides technical and policy advice to BHA on climate adaptation efforts in humanitarian settings.

Dr. Tokar also serves as BHA’s technical lead on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and has represented the U.S. government in various global platforms and high-level working groups, including to advise on the development of frameworks, reports, guidelines, and programs pertaining to hydrometeorology, climate and DRR. Dr. Tokar was the chief of staff for the U.S. delegation to the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, where she led part of the negotiations for the Sendai Framework on behalf of the U.S. government. She currently serves on the White House National Science and Technology Council’s Science for Disaster Reduction (U.S. National DRR Platform) and is the co-chair of International DRR Working Group. In addition, she sits on the Partnership Council of the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Response and Recovery.