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    The International Peace Institute is an independent, non-profit organization working to strengthen inclusive multilateralism for a more peaceful and sustainable planet. Through its research, convening, and strategic advising, IPI provides innovative recommendations for the United Nations System, member states, regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector. With staff from around the world and a broad range of academic fields, IPI has offices facing United Nations headquarters in New York.

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Staff Youssef Mahmoud

Youssef Mahmoud, Senior Adviser

Dr. Youssef Mahmoud is Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute supporting the sustainable development and peace operations programs and serving as a focal point on mediation and...
Read more articles → Email: [email protected]

Dr. Youssef Mahmoud is Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute supporting the sustainable development and peace operations programs and serving as a focal point on mediation and prevention policies and practices. He is a former UN Under-Secretary-General and has headed peace operations in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Chad.

Prior to these assignments, he held other senior United Nations positions, notably as UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana, Director in the UN Department of Political Affairs, and Head of the Office of the Undersecretary-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

In 2015, he served as a member of the UN Secretary-General High-Level Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) and simultaneously a member of the High-Level Advisory Group for the Global Study on Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

In 2019, he led an independent strategic review of the UN peace operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), pursuant to UN Security Council resolution 2463.

He periodically writes on the theory and practice of the evolving concept of sustaining peace and on political transitions in Africa, with a particular focus on Tunisia.

He is currently a Visiting Professor at the African Leadership Centre, King’s College London, and serves on the Boards of several non-profit organizations in the US and Tunisia.

Dr. Mahmoud has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Selected Publications

  • “How to Be a Good Ancestor in Support of the UN Declaration on Future Generations” Global Observatory 2024
  • “People, the Planet, and the Pact for the Future: Interview with Youssef Mahmoud” Global Observatory 2024
  • “Solidarity as an act of rebellion and a pathway to ecological peace,” Global Solidarity Report, 2024
  • “Unleashing the Transformative Potential of the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference on the Summit of the Future” Stimson Center 2024 (with Sahana Chatopadhyay)
  • “Le Nouvel Agenda pour la paix: enjeux et défis du maintien de la paix de l’Afrique,” l’Observatoire Boutros-Ghali, 2023
  • “A Pact Fit for the UN’s Future?” Global Observatory 2023
  • “A New Agenda for Peace: Making Peace Plural and Healing Historical Traumas” Global Observatory 2023
  • “How Can the UN Sustaining Peace Agenda Live Up to Its Potential?” In: de Coning, C., Saraiva, R., Muto, A. (eds) Adaptive Peacebuilding: Twenty-first Century Perspectives on War, Peace, and Human Conflict. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham., 2023
  • “Financing for Peacebuilding: Beyond Money” Global Observatory 2022
  • “Peace as the Norm: Sustaining Peace in Africa” Global Observatory 2022 (with Chimwemwe A. Fabiano)
  • “Sustaining Peace in Africa,” The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainable Peace and Security in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022. (with Chimwemwe A. Fabiano)
  • “What Does Collective Leadership Have To Do With COVID-19 and Peace?” Global Observatory 2021
  • Whose Peace Are We Building?: Leadership for Peace in Africa, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021 (with Mbiatem Albert)
  • “What Kind of Leadership Does the Vision of “Silencing the Guns” Require?” Conflict Trends, ACCORD, 2020, pp. 19-27
  • “Whatever Future Holds for Peace Operations, Peacebuilding Must Be More Local and Plural,” Global Observatory 2020
  • “Improvising Peace: Towards New Social Contracts in Tunisia” (Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2020) (with Andrea Ó Súilleabháin)
  • “De la paix négative à la paix positive, les Nations unies face à un défi existentiel,” ACTES, Fondation Gabriel Péri, Paris 2019, pp. 97-102
  • “What Kind of Leadership Does Sustaining Peace Require?” Global Observatory 2019
  • “Fostering People-Centric Approach to Peace and Security in the Atlantic Space,” in Atlantic Currents (Rabat, Morocco: OCP Policy Center, 2018)
  • “Without Prioritization of Peace and Women’s Leadership, WPS in Peril,” Global Observatory 2018
  • “People-Centred Approaches to Peace: At Cross Roads Between Geopolitics, Norms, and Practice,” in United Nations Peace Operations in a Changing Global Order, Cedric de Coning and Mateja Peter, eds. (New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
  • “Can FemWise-Africa Make Mediation Work for Sustaining Peace?” Global Observatory 2018
  • “Can Peacebuilding Work for Sustaining Peace?,” Global Observatory 2018 (with Anupah Makoond)
  • “Sustaining Peace in Practice: Building on What Works” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2018) (with Lesley Connolly and Delphine Mechoulan)
  • “Human Rights and Sustaining Peace” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2017) (with Aïssata Athie)
  • “In Tunisia’s March Toward Women’s Rights, Finish Line Is in Sight,” Global Observatory 2017
  • “Tunisia’s New Protections for Women: A Legislative Revolution and Missed Opportunity,” Global Observatory 2017
  • “Investing in Peace to Prevent Violent Extremism in the Sahel-Sahara Region” in Issue 2: Peacebuilding Approaches to Preventing and Transforming Violent Extremism (Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, Volume 12, 2017) (with Arthur Boutellis)
  • “‘Distress Migration:’ Moving Beyond Vulnerability-Based Paradigms,” Global Observatory 2017 (with Ameya Naik)
  • “Entrepreneurship for Sustaining Peace” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2017) (with Anupah Makoond and Ameya Naik)
  • “UN Regional Political Offices and Prevention for Sustaining Peace” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2017) (with Delphine Mechoulan)
  • “Sustaining Peace: What Does It Mean in Practice?” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2017) (with Anupah Makoond) (French version)
  • “Peace Operations and Prevention for Sustaining Peace: The Restoration and Extension of State Authority” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2017) (with Delphine Mechoulan)
  • “What Would It Take to Make a ‘Surge in Diplomacy for Peace’ Work?,” Global Observatory 2017
  • “Will 2017 Be a Watershed Year For Prevention at the Service of Peace?,” Global Observatory 2017
  • “The SDGs and Prevention for Sustaining Peace: Exploring the Transformative Potential of the Goal on Gender Equality” (New York: International Peace Institute, 2016) (with Jimena Leiva Roesch, Delphine Mechoulan, and Andrea Ó Súilleabháin)
  • “Toward a New “Agenda for Peace,” Global Observatory 2016
  • “With New Resolutions, Sustaining Peace Sits at Heart of UN Architecture,” Global Observatory 2016 (with Andrea Ó Súilleabháin)
  • “Freeing Prevention From Conflict: Investing in Sustaining Peace,” Global Observatory 2016
  • “A Ripe Moment for Change at the UN?,” Global Observatory 2016
  • “In Fight Against Violent Extremism, Why Is Prevention Elusive?,” Global Observatory 2016
  • “Nobel Prize for Tunisia: Jubilation and Reality Check,” Global Observatory 2015
  • “In Burkina Faso and Beyond, Africa’s Citizens Seek to be Heard,” Global Observatory 2015
  • “In Tunisia, Seeds of Terror Attacks Come from Within,” Global Observatory 2015
  • “Terror Strikes Again, but Tunisia Is Still Standing,” Global Observatory 2015
  • Youssef Mahmoud, “L’entreprenariat, le développement économique et la stabilité,” Le Matin Geopolis, Octobre 2014
  • Youssef Mahmoud, “Lutte contre l’Etat islamique: Ses promesses et ses écueils,” Le Matin Geopolis, 19 Septembre 2014
  • “Building a Sustainable Future Requires Leadership from State and Citizen,” Global Observatory 2014 (with Jimena Leiva-Roesch and Steve Nation)
  • Youssef Mahmoud, “Le Maroc: Une diplomatie tous azimuts,” Le Matin Geopolis, 20 June 2014
  • “Pervasive Disconnect Between the State and Citizens Offers Two Paths: Promise or Peril,” Global Observatory 2014
  • “The Tunisian Constitution: Triumphs and Potential Pitfalls,” Global Observatory 2014 (with Margaret Willams)
  • “The Crisis in the Central African Republic: Will a Woman at the Helm Enough,” Global Observatory 2014 (with Mireille Affa-Mindze)
  • “In Egypt’s New Constitution: Are Women Equal Citizens,” Global Observatory 2013
  • “Tunisia after the Uprising: Conversations and Observations,” IPI Comment & Analysis 2011
  • Youssef Mahmoud, “Partnerships for Peacebuilding in Burundi: Some Lessons Learned,” in Crafting an African Security Architecture, edited by Hany Besada (London: Ashgate, 2010), pp. 129-142
  • Chandra Lekha Sriram and Youssef Mahmoud, “Bringing Security Back In: International Relations Theory and Moving Beyond the ‘Justice Versus Peace’ Dilemma in Transitional Societies,” in International Law and International Relations: Bridging Theory and Practice, edited by Thomas J. Biersteker, Peter J. Spiro, Chandra Lekha Sriram, and Veronica Raffo (New York: Routledge, 2007), pp. 222-235

Recent articles from
the Global Observatory

  • UN80: Seizing the Opportunity for a More Inclusive United Nations

    June 12, 2025 by Katja Hemmerich

    At the first informal briefing on UN80 by the UN secretary-general on May 12th, a significant number of member states, predominantly from the Global South, highlighted that this…

    Analysis, UN reform, UN80
  • Toward a Universal Approach to Financing for Sustainable Development: What Seville Can Deliver

    June 9, 2025 by Adolf Kloke-Lesch

    These are not easy times to think about reforming or even…

    Analysis, development, UN financing
  • UN at 80 Needs a New Approach to Reforming the UN Development System

    June 4, 2025 by Max-Otto Baumann

    This article focuses on what UN80 reform means for the UN’s development pillar, which is expected to be a part of it. Proposals on…

    Analysis, development, UN reform, UN80
  • Resolution 2719 on Hold: Implications for the AU-UN Partnership

    June 3, 2025 by Bitania Tadesse

    For Resolution 2719 to succeed, it must be decoupled from its narrow association with peace enforcement and instead be leveraged across a broader spectrum of peacemaking approaches. The…

    Analysis, african union, peace operations
  • Is Public Trust in the UN Falling? A Look at Global Survey Data

    May 30, 2025 by Albert Trithart, Felix Romier

    At a UN Security Council meeting in February, member states referred to the “crisis of confidence in the UN,” a “palpable loss of trust,” “ruinous mistrust,” and an…

    Analysis, multilateralism, united nations
  • The 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial: How to Do Less with Less

    May 29, 2025 by Jenna Russo

    The United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial took place in Berlin earlier this month, bringing together one of the largest numbers of delegations of any ministerial. The UN is grappling with…

    Analysis, peace operations, peacekeeping
  • Building a Legal Foundation for Prevention and One Health in the Pandemic Agreement

    May 23, 2025 by Nina Jamal

    The adoption of the Pandemic Agreement at the…

    Analysis, environment, multilateralism, Pandemic Agreement, pandemics
  • How the Landmark Pandemic Agreement Addresses Technology Transfer and Access to Pandemic Response Products

    May 21, 2025 by Alexandra Finch

    One of the core goals of the Pandemic Agreement is to tackle global disparities in access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. A key part of this effort involves technology transfer—the sharing of know-how, intellectual property, and manufacturing capacity. To that end, the agreement introduces a set of obligations aimed at shifting from a charity-based model to an end-to-end ecosystem grounded in equity. This article examines how effectively the agreement addresses technology transfer—one of the most contested issues in the negotiations. The post How the Landmark Pandemic Agreement Addresses Technology Transfer and Access to Pandemic Response Products appeared first on IPI…

    Analysis, multilateralism, Pandemic Agreement, pandemics
  • A New Pandemic Agreement: Multilateralism Under Strain, but Still Standing

    May 19, 2025 by Emmanuelle Cousin, Ricardo Miguel Matute Rojas

    Amid geopolitical fragmentation and rising nationalist sentiment, the negotiations leading to the Pandemic…

    Analysis, multilateralism, Pandemic Agreement, pandemics
  • Linking Feminist Foreign Policy and the Care Economy in Latin America: Bringing the Local to the Multilateral

    May 12, 2025 by Evyn Papworth

    Experts have highlighted that the Latin America and Caribbean region is unique in that several countries’ care policies are situated within their gender equality policies (encompassing a root cause approach) rather than being siloed within economic and poverty reduction policies. Recognizing the vital role of care work and transforming care systems to change the unequal distribution of labor is critical to addressing the root causes of gender inequality.  The post Linking Feminist Foreign Policy and the Care Economy in Latin America: Bringing the Local to the Multilateral appeared first…

    Analysis, americas, feminist foreign policy, women peace and security

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About the International Peace Institute

The International Peace Institute is an independent, non-profit organization working to strengthen inclusive multilateralism for a more peaceful and sustainable planet. Through its research, convening, and strategic advising, IPI provides innovative recommendations for the United Nations System, member states, regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector. With staff from around the world and a broad range of academic fields, IPI has offices facing United Nations headquarters in New York.

About IPI Global Observatory

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