The International Crisis Group is pleased to announce the appointment of eight new members to its Board of Trustees. The newly constituted Board, which plays an important role in Crisis Group’s global mission of preventing, mitigating and resolving deadly conflict, now includes 45 members from 32 countries.

“I am thrilled to welcome such distinguished new members to Crisis Group’s Board of Trustees. Their diverse backgrounds and wealth of experiences will be invaluable as we navigate the many unprecedented challenges facing international peacemaking”, said Crisis Group President & CEO Comfort Ero. “The need to properly reflect the concerns of different parts of the world is now more pronounced than ever and our new Trustees will enable our organisation to better tackle the multiple crises impacting the world today.” 

The new Board members from Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and South America are individuals with experience in the senior echelons of government, academia, the media and the United Nations. Their expertise will contribute to Crisis Group’s mission to prevent, manage and resolve deadly conflict.

“The addition of these accomplished individuals to our Board of Trustees demonstrates our collective commitment to remain at the forefront of conflict resolution”, said Crisis Group Co-Chair Susana Malcorra. Frank Giustra, fellow Co-Chair, noted, “We are confident that the expertise and perspectives of our new members will help the organisation’s work as we strive to make an even more positive impact on global peace and security.” 

New Members of the Board of Trustees:

Zeinab Badawi
President of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London. Ms. Badawi is a seasoned journalist, including featured positions on BBC World News TV and on BBC World Service Radio. 

Maria Fernanda Espinosa
Former President of the UNGA’s 73rd Session, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Coordinating Minister of Natural and Cultural Heritage of Ecuador, and the chief negotiator at COP16 and COP17.

Mahamadou Issoufou
Former President of Niger, Mr. Issoufou was the first to carry out democratic alternance in the country. Previously, he served as the country’s Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly.

Rima Khalaf-Hunaidi
Former UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Prior to that, Ms. Khalaf served several ministerial-level positions in Jordan, including Deputy Prime Minister. 

Kyung-wha Kang
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, the first woman to hold the position. Dr. Kang has also held several high-level positions in the United Nations, including Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer
Former Senior Mediation Adviser to the UN. Ms. Coronel-Ferrer is a founding member of the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators. A retired professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, she signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, becoming the first female chief negotiator in the world to sign a final peace accord with a rebel group.

Nadia Murad
President and Chairwoman of Nadia’s Initiative. Ms. Murad was awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. She is the first Iraqi and Yazidi to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

Abdulaziz Sager
Chairman and founder of the Gulf Research Center and President of Sager Group Holding in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sager is a regular contributor and commentator in international and regional media and holds a PhD in politics and international relations from Lancaster University.  

See the full list of Crisis Group's Board of Trustees.