Speakers

Keynote Address:
Charles R. Snyder
Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Mr. Snyder was appointed Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs on November 1, 2003. Prior to assuming his duties, Mr. Snyder served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, where he managed the Bureau on a daily basis. He also was the central policy person for the Sudan peace initiative and provided policy focus for the southern African region. Mr. Snyder, before becoming Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs from 2001 to 2003. He helped frame policy for the Horn of Africa and Central Africa, including the Great Lakes Region. From 1995 until 2001, Mr. Snyder was the Director of the Office of Regional Affairs in the Africa Bureau. He advised the Assistant Secretary on crosscutting policy and program issues such as democracy, conflict resolution, human rights, and crisis management. A career Africanist, Mr. Snyder served in the Senior Intelligence Service at the Central Intelligence Agency as National Intelligence Officer for Africa from 1992 until 1995.

Mr. Snyder retired from the U.S. Army in 1991 after 22 years of service. During these years, Colonel Snyder was responsible to the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for military training and assistance programs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, he established credentials as an expert in African matters as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency and on the staff of Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence. Assigned to the Department of State in 1985 as an exchange officer, he served as military advisor to the Africa Bureau until his retirement from active duty. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Fordham University and a Master of Business Administration in International Finance from American University. Mr. Snyder did additional post-graduate work in International Relations at Catholic University. He is a Fellow of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, a life member of the African Studies Association, and a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of the Foreign Service Institute.

Panelists:

• Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Counselor, Egyptian Embassy to the United States - Currently the Counsellor in charge of the Sudan File and Congressional Affaires at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C., Dr. Abdelatty has considerable experience in the Egyptian Foreign Service.  From 2001-2003, he served as the First Secretary in the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affaires in charge of the Sudan File for the Ministry of Foreign Affaires in Cairo. In addition, his professional experiences have included: First Secretary, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Tokyo (1997 –2001); Second Secretary, Office of The Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Regional Economic Co-operation in the Middle East, Ministry of Foreign Affaires, Cairo (1995-1997); Member of the Egyptian Delegation to the Cairo Economic Conference for the Middle East and North Africa (1996); Third Secretary, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Tel Aviv (1991-1995); Attaché, Ministry of  Foreign Affaires, Cairo (1989); Researcher, Center for Political & Strategic Studies, Al- Ahram Foundation, Cairo.(1985-1989      ).  His publications have included: "Japanese Foreign Policy Towards the Arab-Israeli Peace Process,”  ( 2003); "Egypt and The Palestinian Entity: A Study in Egypt's Prespective Towards the Palestinian Self- Governments” (1997); The Evolution of the Japan-Israel Relationship:1948-2003, Al Siassa Al-Dawlia Quarterly, vol. 153, July 2003;and several articles published in Al Siassa Al- Dawlia Quarterly from 1988-2000 on different issues, including: The Middle East Peace Process and The Japanese Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East.
• Dr. Osama Abdelgadier, Assistant Professor Framingham State University - Dr. Abdelgadier is an Assistant Professor at Framingham State College. Prior to that, he was a Visiting Scholar, GIS for International Development Program, Clark University (1995 – 1997) and Assistant Professor at University of Khartoum (1989 – 1995). Dr. Abdelgadier has conducted fieldwork in the Upper Nile State (1995), Western Sudan (1993) and Eastern Sudan. (1990). His publications include “Indigenous Crop Protection Strategies of Small Farmers in En-Nahud District, Western Sudan” in Indigenous Farming Systems, Knowledge and Practices in the Sudan. (1994); “Migration and Rural Development in El-Obeid Area, Sudan” in Sudanese Studies Journal (1993), and Socioeconomic Linkages and Resource Flow Between Sinkat Region, Tokar and Gash Deltas, Eastern Sudan (1992).
• Ambassador Khidir H. Ahmed, Sudanese Embassy to the United States - Ambassador Ahmed currently serves in the Sudan Embassy in Washington, D.C., functioning as Chargé d'Affaires. He has also represented the Minister of Foreign Affairs in travels to Brazil. In 2003 his nomination as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federative Republic of Brazil, with residence in Washington, D.C., was accepted. Ambassador Ahmed's prior foreign service includes Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Sudan to Japan from 1999 to April 2001, and Head of the American Affairs Department for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum from September 1996 to June 1999. He was Minister Plenipotentiary in 1991 and Chargé d’Affaires until 1996 in Algiers and was promoted to Ambassadorial level in May 1996. Ambassador Ahmed's professional experience also includes work as Counselor at Press Office of the Sudan Embassy in Algiers as a translator and cultural adviser before becoming a diplomat.
  
  Ambassador Ahmed has published several academic works including, “The Role of Religion in the Adaptation Process among Sudanese in Houston”, “The Concept of Globalization” published by Strategic Studies Center, Khartoum, “The Impact of Globalization on Arabic Culture” for the National UNICEF Office, “The Impact of Berber Question on Culture in Algeria”, and “Religious Extremism, A Sociological Approach.” He has also written a novel, Urban Dwellers and a number of short stories.
• Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Director of Outreach, African Studies Center of University of Pennsylvania - Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar obtained his BA and MA from the University of Khartoum, Sudan, and his Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995. Since October 1994, Dr. Dinar work as the Outreach Director with the University of Pennsylvania's African Studies Center. He is responsible for disseminating information and conducting programs about Africa for regional, national and international schools/colleges, businesses, media agencies, and community organizations. He is the sole Editor of UPenn Africa Web site which is the most comprehensive on-line resource on Africa, and the founder of "Darfur Information Center", an on-line source for information about Darfur region of western Sudan. His main areas of research interest include: material culture and its role in identity and historical narratives in oral and printed forms. Dr. Dinar was the past Chair of the Electronic Technology Group, the current Chair of the Outreach Council, both of the African Studies Association - USA, and the current President-Elect of the Sudan Studies Association, USA.
• Dr. David Chand, Associate Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha - Dr. Chand is currently teaching at the University of Nebraska at Omaha as an Associate Professor of Political Science. Prior to that, he served as the Executive Director of the South Sudan Institute of Peace and Development (SSIPD) in South Sudan (1999-2001) and was the Ambassador and Director of Peace and Human Rights Department for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum (1997-99). Dr. Chand is a founding member of South Sudan Independence Movement/Army (SSIM/A), a member of the National Liberation Council (NLC) (1994) and Member of the UDSF Central Committee (1998). He was the Spokesman and Director of External Affairs of SSIM/A (now UDSF) from 1995-98 and served as the Representative of SSIM/A (formerly SPLA-United) to the United Nations and the Americas from 1991-94. As a member of SSIM, Dr. Chand took part in the Inter-Governmental Authority (IGAD) I, II, and II & IV Peace Talks and participated in the South-South Dialogue on peace and Unity of Purpose held in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2000.
  
  Dr. Chand’s academic postings include Senior Research Fellow, The Max-Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany and assistant professorships at the Center for Peace and Development Studies (CPDS) at the University of Juba, Khartoum, Kennesaw State College, School of International Affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern University in New Orleans.
• Prof. Diana Chigas, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Diplomacy, The Fletcher School - In addition to teaching courses on Negotiation at Fletcher, Professor Chigas serves as Vice President and Regional Director (Europe/Former Soviet Union and International Organizations programs) for Conflict Management Group (1989–present). In her role at Conflict Management Group, Ms. Chigas provides strategic advice, third party facilitation and training to diplomats, economic and trade officials and government leaders in negotiation and conflict resolution.  Her recent publication include: ‘‘Unofficial Interventions with Official Actors: Parallel Negotiation Training in Violent Intra-state Conflicts," International Negotiation 2 (1997); ‘‘La Diplomacia Preventiva y la OSCE," Negociación 2000 (1996); "Preventive Diplomacy and the OSCE: Creating Inventives for Dialogue and Cooperation," Preventing Conflict in the Post-Communist World: Mobilizing International and Regional Organizations (1996); "Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice: The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities," Helsinki Monitor (1994); "Building Capacity for Conflict Prevention," Bulletin of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (1994).
• Safaa El-Kogali, Education Economist, The World Bank Group - Ms. Safaa El-Kogali, a Sudanese national, is an education economist in the Human Development Unit in the Africa Region of the World Bank. Ms. El-Kogali joined the World Bank as a Young Professional in 2000. In her first assignment, she worked in the Human Development unit of the Middle East and North Africa Region on a basic education project and a public expenditure review in Yemen. She also jointly conducted a study on the gendered effects of trade liberalization with the Gender Group in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit.
  
  Ms. El-Kogali currently works in the Human Development Unit covering Central and Western Africa, spearheading the preparation of a social sector project in Sao Tome and Principe. In Burkina Faso, she is currently supervising a post-primary education project, and working with the Country Team on a public expenditure review. She also supports the Sudan Country Team.
  
  Ms. El-Kogali received a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, US and an MPhil in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK. Before joining the Bank, she worked in Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan.
• Ami Henson, External Liaison, Sudan Task Force, USAID
  Ami Henson has been on the Sudan Task Force at USAID since October 2001, working primarily on humanitarian programs and policy. Prior to joining USAID, Ami worked for World Relief as Director of Government Relations, focusing much of her time relating to Sudan policy issues. Ami travels frequently to Sudan to assess emerging crisis situations and evaluate ongoing programs. Her most recent trips have focused on the impact of the return of internally displaced persons, democracy and governance issues, and programs addressing trafficking in women and children. She is a J.D. candidate at Georgetown University Law Center, focusing on international humanitarian law and human rights law. She received her bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL.
• David Hoile, Director, European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council - Dr. David Hoile is the Director of the European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council. He is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Political Science and the Institute of African-Asian Studies at the University of Khartoum. He is the author of "Images of Sudan: Case Studies in Propaganda and Misrepresentation" (2003), and "Farce Majeure: The Clinton Administration's Sudan Policy 1993-2000" (2000), and is the editor of "The Search for Peace in the Sudan: A Chronology of the Sudanese Peace Process 1989-2001" (2002).
• Suzanne Jambo, Coordinator, New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs Network - Ms. Suzanne Samson Jambo is a southern Sudanese women and children's rights activist.  She has wide ranging experience in human rights issues, having previously worked with international organizations in Sudan such as UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Programme and Amnesty International Secretariat in London. Ms. Jambo holds professional degrees in Law and Applied Social Sciences. Over the last four years, she has been assisting indigenous Sudanese Non-Governmental Organizations in capacity building and improving organizational structures.  She has also been assisting different Sudanese women's indigenous NGOs’ efforts to develop international, regional and local human rights provisions that are women-friendly.

  Ms. Jambo is currently coordinating the New Sudanese Indigenous NGO Network (NESI-Network), a forum for South/New Sudanese civil society.  NESI-Network was formed to address pertinent issues relating to human rights, good governance and socio-development matters concerning the people of South/New Sudan.   Besides undertaking freelance and voluntary work, Ms. Jambo also writes about socio-cultural, legal, gender and development matters, including a book on ‘Overcoming Gender Bias: The Case of New Sudan Women and Girls’ published in Oct 2002.

• Ted Johnson, Senior Program Manager/Legal Advisor, Conflict Management Group - As the Senior Program Manager with CMG, Mr. Johnson has served as a consultant and trainer in negotiation and dispute resolution programs in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. He has worked in South Africa on the peace process, the Middle East including Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, the Caucuses, the Balkans, and Asia. In the West he has worked in Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In addition to training and consulting, Mr. Johnson has worked extensively in the area of curriculum development for school systems, colleges and universities and community groups. He has also worked closely with various United Nations Agencies including the World Health Organization, UN Trade and Development, and UN Environmental Program. Mr. Johnson serves CMG as in-house legal advisor on domestic and international matters relating to the organization. He has also served as adjunct faculty to Harvard University Law School. Mr. Johnson is currently writing his Ph.D. dissertation at The Fletcher School on the topic of Culture, Communication and Negotiation—a Critical Intersection.
• Prof. Ian Johnstone, Assistant Professor of International Law, The Fletcher School - Before joining the faculty at Fletcher, Professor Johnstone spent seven years at the United Nations, including five as an aide in the Office of the Secretary-General, one in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and one in the Office of Legal Affairs.  Professor Johnstone’s other professional positions have included: Senior Research Associate, International Peace Academy; Warren Weaver Fellow in International Security, Rockefeller Foundation; Associate in Law, Columbia University; Judicial Clerk, Ontario Court of Appeal; Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, Academic Council of the United Nations System; American Society of International Law; Law Society of Upper Canada.  His recent publications include: Keeping the Peace: Multidimensional UN Operations in Cambodia and El Salvador (co-editor)(1997); "Security Council deliberations: the power of the better argument", European Journal of International Law, Vol. 14(3), 2003; "The role of the Secretary-General: the power of persuasion based on law", Global Governance, Vol. 9(3), 2003; The power of interpretive communities" Power and Global Governance (forthcoming, 2004); "The Humanitarian Security Dilemma in International Peacekeeping," (co-author) Aspects of Peacekeeping (2001); "UN peacebuilding: consent, coercion and the crisis of state failure," From Territorial Sovereignty to Human Security (2000); "The UN’s Role in Transitions from War to Peace: Sovereignty, Consent and the Evolving Normative Climate," Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies Info Paper (1999).
• Dr. Jok Madut Jok, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Dr. Jok received a PhD in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is on leave from the History Department at Loyola Marymount University. He is currently a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jok’s other academic postings have included Fellow and Lecturer at University of California, Los Angeles and Lecturer at California State University Los Angeles. From 1993-1995, he was a Relief Project Officer for the Save the Children Fund in its South Sudan program.
  
  Dr. Jok has received multiple grants to support research in South Sudan, including a United States Institute of Peace Grant and a Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Grant. His writings include Humanitarian Aid and the Politics of Peace Building: The Case of Operation Life-line Sudan (under contract, forthcoming); Sudan: Religion, Discord and the Failed Union (in progress), War and Slavery in Sudan (2001), Militarization, Gender and Reproductive Health in South Sudan (1998).
• Kirimi Kaberia, Deputy-Ambassador, Kenyan Embassy to the United States - A former reporter with BBC, Kirimi Kaberia is close to many of the regional politics in the Eastern Africa region including Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. He has also extensive experience in the US foreign policy towards Africa. Prior to his appointment to Kenya Embassy in Washington DC Kaberia was the director for International Programs he founded at the Les Aspin Center of Marquette Universty in Washington DC. He has written widely on Africa and international political economy as it affects Africa. He is the founder of ATCnet a network of African professionals dedicated to developing stronger links for Africa and the world community and enhancing peace in Africa.
• Joseph Kahiigwa, Minister Counsellor, Ugandan Embassy to the United States - Mr. Kahiigwa is currently serving as Minister Counsellor in Washington, D.C. Prior to this post, he was Head of the Resource Center, Policy Analysis & Planning for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala, Uganda. His other Foreign Service positions include Vice Consul General in the Consulate of the Republic of Uganda in Goma, Zaire (1993 - 1997), service in the Africa Department of Ministry Foreign Affairs in Kampala (1990 – 1993), Chargé d’Affaires for the Uganda Embassy in Tripoli, Libya (1986 – 1990), Second Secretary for Uganda High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya (June 1981), Senior Assistant Secretary for Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1978 – 1981), and Assistant Secretary for Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1978 – 1981). From 1981 to 1986, Mr. Kahiigwa was a refugee in Kenya. Mr. Kahiigwa received his BA in History from Makerere University in Kampala and has received extensive diplomatic training including a Certificate in Diplomatic Practice and International Relations in Canberra, Australia, an Advanced Diplomatic & International Relations Course in India, UNITRA Course on Conflict Resolution in Africa in Senegal, and a Senior Diplomatic Course in Pakistan.
• Muna Awad Khugali, Coordinator, Sudanese Women's Convention - Ms. Khugali -- Sudanese refugee, ex-prisoner of conscience, human rights activist, and founding member of Sudanese Martyrs Families Organization -- is also Coordinator of Sudan National Women's Convention. In addition to her work as Coordinator, Ms. Khugali is pursuing her Masters and Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Westminister, London.
• Khalid Kodi, Fine Arts Faculty, Boston College - Mr. Kodi, a Sudanese artist currently living in Boston, began teaching in the Boston College Fine Arts department in 1995. Mr. Kodi has graciously donated his artwork for the conference poster and program. In addition he has created the unique exhibition displayed at The Fletcher School expressly for this conference. Please use the following link to access information about Mr. Kodi’s previous exhibits and to view some of his work:
  http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/finearts/faculty/studioarts/kodi/
• Dr. Peter Kok, Director, Sudan-African Organization for Human Rights and the Rule of Law - Dr. Kok is a South-Sudanese lawyer and human rights activist. He is the former chairman of the South Sudan Law Society. Previous to this occupation, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute in Germany. He was also a faculty member at the Law Department of the University of Khartoum. Dr. Kok is currently building a new organization called the Sudan-African Organization for Human Rights.
• Dr. Robert Orr, Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University - Robert Orr is the Executive Director for Research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He previously served as Vice President of the Council on Foreign Relations and Director in Washington, D.C. In this role he managed all Council activities in Washington, including an extensive meetings program and studies department. He also co-chaired the Council’s Congress and Foreign Policy program and co-directed a high-level bi-partisan commission on Post-Conflict Reconstruction.
  
  Previously he served as Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, and Director of his Washington office. In this role he served on the National Security Council-chaired Deputies Committee. Dr. Orr also has served as Senior Advisor and Executive Office Director at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, and as a Director in the Office of Global and Multilateral Affairs of the National Security Council in the White House where he was responsible for peacekeeping, humanitarian emergencies, and multilateral negotiations. He also has worked for the International Peace Academy in New York, the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., USAID in Nairobi, Kenya, and CBS News in Beijing, China.
  
  Dr. Orr received his Ph.D. and M.P.A. in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He speaks Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Dr. Orr is co-author of Keeping the Peace: Lessons from Multidimensional Peace Operations in Cambodia and El Salvador (Cambridge University Press, 1997), as well as author of various articles on U.S. foreign policy, the United Nations, peacemaking and peacekeeping.
• John Prendergast, Special Adviser to the President, International Crisis Group - John Prendergast is a Special Adviser to the President at the International Crisis Group. Prior to joining ICG, he was a Special Advisor to the U.S. State Department focusing on conflict resolution in Africa. He also was Director of African Affairs at the National Security Council.

  Mr. Prendergast has also worked for a variety of think tanks, UN agencies and NGOs in Africa and on African issues, including the U.S. Institute of Peace, Human Rights Watch, and UNICEF. He has written six books on Africa, including ICG’s latest book on Sudan, God, Oil & Country: Changing the Logic of War in Sudan, and published widely on U.S. foreign policy.

• Prof. Eric Reeves, Professor, Smith College - Though a literary academic by training, Eric Reeves has for the last five years worked full-time as a Sudan analyst and advocate. During this period he taken a very extended leave without pay from Smith College to research and write on the continuing destruction of Sudan. He is at work on a book project (Sudan - Suffering a Long Way Off), which is the culmination of these efforts. He has done a great deal of particular research work on the role oil development in sustaining Sudan's ongoing catastrophe, and in this connection has served as a policy and advocacy consultant to a number of humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations. He has testified on Sudan twice before the House International Relations Committee, before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and before the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

  Essays growing out of his research have appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The International Herald Tribune, The Nation, Human Rights Review and African Studies Review, and many other national and international publications

• Prof. Jeswald Salacuse, Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law, The Fletcher School - In addition to his current faculty position at The Fletcher School, Professor Salacuse has held a series of diverse academic and professional experiences including teaching positions at the University of Khartoum, Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria) and National School of Law and Administration (Zaire). Other professional positions have included: Fulbright Chair in Comparative Law for Italy (spring 2000); Dean, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (1986-94); Dean, Southern Methodist University School of Law (1980-86) and Advisor on Law and Development, The Ford Foundation.  In addition to the previously-mentioned institutions, Professor Salacuse has taught at the University of London, University of Trento (Italy), University of Bristol (England), Instituto de Empresa (Spain), Southern Methodist University, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussés (France), and the Lebanese University. He has served as the Associate Director, African Law Center, Columbia Law School; Member, American Law Institute; Member, Council on Foreign Relations; Fellow, American Bar Foundation; Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London; Founding President, Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs; Chairman, Institute of Transnational Arbitration; Chairman, Council for International Exchange of Scholars; Member, Steering Committee, Program on Negotiation, Harvard University. 

  Professor Salacuse’s recent publications include: The Wise Advisor: What Every Professional Should Know about Consulting and Counseling (2000). “Direct Foreign Investment and the Law in Developing Countries,” ICSID Review (The World Bank) (2000); “Direct Negotiation and Mediation in International Financial and Business Conflicts,” Non-Judicial Dispute Settlement of International Financial Transactions (2000); “From Developing Countries to Emerging Markets: A New Era for Law and Development” The International Lawyer (1999); “Intercultural Negotiations in International Business” (vol. 8) Group Decision and Negotiation (1999); The Art of Advice (1994); Making Global Deals (1991); International Business Planning (co-author, 6 vols.) (1987); An Introduction to Law in French-Speaking Africa (2 vols.) (1969 and 1975); Nigerian Family Law (co-author) (1966).

• Semir Tanovic, Program Manager for East Africa, International Rescue Committee - Currently Mr. Tanovic is the Program Manager for East Africa in the IRC. At this post he established the cross-line program approach in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, negotiating access for IRC staff across this former fierce frontline of the Sudanese war. Previously he was the Program Specialist for Asia and East Africa and the Program Assistant for the Balkans and Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union. Before that, he established IRC operations in Mostar and Jablanica regions, where he was the first head of office in Mostar. Before the war he owned a travel agency. He is a graduate of the Sarajevo University, Linguistics Department, where he majored in English, American Literature and Civilizations, and Arabic Literature and Civilization.
• Fridtjov Thorkildsen, Senior Adviser/Coordinator, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Mr. Thorkildsen is the Senior Adviser/Coordinator of the Sudan Team for the Africa Department of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also serves as Chair on behalf of IGAD Partner's Forum for the Consultative Core Group for the Joint Assessment Missions for Sudan, which coordinate the preparations for the first international donor conference for Sudan (to be held in Norway in 2004). A sociologist by training, Mr. Thorkildsen has worked in UNESCO, the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo. He also served as Director of the Norwegian Foreign Service Institute (1996-2001) and Deputy Head of Mission in the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo (2001-2003).
   
• Stephen Wondu, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Representative to the United States - Mr. Wondu is the Representative of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and NDA for the United States, Canada and the UN. He has a Masters in Accountancy from George Washington University and a Masters of Arts from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Mr. Wondu also earned Bachelors degrees at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and Makerere University in Uganda. His published works include Battle for Peace in Sudan (1999) and numerous articles in periodicals and journals.