Abiodun Williams

Who is Abiodun Williams?

Dr. Abiodun Williams is the President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice in The Hague, Netherlands and a noted academic in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and conflict management. He was formerly a senior official at the United Nations.

From 2008 to 2012 he served at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., first as Vice President of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, and later as Senior Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management leading its work in major conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt.

Prior to joining USIP, Williams served as Director of Strategic Planning for United Nations Secretaries-General Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan. From 1994 to 2000 he served in three peacekeeping operations in Macedonia, Haiti, and Bosnia-Herzegovina as Special Assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Political and Humanitarian Affairs Officer.

Dr. Williams’ academic career has included appointments as Associate Dean of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and faculty appointments at Georgetown, Rochester, and Tufts universities. In 1990 he was awarded the Constantine E. Maguire Medal for Outstanding Service to the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, and in 1992, he won the School’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is the recipient of Tufts University’s Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award.