The Alliance for Peacebuilding’s Board of Directors is unified in endorsement of Uzra Zeya, AfP’s former President and CEO, for Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in the U.S. Department of State.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

April 14, 2021

CONTACT

Stephanie Budaker | lstephanie@allianceforpeacebuilding.org

Washington, DC - On behalf of the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s (AfP’s) Board of Directors, we are unified in our endorsement of Uzra Zeya, AfP’s former President and CEO, for Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in the U.S. Department of State.

Uzra’s distinguished 25+ year foreign service career, which included serving in conflict affected and fragile states, made her an excellent choice to lead AfP starting in January 2019. For two years, Uzra led and expanded AfP’s nonpartisan network of 130+ organizations operating in 181 countries to globally reduce and prevent violence, extremism, and violent conflict and build sustainable peace.

Uzra embodies peacebuilders' values by working tirelessly to build partnerships and bipartisan support for laws, policies, and programs that address global instability and promote U.S. national security. Uzra’s dynamic and innovative leadership was instrumental in the bipartisan Global Fragility Act passage in December 2019—a critical victory for the entire peacebuilding community, which has long advocated for a comprehensive U.S. government strategy to prevent and reduce violent conflict around the world. At AfP, she was also a strong supporter of the bipartisan Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda. Additionally, due to the destabilizing impacts of the global pandemic, she worked over the past year to advocate for a conflict prevention approach to the U.S. government's COVID-19 strategy to reduce and prevent increasing violent conflict, extremism, and violence.

Her championship of the unanimously passed Women, Peace, and Security Act has been vital in advancing its implementation. She continues to be a strong advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Throughout her tenure at AfP, Uzra consistently advocated for greater diversity and representation of women and minorities within the U.S. Department of State and AfP’s member organizations. Upon confirmation, Uzra would re-enter government service with deep knowledge of vital U.S. foreign policy priorities at a critical moment in which we are witnessing increasing conflict dynamics, democratic backsliding, and stabilization in reverse. Uzra has the skills and the experience needed to lead the State Department's Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights portfolio and tackle the complex challenges of today's evolving and increasingly insecure global landscape. We believe her exceptional leadership at AfP and the Department of State over three decades makes her an outstanding candidate, and we strongly, unreservedly, and enthusiastically endorse her to serve as the next Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

With over 130 member organizations, AfP brings together the largest development organizations, most innovative academic institutions, and influential humanitarian and faith-based groups to harness collective action for peace. We build coalitions in key areas of strategy and policy to elevate the entire peacebuilding field, tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.