AfP Calls for the Immediate Confirmation of Bonnie Jenkins for Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2021
CONTACT
Nick Zuroski | nick@allianceforpeacebuilding.org
Washington, D.C., USA. – The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP)—the leading nonpartisan global network to end violent conflict and build sustainable peace—on behalf of its 140+ members working in 181 countries calls for the immediate vote and confirmation of Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, AfP’s former board member, for Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs in the U.S. Department of State.
President Biden nominated Bonnie over three months ago. At her nomination hearing on April 28th, she garnered bipartisan support for her commitment to public service, reducing the threat of nuclear war and other crises, and ensuring U.S. national security. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced her nomination, but her confirmation has been pending a floor vote since May 25th. Since then, global insecurity increased due to instability caused by COVID-19, arms proliferation, rising authoritarianism, and great power competition. The U.S. government needs Senate-confirmed officials such a Bonnie to address these pressing issues.
As an AfP board member, Bonnie spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the entire peacebuilding community. In 2017, Bonnie founded Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS) to encourage the inclusion of women and persons of color in global security policy. Prior to founding WCAPS, she served as an Ambassador at the State Department’s Threat Reduction Programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. She also served in numerous security-related fellowships, including with the Brookings Institution, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, Rand Corporation, and Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John H. Kennedy School at Harvard University. Bonnie demonstrated a commitment to preparing the next generation of foreign policy leaders as Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown University Law Center, as well as a lecturer at the George Washington University and the University of Virginia.
The U.S. government needs leaders quickly in place with the requisite experience and commitment to implement bipartisan laws, such as the Global Fragility Act and Women, Peace, and Security Act—of which she was a quintessential voice in advancing—and address the numerous, pressing global crises. Bonnie Jenkins is uniquely qualified to do so. Upon confirmation, Bonnie would reenter public service with deep knowledge of urgent U.S. foreign policy, arms control, and international security issues at a moment of increasing violent conflict and fragility globally.
Bonnie has the skills and experience required to lead the State Department's Arms Control and International Security portfolio and tackle the complex challenges of today’s evolving and increasingly insecure global landscape. AfP believes her nonpartisan leadership, experience in security issues, and promotion of DEI makes her an exceptional nominee. Her position is essential for the advancement of U.S. national security. AfP calls on the U.S. Congress to expeditiously vote and confirm her nomination as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
With over 140 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.