Hiba Qasas

Ms Hiba Qasas is the Founding Executive Director of the Principles for Peace (P4P) Foundation, headquartered in Geneva. Under her leadership, P4P assembled a coalition of over 120 partner organizations, spanning governmental, non-governmental, and private sectors in support of an international commission on inclusive peace to rethink and reshape peace-making. At the heart of P4P's mission are the Principles for Peace, which have received recognition from the United Nations Security Council but also from the broader peace and security ecosystem for providing a unified frame of reference, diagnostic tool, and metrics. Ms. Qasas's tenure at the United Nations spanned 18 years, where she undertook pivotal roles both at its headquarters and in crisis regions. With a focus on conflict and post-conflict territories, she led multiple initiatives for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ranging from resilience and peace strategies to education and women's empowerment. She served as Country Representative in Iraq after filling the role of Head of  the Middle East and North Africa Section at UN Women, New York. Before her journey with the UN, she collaborated with Palestinian NGOs, primarily in microfinance and rural development. Academically, Ms Qasas is affiliated as a fellow with the University of Sydney, Pavia University, and the European School for Advanced Studies in International Development. She also co-chairs the IDEAL Society, a collaboration between Harvard University and the University of Sydney.