Abiodun Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abiodun "Abi" Williams
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| Born | 24 December 1961 Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy |
| Profession | Diplomat, academic |
Abiodun Williams (born 1961) is an expert in preventing conflicts and managing peace around the world. He used to work as a high-ranking official at the United Nations. He also served as the President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
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Learning and Education
Williams went to the Sierra Leone Grammar School. He also studied at the Lester B. Pearson United World College in Canada. There, he earned his International Baccalaureate Diploma.
He later got a master's degree in English from the University of Edinburgh. He was a great debater there. He also earned two more degrees from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. These were a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy and a PhD in International Relations.
Working Life and Career
Abiodun Williams started his career as a visiting professor. From 1988 to 1994, he was a professor at Georgetown University. He returned to Georgetown in 2017.
From 1994 to 2000, Williams worked in three peacekeeping missions. These were in Macedonia, Haiti, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He helped the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative.
From 2001 to 2007, Williams was a Director for United Nations Secretaries-General Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan. After that, he worked at the National Defense University. Then he moved to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C..
From 2008 to 2012, Williams held important roles at USIP. He led their work in major conflict areas. These included Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt.
From 2013 to 2016, Williams was the President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice. Since 2017, Dr. Williams has been at Tufts University. He has been a professor there and directed its Institute of Global Leadership.
Special Awards and Honors
Abiodun Williams has received several awards. These include the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University in 2012. He also received the Constantine E. Maguire Medal from Georgetown University in 1990.
Challenges at The Hague Institute for Global Justice
Abiodun Williams became the first president of The Hague Institute for Global Justice in 2013. The institute received a lot of funding from the Dutch government.
However, there were reports about how the institute was managed. Some sources raised questions about spending and fundraising. Accounting firms also confirmed these concerns.
Reports suggested that these management issues led to his departure in December 2016. The institute later faced financial difficulties and closed down.
The situation at the institute was even discussed in the Dutch parliament. Several political parties asked questions to the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs. They wanted to know why action wasn't taken sooner. They also asked if the lost funds could be recovered.
