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Advocating for diverse representation in climate change policy

Kristin Heydt — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:47:42 +0000

Advocating for diverse representation in climate change policy Kristin Heydt Thu, 11/04/2021 - 17:47

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Dilafruz Khonikboyeva, BA ’10, MS ’14, grew up during the civil war in Tajikistan, and said it was her experience of living through conflict that motivated her to study at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. In April, she received the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

“The Carter School means so much to me personally and professionally,” Khonikoboyeva said, adding that she keeps in touch with professors who have been like mentors. “For me, this award is a promise that I will live up to it.”

So far, she’s on track.

Since graduating, Khonikboyeva spent eight years working at USAID, doing the same work she said people did for her as a child living through war. Following four years at the Aga Khan Foundation, where Khonikboyeva developed communications and policy strategy for countries in conflict, she was appointed Senior Advisor, Policy, Planning and Learning for USAID under the Biden-Harris Administration in February 2021.

“We are thrilled, but not surprised, to see Dilafruz getting the recognition she deserves,” said Carter School associate professor Terrence Lyons. “Her appointment will allow her commitment to social justice and her understanding of how transnational processes of advocacy and development shape policy at the highest levels to make a lasting difference.”

“This is about giving back to this country that means so much to me, and as a Muslim immigrant woman, it’s important to show that there is a space for us in leadership,” Khonikboyeva said.

She said her new position calls on her to coordinate with global partners, including the United Nations, in support of the Biden-Harris priorities. At the same time, she is focusing on climate change at the intersection of diversity and inclusion, looking at issues around environmental justice, and ensuring diverse voices, including indigenous populations and racial and ethnic minorities, have a place at the table.

Diverse representation is critical, she said, as multiple perspectives help strengthen the nation.

The skills she learned at Mason also come in handy.

“Conflict resolution helps you at the interpersonal, organizational, and certainly for my career, at the international level,” Khonikboyeva said. “The need for the Carter School grows with every single moment and every single year.”

Khonikboyeva’s story was also chronicled by former President George W. Bush in his book, “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants,” which was released in April.

Each chapter opens with an oil portrait of one of the immigrants, painted by President Bush. The chapters are written from his perspective, telling the inspiring stories of immigrants, and their contributions to America, Khonikboyeva said.

The portraits and stories are on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas through Jan. 3, 2022.

The book’s potential impact is what excites Khonikboyeva most.

“I’m deeply touched by this book,” she said. “It doesn’t try to hide how difficult it is to immigrate, how difficult it is to build back up from absolutely nothing.”

“It’s a celebration of that hard work and it doesn’t feed into partisan politics,” she said. “It’s very much a celebration of people and immigrants who are critical to making this country succeed.”

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After living in refugee camps for eight years, Mason student strives for peace in Burundi

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:57:00 +0000

After living in refugee camps for eight years, Mason student strives for peace in Burundi Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 11/04/2021 - 14:57

First-generation college student, Isidore Nsengiyumva. Photo provided.

Isidore Nsengiyumva, only four years old at the time, was in the fields with his father and older brother in Burundi, when suddenly they heard the sound of motors and guns. Troops involved in the country’s civil war attacked their village, and rapidly, their lives were changed.

“We hid in a bush, and when the noise of the guns and fighting subsided, we went back and found our home burned,” Nsengiyumva said. “That’s when my dad decided it was no longer safe.”

The family fled to a commune for shelter, Nsengiyumva said. A few months later, his father found someone to take them to Tanzania, where they lived in refugee camps from 1996 to 2004.

“Going through civil war and many other atrocities, we’ve seen the hand of military institutions [when they dismiss their duties] to protect the integrity, territory and people of Burundi,” Nsengiyumva said, adding that some extended family did not survive the refugee journey.

Nsengiyumva's father. "My dad has a primary school education and later trained as a mason," Nsengiyumva said. "He used his skills extensively in the refugee camps in Tanzania to build houses for local populations. He taught me the power of hope, love of family and resilience in the face of adversity."

“I want to contribute to a more peaceful Burundi where uniformed personnel discharge their roles for the good of everyone,” he said. “I’m hoping with my education at [George Mason University] and the skills I learn in the mass atrocity and genocide prevention [graduate program], I can contribute to enlightening my colleagues, and in that way, contribute to keeping peace.”

Nsengiyumva, an officer in the Burundi National Defense Force, is a Charles E. Scheidt Fellow at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He said he’s taking his courses online from Kenya, and is grateful for the opportunity.

“I’m learning with people from diverse backgrounds all over the world, and get to share my experiences,” he said, mentioning the school’s global prestige. “I’m not sure I could have that opportunity any other way—Mason gives me that.”

Nsengiyumva said joining the military was his childhood dream, as boys in the refugee camps were taught a love of country. It was also his ticket to education, the first-generation college student said.

Some of Nsengiyumva’s educational opportunities included studying at the University of Burundi, earning a scholarship to study engineering in Ethiopia, and a scholarship from the African Union to pursue a graduate degree in electrical engineering at the Pan-African University (PAU).

He said he learned about Mason at PAU, and the Carter School is likewise opening doors for him.

In particular, Nsengiyumva said he’s learning mediation and facilitation skills, which have practical applications for his professional and personal life.

“Isidore approaches each subject with curiosity, is supportive of his co-learners, and is able to apply theory to practice,” said Mason adjunct professor Jeanne Zimmer. “His background and experience coupled with his learnings through Mason will enable him to effect social-justice change on the micro and macro levels.”

Outside of class, Nsengiyumva said being a first-generation student and his experiences have taught him a lot, including a lesson on hope and never giving up, which his father helped instill in him.

“Nsengiyumva means ‘God hears,’” he said. “Not only going to Mason, but having made it as far as I have, I feel I’ve had the grace of God throughout—it’s given me confidence that whatever my mind conceives, I can probably achieve.”

From left to right: Nsengiyumva's Aunt Anesie and his mother in 2019. "My mom did not have a formal education, was only trained in embroidery, and later gave it up to focus on farming and household responsibilities," Nsengiyumva said. "The most important lesson from her was that I need only two things in life: good health and peace of mind--amahoro, we call it in Kirundi."

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Double Mason alum leads Africa Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace

Mariam Aburdeineh — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 20:09:20 +0000

Double Mason alum leads Africa Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace Mariam Aburdeineh Mon, 04/05/2021 - 16:09

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Terrence Lyons

Joseph Sany was named one of the vice presidents of the United States Institute of Peace, where he leads the Africa Center. Photo provided.

Growing up in the slums of Cameroon, Joseph Sany said he witnessed urban violence and police oppression regularly. He heard about genocide in Rwanda, and he saw more violence firsthand when he worked with NGOs and visited countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone during civil war.

“What drives me is making sure that at the end of the day, everything I did, I helped a woman, a man, a child live in a community where they don’t have to worry about violence,” said Sany, who earned his master’s in conflict analysis and resolution (’05) and his PhD (’13) in public policy from George Mason University.

In October 2020, Sany was named one of the vice presidents of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where he leads the Africa Center, following a more than 20-year career working at the forefront of peacebuilding with civil society, governments, businesses, and international organizations in Africa.

Sany and his colleagues at the center, which is committed to peace and security in Africa, regularly meet with and inform U.S. policymakers, including the U.S Congress, he said.

“It’s about, how do we listen to African voices? How do we work with our African partners in that spirit of humility and co-learning?” Sany said, adding that the center informs policies and shapes peacebuilding practice by supporting those working on the front lines of conflict in Africa.

Whether it was training thousands of peacekeepers in Africa on conflict resolution, advising diplomats of the Economic Community of Central African States with USIP, or providing guidance to multimillion-dollar peacebuilding and civil society development programs in Africa and Asia with the nonprofit FHI 360, Sany said Mason laid the foundation for his success.

“The [Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution] allowed me to think through the issues in a systematic way and find approaches to frame them to facilitate the emergence of conflict sensitive solutions,” he said, adding that his public policy degree also provided insight and a foundation for his policy work.

Originally drawn to the school because of its reputation as a leader in conflict resolution, Sany said he also benefited from learning from Mason professors who are peace practitioners with real-world experience, and from international classmates who contributed diverse and inspiring perspectives to class discussions.

“Sany was always probing and seeking fresh answers to the complex challenges of conflict analysis and resolution, with a particular passion for the potential for a peaceful Africa,” said Carter School professor Terrence Lyons. Sany said Lyons served as a mentor to him and provided connections that led to his first contract as a consultant in the conflict resolution field.

“What made [Sany] stand out was how he straddled the worlds of grassroots everyday peacebuilding and the graduate seminar, always looking to understand how the two can be linked in order to build a more just world,” Lyons said “His well-deserved position at the USIP will allow him to continue that work and to make sure we never ignore those working in the trenches to build peace in Africa.”

“Most of my classmates are now out there in the world making a difference because we were exposed to solid theoretical foundations, the world of work, the nature of the international cohort, and the proximity to Washington, D.C.,” Sany said. “That is a winning combo.”

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Negotiating with the Taliban: Alumnus strives for peace in Afghanistan

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 19:38:14 +0000

Negotiating with the Taliban: Alumnus strives for peace in Afghanistan Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 04/02/2021 - 15:38

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Terrence Lyons

Khalid Noor speaks in Balkh, Afghanistan after the first round of peace talks in Doha, Qatar. Photo provided.

A few days after Khalid Noor was born in Takhar, Afghanistan, the Taliban seized the province, and his family had to escape to another region on foot.

“We were constantly moving from city to another city,” he said. “When one district was taken or collapsed, we had to move to another.”

It wasn’t an ideal life, but Noor is motivated to change that for future generations—and he’s negotiating with the Taliban to do so.

Khalid Noor is the youngest member of the Afghan negotiating team.

In March 2020, the George Mason University alumnus, who graduated with BA in conflict analysis and resolution in 2019, was appointed to the Afghan negotiating team by President Ashraf Ghani. The team, comprising high-level politicians, members of Parliament, and representatives of political factions in Afghanistan, is negotiating with the extremist insurgency group in efforts to achieve peace, ceasefire, and a political settlement to the four-decade-long conflict. Noor is the youngest member of the negotiating team.

“My vision is to have a peaceful Afghanistan, where there is political justice, where there’s social justice and all ethnic groups see themselves as equal,” said Noor, who also learned about the struggles of Afghans from his father, who is the head of the political party Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan. “I want to see the women of Afghanistan empowered; I want the young generation to be educated.”

His dream mimics U.S. ideology, he said, which is why he wanted to study at Mason. The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution’s prestige in the field of conflict resolution was another draw.

So, what’s it like negotiating with the Taliban?

“It’s a bit complicated,” Noor said, adding that the team spends between one and five hours a day in negotiations. “In the first round, we spent three months only talking about the rule of conduct.”

The slow progress can be frustrating, but Noor keeps the goal in perspective.

“Whenever I see my people and that hope they have when they look at me and other team members representing them, that is something that gives me patience and drives me at those difficult times,” Noor said. “I have patience because I negotiate for a cause that I live for.”

Noor said his Mason education helps him decrypt complicated scenarios. In particular, he enjoyed learning from professor Marc Gopin on “Healing the Heart of Conflict” and understanding opposing sides.

“These classes help me analyze the situation every time that we meet with the Taliban,” Noor said.

Mason’s Dialogue & Difference class, which brings together international and American students to discuss controversial issues, also helped Noor learn how to manage emotions and discussions with conflicting groups, he said.

"Khalid demonstrated great understanding of the stages of healing serious conflicts that we studied,” Gopin said. “He applied those approaches to healing conflict exactly to the challenges in Afghanistan, showing great skill and sensitivity to all parties.”

“I am so proud of him engaging in this vital undertaking,” Gopin said.

Negotiations aren’t always successful though, and that terrifies Noor.

“I know the burden and responsibility we have on our shoulders,” he said. “If this negotiation fails, we won’t have the current situation, it will get much worse.”

But he’s giving it his all.

“I feel for [my people],” he said, “and I have this feeling that I’m willing to sacrifice myself for this good cause.”

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