Currently, he serves as a Demobilization Advisor supporting Ethiopia’s National DDR Programme under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Ethiopian National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC). Since the signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement in November 2022, Colonel Gosaye has been actively engaged in implementing Ethiopia’s national DDR process, contributing to the successful demobilization and reintegration of more than 87,000 ex-combatants across Tigray and other regions—a public contribution recognized through national media and partner reports.

Gosaye Tilahun Zeleke is highly experienced in the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS), including rehabilitation programming, psychosocial support, civic training systems, and WAM. Professionally, he specializes in bridging high-level strategic coordination with federal institutions, UN agencies, and international partners.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Peace and Security Studies and a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership, both from Addis Ababa University.

To read more about Colonel Gosaye Tilahun Zeleke, kindly visit: https://nrc.gov.et/?page_id=1490 

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Since 2013, Priscyll has worked extensively in research and the NGO sector in the field of DDR, transitional justice, gender-based violence in armed conflicts and mine action. Particularly, in Colombia and Nepal, she has engaged with different stakeholders, such as children and adolescent victims of the armed conflict, DDR practitioners, men, women and queer (ex)-combatants, military and police personnels, public officials, and women and feminist grassroots organizations.

Priscyll’s research focuses on the political agency and participation of women and queer people that have joined non-state armed groups and the difficulties of navigating the transition to “civilian society” in the aftermath of peace deals. Within this scope, she has explored understudied areas of DDR, such as family ties, parenthood, youth agency, political militancy as well as embodied and emotional aspect of transitions from war-to-peace. Priscyll has also developed alternative forms of pedagogies and methods to work in complex settings and with different actors. She has extensively published in renowned peer-review journals in the field of DDR, and she is the co-author of the graphic novel Militancia feminista post-lucha armada de las farianas (2024) with Zulay Carolina Rueda.

To read more about Priscyll Anctil Avoine, kindly visit: www.priscyllanctil.com

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Lt Col Konaté has many academic achievements, including studies in the United States and Germany, remarkably at the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DILLS), Lackland and Garmisch. Studied topics include for example regional security and programme on terrorism and security studies.

Lt Col Konaté has had many temoporary duty assignments at a number of military schools in Mali and regional Africa. From 2006 to 2013, he was deployed to Tombouctou as a Company Commander. Beyond this, Lt Col Konaté has also served as a staff officer, instructor and intelligence officer in his career.

From 2017 to 2018, he was Chief Intelligence Analyst in charge of reporting on the DDR process in Mali, and he is currently the point of contact on DDR with the EMP-ABB.

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He joined the Canadian Navy in 1975 and graduated from the Royal Military College in 1980 and served in numerous staff, command, exchange, training and operational positions onboard ship and ashore. In 1991 he went as a UN peacekeeper to El Salvador which changed his life’s focus from the Navy to peacekeeping and DDR.

Seconded to the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre (PPC) in 1997 he co-created the first formal DDR course which was eventually taught around the world. When he retired from the Navy he continued as Director of DDR Programmes at the PPC, further developing DDR and co-authoring the DDR Handbook – A Field and Classroom Guide and initiated the Integrated DDR Training Group which brought together like minded DDR training Centres to help advance and standardize global DDR Training.

Kees was selected to be the Senior Advisor DDR at the Swedish National Defence College from 2004 to 2008, where his duties included DDR Training and DDR-related advice to Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He helped initiate and worked with the Stockholm Initiative on DDR (SIDDR) which looked at the issues of DDR and peace negotiations, DDR financing and improving reintegration. He was an integral part of the development of the UN Integrated DDR Standards, the first significant multi-agency UN DDR guidance document which will helps standardize terminology, policy and procedures for DDR throughout the UN.

From 2008-12, Kees was the first Coordinator of the UN Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR where he helped to coordinate 17 UN agencies working with the IDDRS and DDR at both the policy and field levels. Together they collected field lessons, develop knowledge management, training and advance DDR policy, training and knowledge from around the world. Together with UNITAR he helped create the first online training program which continues to expand.

As a consultant Kees continues to work in/on most conflict countries with a DDR element. His work has taken him to global hotspots such as Libya, Lake Chad basin, Mali, Philippines, DRC, Burundi, Colombia and Yemen just to mention a few, while working for a host of countries, different UN Agencies as well as members of the IDDRTG and other training institutes.

Fluent in English, Spanish and French, Kees strongly believes in cooperation and coordination between all DDR actors.

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He also serves as a commissioner with the high-level National Planning Commission (Presidency of the Republic of South Africa) where he chairs the Commission’s Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Task Team. Between 2012 and 2020 he was the Director of the Safety and Violence Initiative at the University of Cape Town. Prior to this he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Security Studies (2006-2012), and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Conflict Resolution (2000-2005).

He is a National Research Foundation rated researcher and has undertaken research and published on crime and violence reduction, urban safety, policing and peace-building issues in Africa for more than 25 years. He has worked with numerous governments and various United Nations agencies on peace and security issues.

Dr. Lamb holds a Ph.D. in Criminology and a master’s degree in International and Comparative Politics from UCT.

To read more about Guy Lamb, kindly visit: https://www.sun.ac.za/politicalscience/people/academic/dr-guy-lamb/

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He conducts research into, and supports efforts to build capacity to address, the illicit trade, diversion, and uncontrolled proliferation of conventional arms, including small arms and light weapons (SALW) and ammunition.

Paul has authored and co-authored various publications on the international arms trade and conventional arms control, with a recent focus on the Arms Trade Treaty, weapons and ammunition management, and the diversion of conventional arms and ammunition.

Before joining UNIDIR, he was the head of the Policy and Capacity Support Unit at the Small Arms Survey, Deputy Director of the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies at Coventry University, and Director of the Arms Transfers Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

To read more about Paul Holtom, kindly visit: https://www.unidir.org/staff/paul-holtom

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His other areas of expertise and research interests include UN peace operations, UN arms embargoes, prevention of diversion, illicit arms and ammunition flows, counter-terrorism, and conflict prevention. Prior to re-joining UNIDIR, Hardy worked for the Arms Embargo Cell of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), UNMAS, MONUSCO, Geneva Call and the Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs.

He holds a master’s degree in International Relations, Peace and Security Studies from the Institute for International Studies in Barcelona, as well as a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Geneva.

Hardy has authored, co-authored, and contributed to numerous publications on conventional arms control. He speaks English, French, Spanish and (Swiss) German.

To read more about Hardy Giesendanner, kindly visit: https://www.unidir.org/staff/hardy-giezendanner

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Before joining BICC’s DDR advisory project, Milena worked at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in New York where she supported small arms control initiatives in Africa with national and regional partners, including the African Union and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA).

She also worked as an Advisor on small arms control at BICC, engaging in regional small arms control initiatives in Africa, notably physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) and weapons and ammunition management (WAM). Milena also worked as a DDR Officer for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the Belgian Development Cooperation in Niger.

She holds a Master degree in International Relations from the University of Louvain (UCL) and is pursuing her PhD on the Reintegration of former combatants in Niger.

To read more about Milena Berks, kindly visit: https://www.bicc.de/about/staff/staffmember/member/646-berks/

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Prior to joining UNIDIR Hana was a consultant at the Small Arms Survey where she published several papers on armed violence monitoring in the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa. She also worked with the Oxford Research Group where she spearheaded a process which led to the creation of the first set of international standards on casualty recording.

She holds MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BSc in International Development from the University of Ottawa, Canada.

To read more about Hana Salama, kindly visit: https://www.unidir.org/staff/hana-salama

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The DISARM project is the first to collect and analyze global systematic data on DDR programs (1975-2021).

Julia conducts research on DDR, gender aspects of DDR processes, disarmament negotiations, mediation, and third-party interventions in civil wars. Julia conducted fieldwork in the Middle East and Asia and provided monitoring and evaluation work for FAO, Save the Children, and consultancy for various UN bodies.

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