The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, a special project of the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, announced the appointment of Matthew Hodes as incoming Director effective on 1 February 2013. Mr. Hodes, who previously served with the United Nations in the 1990s at headquarters and in the field, brings with him extensive experience in peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict nation building in the public and non-for-profit sectors.
From the early 1990’s until 2001, Hodes served the United Nations in multiple capacities, including providing policy and legal advice for the UNPROFOR leadership during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. In 1995 he opened the first office in Sarajevo for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and returned to Sarajevo to focus on rebuilding the Bosnian judicial system for the Office of the High Representative of Bosnia from 1999–2001.
In 2001 Hodes went to work for The Carter Center. From 2003-2007 he was Director of the Conflict Resolution Program, where he advised former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter on matters relating to armed conflicts and political disputes, while leading the Center’s mediation and negotiation assistance activities around the world. In 2010, Mr. Hodes went on to serve as Director of Programs for Club de Madrid, where he focused on transformational leadership in transitional societies and equitable development policies. He has also worked as a private consultant, advising public sector and not-for-profit agencies.
High Representative Designate for Alliance of Civilizations, Nassir Al-Nasser, welcomed Director Hodes to the Alliance saying, “I am confident that Mr. Hodes’ knowledge and qualifications will be an asset for steering the sophisticated activities of the Alliance.”
Hodes succeeds outgoing director Marc Scheuer.