Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein is a Jordanian diplomat who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2014 to 2018. He also served as Jordan’s permanent representative to the UN, its ambassador to the United States, and the non-resident ambassador to Mexico. Following the establishment of the International Criminal Court in June 2002, al Hussein assumed the pivotal role of chairing negotiations on offenses related to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. He chaired the Consultative Committee for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), during which he led an effort to establish more financial and technical assistance for gender equality. Al Hussein is currently the president and CEO of the International Peace Institute.
