During the first and second quarters of 2026, AMEL has redoubled its efforts to share expertise on democracy, human rights, peace, and security with the international community. While much of this work is behind-the-scenes, other aspects include academic speaking engagements, public events, and more. Among the highlights, AMEL President, Mohamed Abubakr, and AMEL Senior Director for Human Rights, Nicholas Opiyo, shared their expertise with hundreds of current and future decision-makers across the United States and the globe.
Throughout the early months of 2026, Mohamed was called upon regularly by decision-makers in the Global North to provide insights on fast-changing realities and dynamics in the Middle East and Africa, including regional security and the regional actors in the Gulf and the Red Sea regions. Mohamed also shared human rights, peace, and democracy expertise with numerous officials, thought-leaders, and decision-makers around the world throughout the first quarter of 2026. This included participating in sessions with the Institute for Middle East Options, which fosters backchannel diplomacy to identify practical pathways for conflict resolution and de-escalation across the region. In parallel, Nicholas shared his expertise in protecting human rights, defending political prisoners, and combating authoritarianism with key groups across Africa and the Global North. In Africa, these efforts centered on frontline civil society groups, human rights defenders, and legal networks, while in the United States and elsewhere in the Global North, expertise was shared with media, law firms, and universities, including Stanford and Harvard.
Thus far in the second quarter of 2026, the AMEL team has continued sharing insights and expertise on human rights, democracy, peace, and more with young and future leaders across the United States, including the following highlights. In April, Mohamed addressed an event organized by the Howard University chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society — in cooperation with the Renew Democracy Initiative — sharing insights on peace and democracy in Sudan, the surrounding region, and beyond. Students at DePaul University’s Grace School of Citizen Diplomacy also had the opportunity this Spring to learn from Mohamed’s peace and diplomacy experiences around the world. Both Mohamed and Nicholas have additional speaking engagements upcoming throughout 2026 and beyond. If your school, community center, business or organization is interested in inviting an AMEL speaker, please visit this page.
