Amir A. Dossal

Amir Dossal is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnerships Forum – a not-for-profit knowledge platform to provide changemakers with tools to build innovative partnerships to address economic and social challenges – which he established in 2010.

Amir is co-founder of the Pearl Initiative, a CEO-led program promoting transparency and accountability in the Middle East, and the Ocean Sanctuary Alliance, a multi-stakeholder partnership to protect coastal and marine seas around the world. He is also a Commissioner of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. From 2010 to 2014, he served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.

In 2014, President Tommy Remengesau, Jr., President of Palau, appointed Amir as his Special Representative for Global Partnerships. In 2015, the UN Global Compact appointed Amir as Special Adviser for Strategic Relationships. In 2015, Amir was invited by UN Women to join its global movement for gender equality, as HeForShe Champion. In 2016, Amir was appointed a UN Women Global champion for Planet 50-50 by 2030.

United Nations Service

Amir Dossal is a 25-year veteran of the United Nations, and served as the UN’s Chief Liaison for Partnerships until September 2010. He is an accomplished diplomat, with a deep understanding of global diplomacy as well as extensive experience in managing technical assistance projects in emerging markets.

As Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships, which Amir established in 1998 to manage the $1 billion gift by media mogul Ted Turner, he forged numerous alliances with business and civil society, to address the UN’s global agenda. In 2005, Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked Amir to set-up and manage the UN Democracy Fund, whose core mission is to strengthen institutions around the world, and enhance democratic governance in new and restored democracies. In 2006, the Secretary-General tasked him to establish the Peacebuilding Support Office, which assists post-conflict countries in bridging the gap between peace, security and economic development.

Over the years, Amir has managed a number of global development programmes and projects. These humanitarian endeavours have threaded together the leadership role of international organizations and governments, linking them with non-state actors, to encourage innovative collaboration. They included cross-sectoral initiatives for social good, women’s empowerment, democracy, innovative use of technology in economic and social development programmes, among others. From 1993 to 1997, Amir served as the Chief of Finance Management in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, where he oversaw finances for 24 peacekeeping operations worldwide (annual budget of $3 billion). During his tenure, he set-up a sophisticated military asset management system, to increase transparency and accountability.

Pioneering Partnerships and Global Outreach

Amir Dossal works globally across sectors, including education, environment, finance, health, media, technology, as well as peace, security & human rights. Over the years, he has built alliances with numerous organizations, such as the Arab Foundations Forum, BCIU, Canterbury Cathedral, Chambers of Commerce, CECP, Commonwealth Business Council, European Foundation Centre, Foreign Policy Association, IDP Foundation, ICAEW, Jewish Children’s Museum, NEPAD, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, United Nations Associations, USCIB, US Department of State, World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists and others.

In spearheading the UN's engagement with industry, Amir Dossal also developed partnerships with leading companies, including BASF, BT, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Ericsson, Google, GSK, HSBC, Microsoft, Nestle, Novartis, Pfizer, DSM, Standard Chartered Bank, Vodafone, and Walmart. Amir has championed partnerships with high-profile personalities on humanitarian causes, including The Countess Sondes, Cherie Blair, Geena Davis, Francine LeFrak, Petra Němcová, Julia Ormond, the late Joan Rivers, Russell Simmons, June Sarpong, Inge Solheim, Joss Stone, Christy Turlington Burns, Ali Velshi, among others.

Amir has worked with sustained commitment toward an overarching vision of uniting public and private energies for social progress. By nature, a social entrepreneur and innovator, his work is an endeavour to bond the power of the private sector, government, and civil society; in order that together, they may better serve the greater good.

Awards and Recognition

In October 2010, Amir received the Humanitarian Award from the UN Association of New York, for his accomplishments in Partnerships to End Poverty and World Hunger. In December 2010, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco appointed Amir as Ambassador for Peace and Sport. In February 2011, he was appointed Special Envoy to the World Youth Peace Summit. In 2015, Amir and his son, Zecki received the Humanitarian Innovation Award for intergenerational partnerships.

In March 2016, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales bestowed Amir with their 2016 Outstanding Achievement Award, for his work in uniting public and private organizations to address the world’s economic and social challenges.

Board and Advisory Roles

Amir serves on the board of several non-profits, including CITYarts, Global Social Compliance Programme, Humpty Dumpty Institute, Hunger Solutions Institute, is a Trustee of the LDNY Foundation, and a member of the Ambassadors Council of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. He is a Patron of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP), Advisory Board member of Captive Minds Communications Group, a leading brand management and communications company in the UK, a founding member of the Advisory Board of The Ethical Capitalism Group℠ LLC, Strategic Advisor to the DNA Summit, and Advisor to Ideapod, a new social media platform for ideas.

Personal

Amir is a UK Chartered Accountant (FCA), having qualified from Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, London, now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has lived and worked in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, and North America. He regularly undertakes speaking engagements and frequently serves as a moderator for high-level panels for the UN system and other international organizations, engaging Heads of States and Ministers.

Amir is married to Tas, and they have one son, Zecki.

Partnerships, Sustainability, International Relations, Policy Global Development, International Entrepreneurship, Foreign Policy,