Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Selected Publications
Timeline
Generic

Vanessa Wyeth

New York,NY

Summary

Strategic policy leader with 20+ years of expertise advancing international peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and fragile states programming in multilateral organizations and diplomatic missions. Proven ability to lead complex global agendas, build consensus among diverse stakeholders, and influence policy and funding decisions across the UN system and international institutions.

Overview

23
23
years of professional experience

Work History

Global Lead, Conflict Prevention, Fragility & Peacebuilding

UNICEF
New York, NY
11.2022 - Current
  • Lead global agenda on peacebuilding across UNICEF’s programming, policy, and partnerships.
  • Advise Country and Regional Offices on conflict analysis, risk-informed programming, and integrated approaches to social cohesion and resilience, while coordinating cross-divisional engagement to mainstream conflict-sensitive programming and operationalize HDP nexus approaches.
  • Serve as UNICEF’s principal advisor and representative in interagency and multilateral fora on the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus, peacebuilding, and conflict-sensitive programming.
  • Successfully advocated for the inclusion of children in the climate, peace, and security agenda through the development of a new Children, Youth, Peace and Climate Security Global Framework, to be launched at COP30.
  • Lead development of global guidance, tools, and training on conflict analysis, conflict sensitivity, and peacebuilding, integrated into UNICEF’s broader risk-informed programming and planning frameworks.
  • Launched UNICEF’s new Peacebuilding Programming Framework in 2024 and supported a 50% increase in the number of UNICEF country programmes explicitly integrating peacebuilding and social cohesion objectives under the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan.

Senior Policy Adviser (Peacebuilding)

Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
New York, NY
09.2015 - 10.2022
  • Served as lead advisor on conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and climate and security within the mission’s political section; supported development of Canadian policy and programming on peacebuilding, prevention, and UN reform.
  • Led Canada’s chairmanship of the UN Peacebuilding Commission in 2020, including spearheading PBC response to COVID-19, launching new engagement with Central Africa, Somalia, and the Pacific, and leading multilateral negotiations to develop and adopt PBC Gender Action Plan.
  • Led planning and outreach for Peacebuilding Fund Replenishment Conference (January 2021), mobilizing $427 million in multiyear funding for the UN’s peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts.
  • Managed Canada’s chairmanship of the PBC Sierra Leone configuration, including assessment mission in 2016 and PBC Chair visits to Sierra Leone and West Africa in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
  • Managed the Mission’s communications and media engagement until 2017, including as comms lead for Prime Minister and cabinet visits to the UN in 2016 and 2017.

Peace and Conflict Advisor

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Paris, France
07.2013 - 07.2015
  • Lead advisor on conflict and fragility within the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD) and head of secretariat for the DAC International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF).
  • Strategic management of overall INCAF agenda, including developing workplan, managing relationships with co-chairs and members, planning and executing meetings, and managing policy products.
  • Led DCD strategy on post-2015 development agenda and work to redefine ODA guidelines on peace and security; finalized and launched OECD guidance on gender and statebuilding.

Senior Research Coordinator

Center on International Cooperation, New York University
New York, NY
05.2012 - 05.2013
  • Developed and led a new research program on conflict and development, including designing research streams, leading fundraising, and managing engagement with donors and other stakeholders.
  • Led policy outreach and relationships with UN stakeholders for major research project developing policy options for the post-2015 development framework, including advice on integrating conflict and fragility, advising the co-chairs of the High-Level Panel on political strategy, and supporting member state consultations.

Research Fellow, Peacebuilding and State Fragility

International Peace Institute (IPI)
New York, NY
01.2007 - 05.2012
  • Led major research program on peacebuilding and state fragility, including support to UN policy processes and political decision-making through behind-the-scenes facilitation, policy advice, research, and convening.
  • Fundraised and managed $500,000 annual program, including donor reporting and external partnerships.
  • Hired, trained, and supervised work of policy analyst, research assistant, and interns.
  • Organized and facilitated 8-10 workshops, seminars, policy fora, and conferences annually.
  • Published chapters, articles, policy and research papers, meeting reports, and major edited volume.

Visiting Fellow (secondment)

US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Washington, DC
06.2011 - 12.2011
  • Advised USG on policy related to peacebuilding and statebuilding, including supporting engagement with the the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, and the UN's peacebuilding architecture.
  • Represented USAID in interagency working groups on atrocity prevention and peacebuilding, and coordinated USG fragile states inputs to 'New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States' endorsed at HLF4 in Busan.
  • Revised USAID’s Conflict Assessment Framework to incorporate a political economy lens.

Program Officer, Statebuilding

International Peace Institute (IPI)
New York, NY
02.2004 - 12.2006
  • Managed budget, reporting, and day-to-day activities of research program investigating international efforts to foster legitimate and effective states in the wake of conflict.
  • Organized conferences, workshops, and expert meetings; drafted concept notes, background papers, literature reviews, and meeting reports; managed partnerships with consultants and collaborating institutions.

Operations Officer, UNFPA Kosovo

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Pristina, Kosovo
11.2002 - 12.2003
  • Managed day-to-day operations of UNFPA's Kosovo program, including six months as acting Country Director, supervising work of five local staff and overseeing $2M in project funding.
  • Managed all project budgets and reporting, and monitored work of implementing partners.
  • Represented UNFPA at meetings with government ministries, parliamentarians, donors, implementing partners, UN Country Team, UN Security Management Team, and other counterparts.

Education

Master of International Affairs - Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs
New York, NY
01-2002

Bachelor of Arts - International Relations

Boston University
Boston, MA
01-1995

Skills

  • Conflict and political economy analysis
  • Risk-informed programming in fragile contexts
  • Strategic partnerships and multilateral negotiation
  • Interagency coordination
  • French (fluent)
  • National security clearance (US, Canada)

Selected Publications

  • Knights in Fragile Armor: The Rise of the g7+, Global Governance, 18, 1, 03/01/12
  • Coming to Terms with State Fragility: Conceptual Debates and International Responses, Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Montreal, 03/01/11
  • Power, Politics, and Change: How International Actors Assess Local Context, IPI Policy Report, 06/01/10
  • Rethinking Peacebuilding and Statebuilding in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries, Discussion Note for the OECD-DAC International Network on Conflict and Fragility, 06/01/09
  • Improving International Responses to Armed Conflict, IPI Policy Report, 02/01/09
  • Visiting Editor, Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, Special Issue on 'Institutional Arrangements and Tools for Peacebuilding', 4, 2, 2008
  • Building States to Build Peace, Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008
  • State-building and Constitutional Design after Conflict, IPI Policy Report, 2006
  • Transitional Justice in Rwanda: The Gacaca Jurisdictions, Report for Centre for Conflict Management, 2001

Timeline

Global Lead, Conflict Prevention, Fragility & Peacebuilding

UNICEF
11.2022 - Current

Senior Policy Adviser (Peacebuilding)

Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
09.2015 - 10.2022

Peace and Conflict Advisor

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
07.2013 - 07.2015

Senior Research Coordinator

Center on International Cooperation, New York University
05.2012 - 05.2013

Visiting Fellow (secondment)

US Agency for International Development (USAID)
06.2011 - 12.2011

Research Fellow, Peacebuilding and State Fragility

International Peace Institute (IPI)
01.2007 - 05.2012

Program Officer, Statebuilding

International Peace Institute (IPI)
02.2004 - 12.2006

Operations Officer, UNFPA Kosovo

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
11.2002 - 12.2003

Master of International Affairs - Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs

Bachelor of Arts - International Relations

Boston University