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The 51Ʒ�� will welcome prominent diplomat Younes Abouyoub as the speaker for its annual Connections Lecture series on Thursday, Oct. 17. 

Abouyoub is head of governance and state-building for the Governance and Conflict Prevention Division of the United Nations’ Middle East and North Africa region. His discussion, “Challenges and Opportunities of Post-Conflict Political Transitions: Lessons from the Field,” will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the multipurpose rooms of the Campus Center in Biddeford.

The Connections Lecture series, hosted by UNE’s College of Arts and Sciences, brings together leading thinkers from multidisciplinary perspectives. It encourages attendees to engage with scholarly work beyond the classroom with the notion that true understanding comes from breaking down disciplinary boundaries.

Abouyoub is the former head of the political office of the U.N. Under-Secretary General for Conflict Prevention and senior political advisor to the U.N. Secretary General Special Envoy to Burundi. In his current position, he oversees a diverse portfolio of programs on governance, public policy and administration, and institutional development for conflict prevention and sustainable development, which provides member states with substantive analysis, policy advice, technical assistance, capacity-building and knowledge sharing on a host of public governance and institutional matters.

 Abouyoub holds a Ph.D. in political sociology and master’s and post-graduate degrees in geopolitics and law. He is a contributing author to the “Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern History,” “The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam,” and “The Routledge International Handbook of World-Systems Analysis,” the “Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration.” He has published numerous scholarly articles, op-eds, and contributed to edited books.

Melanie DiLorenzo, M.S., associate professor of Chemistry in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, said Abouyoub’s knowledge and expertise will provide important overlap between multiple disciplines, including history, political science, and even sociology. 

“The Connections Lecture series exists to demonstrate how an individual’s area of expertise has a much broader reach and application than one might expect,” DiLorenzo remarked. “Dr. Abouyoub’s presentation is timely given the multiple conflicts at the fore of current events. Students and faculty alike should come away with an increased appreciation for the important work of individuals whose task it is to assist in resolving conflict as well as rebuilding communities following conflict.”

Light refreshments will be provided. 

A panel featuring Abouyoub and 51Ʒ��faculty will also be held at 4 p.m. the same day in the St. Francis Room within the Jack S. Ketchum Library. The panel will focus on the topic of rebel governance.