Udo Jude Ilo is the Interim Executive Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC). He had previously led the global advocacy of the Centre for Civilian in Conflict focused on amplifying voices of communities in conflict and pushing for global norms and standards for the protection of civilians caught up in violent conflicts. Prior to this role, Udo had worked to support a framework of democratic accountability that allows for the primacy of citizens voices through his professional roles and writings as a social commentator in the last two decades. He has been focused on providing opportunities for social innovations and reinforcing the rule of law in Nigeria and Africa.Udo headed the Nigeria office of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). In this role, he supported the strengthening of established and emerging CSOs focused on addressing governance challenges, rights of vulnerable groups, and promoting democracy in Nigeria and Africa. He has provided analysis on governance development within Africa and developed advocacy materials for the engagement of governments and international community on issues related to human rights and governance. Udo was instrumental in promoting a new approach to ensuring electoral integrity in the continent through the design and implementation of the Situation Room Model of election observation across Africa. As the Nigerian representative for OSIWA, Udo provided strategic leadership in opening the frontier of governance and civic space in Nigeria through grant making, advocacy and network building. He also led OSIWA’s election work in 10 focus countries, providing advocacy support to elevate issues affecting the electoral process in these countries. Udo was involved in the design and roll-out of the West Africa Elders Platform which is a standing platform of former heads of state in West Africa committed to using their influence to promote good governance, conflict resolution and democracy in the region. Udo has decades of experience in leading advocacy engagement across Africa, United States, United Nations, European Union, and United Kingdom. He has also testified as a witness before the United State Congress. Udo has built up skills in philanthropy management, organizational strategy development and institutional reform. He has about 10 published works and more than 60 op eds. He has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and the Huffington post. Udo is an Eisenhower Fellow, Stanford, Draper Hills Fellow, and Yale World Fellow. He also the Founder of the Natasha Ilo Foundation and has spent the last couple of years reflecting on loss, resilience and overcoming pain. His poetry collection ‘Kasie’ (2021) focuses on these themes.