In December 2019, Dr. Al Meraikhi was appointed as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser (SASG). As his Special Adviser and in line with the Secretary-General’s vision and efforts to address the root causes of humanitarian disasters and conflicts, to take more preventative measures, and improve the quality of the United Nations’ response, this Special Adviser is appointed to support the Secretary-General's ongoing outreach in broadening and strengthening engagement and dialogue with member states, particularly in the Global South, and with the private sector. Although this is a new position, across the SASG’s six core initiatives, more than 35 activities and events have been undertaken. Join us in this workshop to learn the SASG’s key initiatives and activities, and gain an insight into the role of the UN Special Advisor in improving our world.
Margaret is a Chicago native who approaches life, work and education from a truly global perspective. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Rome, Italy she returned to Chicago to pursue her law degree and embark on her international legal career. In her current role, she supports the mandate of Dr. Ahmed Al-Meraikhi the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General. Margaret previously served as the Adviser to Dr. Ahmed Al Meraikhi in his role as the UN Secretary-General’s Humanitarian Envoy from 2016-2019. Prior to that she was Legal Counsel for Qatar University. Following work at a human rights institute in Sicily and a fellowship in Germany she pursued a specialised post-graduate degree in international human rights law at Oxford University. To further her specialised knowledge, she then began a doctorate in law in Northern Ireland. Throughout her educational pursuits, she undertook consulting positions to ensure that her academic pursuits were grounded in the practical realities of the field. Thus, Margaret spends much of her time bridging interdisciplinary gaps within the substantive fields of international relations, law and politics as well as between practitioners and academics in those fields. For several years, Margaret served as the Editor of Accountability for the American Society of International Law seeking to tighten the gap between theory and practice.