Experienced international affairs & development professional with a focus on strategic communications and advocacy.

• Senior manager in globally-recognized organizations: USAID, UNESCO, NDI, UNA-USA.

• National-level political & communications advisor and analyst for Middle East & Central Asia.

• Strategic communications advisor for USAID, UN agencies, NGOs, and national-level governments: Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, UAE, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Afghans Who Work for the UN in Their Country Say They Fear for Their Lives
PassBlue | Independent Coverage of the UN
August 20, 2021

Cited in Congressional Letter to U.S. President Biden – September 20, 2021

United Nations staff members in Afghanistan who work for the UN political mission there say it is failing to protect its national staff since the Taliban’s takeover of the country on Sunday and as the United States began evacuating thousands of Americans from the Kabul airport amid danger and chaos.…. READ MORE

An Afghan Activist Who Keeps Telling the Taliban to Respect the Rights of Women and Girls
PassBlue | Independent Coverage of the UN
August 18, 2021

The Taliban seized Afghanistan’s second-largest city of Kandahar just last week, marking the beginning of the quick takeover of the country. Kandahar, a city of 60,000 that borders Pakistan, is a historic center of Pashtun culture and power and was once Afghanistan’s capital. Three days later, on Sunday, the nation’s capital of Kabul was captured by the Taliban, who now control the country for the first time since 2001….
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Haiti Could Face a ‘Perfect Storm’ With the Pandemic
PassBlue | Independent Coverage of the UN
August 4, 2020

Cited in Institute for Justice /Bureau des Avocats Internationaux in Democracy in Haiti

As Covid-19 continues to ravage many parts of the world, the effect of the virus in Latin America and the Caribbean region has been particularly devastating. The situation in Haiti, for example, has alarmed international humanitarian groups, as the country lacks sufficient virus-testing ability and has limited health-care infrastructure, among other serious problems. On top of these deficiencies in combating the pandemic, Haitian migrants returning from neighboring countries like the Dominican Republic are believed to be spreading the virus significantly… READ MORE

Does the New US Envoy for Women’s Rights Have Anything to Do?
Ms. Magazine
July 24, 2020

Six months into her job as the United States ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues, Kelley Currie has done little to demonstrate that she can restore American leadership on women’s rights while reporting to an ideologically driven administration known for its regressive stance on gender equality.

While the ambassador’s office is charged with promoting women’s rights globally, the administration is better known for curtailing them. Currie reports directly to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who shows little interest in furthering the rights of women and shares President Trump’s opposition to reproductive and sexual health rights… READ MORE

Fostering Democracy Around the World
Union College Magazine
March 14, 2023

Fiona Shukri '89 has lived a life across borders, oceans and cultures. A life happily spent fostering international development, government outreach and civil society engagement. From Washington, D.C. to Paris to Kabul. From Azerbaijan to Egypt to Palestine, Jordan and Iraq.

Now a senior advisor and independent consultant for non-profit and private contractors, Shukri previously worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the United Nations Educational Scientific & Cultural Organization. She has also been a journalist, her writing appearing in outlets like the Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Daily Beast and PassBlue. She still provides occasional analysis and news stories to select publications… READ MORE