Mr. Abderrahman El Yessa is currently working as Senior Peace and Development advisor to the UN Country team in Saudi Arabia. Since 2017, he was working with KAICIID, a Vienna-based intergovernmental organization promoting peace and social cohesion through inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, coordinating its programs in conflict countries. Before 2017, he worked with UNDP, mainly in transitional and state-building contexts (Palestine, Tunisia, Mauritania and Togo, with short-term assignments in other countries), focusing on governance, peacebuilding, and program management.

More specifically, he was involved in UNDP’s support to the reforms launched in Tunisia after the "Arab Spring" in the areas of constitutional and electoral processes, transitional justice, security sector reform, anti-corruption, and civil society strengthening. He was also in charge of coordinating UNDP’s Governance & Social Development portfolio in Palestine, that included national reconciliation, community resilience, rule of law, public administration, and local governance. Before that, he served as Peace & Development advisor in Togo, managing electoral and peacebuilding programs, and contributed to UNDP’s support to the democratic transition in Mauritania. 

Prior to joining the UN, Mr. El Yessa worked as Human rights & Civil Society expert and co-founded a local NGO working on poverty alleviation through inclusive finance and women empowerment. In parallel, he was teaching constitutional and administrative law at the university. He holds a PhD in law, as well as a Master degree in public administration.