Day, Adam
Head of the Geneva Office
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- E-MAIL:
- adam.day@unu.edu
- NATIONALITY:
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Research Interests
- Climate-security
- Conflict Prevention
- Conflict resolution
- Countering Violent Extremism
- Peacebuilding
- Peacekeeping
Education
- Juris Doctor - The University of California, Berkeley School of Law
- Master's degree in Law and Diplomacy - The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
- Master's degree in Comparative Literature - Brown University
- Doctorate - King's College London
Biographical Statement
Dr Adam Day is Head of the Geneva Office of United Nations University Centre for Policy Research. He oversees programming on peacebuilding, human rights, peacekeeping, climate-security, sanctions, and global governance, while also acting as co-lead on UNU-CPR’s support to the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.
Prior to joining UNU in 2017, Dr Day served for a decade in the UN, including as Senior Political Adviser to MONUSCO (the Democratic Republic of the Congo), in the UN Special Coordinator’s Office for Lebanon, in the front offices of both UNMIS (Khartoum) and UNAMID (Darfur), and was a political officer in both the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. Dr Day also has substantial civil society experience, including with Human Rights Watch’s Justice Program and for the Open Society Justice Initiative in Cambodia.
Dr Day was an international litigator in New York, where he also worked pro bono for the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of Guantanamo detainees in their suits against former US officials for torture. He also supported the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
He has published widely in the fields of State-building, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, mediation, conflict resolution, human rights, rule of law, transitional justice, climate-security, the UN Security Council, and global governance.
Most recently, these include:
- States of Disorder, Ecosystems of Governance (Oxford University Press)
- Stress Testing the UN’s Regional Prevention Approaches
- Rule of Law and Sustaining Peace: Towards More Impactful, Effective Conflict Prevention
- The UN Security Council and Transitional Justice
- Peacebuilding and Authoritarianism: The Unintended Consequences of UN Engagement in Post-Conflict Settings
- When Dictators Fall: Preventing Conflict During Transitions from Authoritarian Rule
- Hybrid Conflict, Hybrid Peace: How Militias and Paramilitary Groups Shape Post-conflict Transitions
- Conflict Prevention in an Era of Climate Change: Adapting the UN to Climate-Security Risks
- UN Transitions: Improving Security Council Practice in Mission Settings
He has recently published op-eds in The Washington Post, International Policy Digest, The Diplomat, Global Observatory, Japan Times, The Conversation, and The Hill, among others. His recent academic publications include articles in Stability Journal, Global Governance, and Ethics & International Affairs.
Dr Day holds a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, a Master’s in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a Master’s in Comparative Literature from Brown University, and a Doctorate from King’s College London’s War Studies Department.
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Articles
- Day, Adam (2017). 14 peacekeeper were killed in the Congo – UN response may make things worse. The Hill, n/a-n/a
- Spink, Lauren and Day, Adam (2017). Protecting Protection: How Antonio Guterres Should Use Funding Cuts to Reform Peacekeeping. Global Policy Operations Review, n/a-n/a
- Patey, Luke, Day, Adam and von Einsiedel, Sebastian (2017). China, Japan and the Future of UN Peacekeeping. The Diplomat, n/a-n/a
- Day, Adam (2017). To Build Consent in Peace Operations, Turn Mandates Upside Down. United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, n/a-n/a
- Day, Adam and Jenny, Joëlle (2017). Can the UN restore international peace? Maybe, but only from the ground up. The World Economic Forum, n/a-n/a
- Day, Adam (2017). The Best Defense Is No Offense: Why Cuts to UN Troops in Congo Could Be a Good Thing. Small Wars Journal, n/a-n/a
Books
- Brubaker, Rebecca, Day, Adam, Salih, Cale, Clark, Phil, Palmer, Nicola and Gill-Leslie, Robyn, The UN Security Council and Transitional Justice, ed. Brubaker, Rebecca (New York: United Nations University, 2021).
- Day, Adam, Vanda Felbab-Brown and Haddad, Fanar, Hybrid Conflict, Hybrid Peace: How Militias and Paramilitary Groups Shape Post-Conflict Transitions, ed. Day, Adam (New York: United Nations University, 2020).
Reports
- Erica Gaston, Oliver Brown, Downing, Cristal, Day, Adam and Raphael Bodewig (2023). Climate-Security and Peacebuilding: Thematic Review. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam (2022). Conflict Prevention and Resolution in a Multipolar World: Priorities for the G7. Discussion Paper. United Nations University.
- Huvé, Sophie, Brubaker, Rebecca, Day, Adam and Hudáková, Zuzana (2022). Enforcing UN Sanctions and Protecting Humanitarian Action: Towards a Coherent and Consistent Approach. United Nations University.
- Passarelli, David and Day, Adam (2022). Stress Testing the UN’s Regional Prevention Approaches. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam and Passarelli, David (2022). Reimagining the Human-Environment Relationship Through a Kaleidoscope. Reimagining the Human-Environment Relationship. UN University and UN Environment Programme.
- Passarelli, David and Day, Adam (2022). Models for Prevention: Lessons from the Sahel, Horn, and Latin America. United Nations University.
- Passarelli, David and Day, Adam (2022). From Reimagination to Action: Incentivizing Change. Reimagining the Human-Environment Relationship. UN University and UN Environment Programme.
- Day, Adam, von Billerbeck, Sarah, Tansey, Oisín and Al Maleh, Ayham (2021). Peacebuilding and Authoritarianism: The Unintended Consequences of UN Engagement in Post-Conflict Settings. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam and Caus, Jessica (2021). Rule of Law and Sustaining Peace: Towards More Impactful, Effective Conflict Prevention. United Nations University.
- Brubaker, Rebecca, Day, Adam and Huvé, Sophie (2021). COVID-19 and Humanitarian Access: How the Pandemic Should Provoke Systemic Change in the Global Humanitarian System. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam and Hunt, Charles T (2021). Protecting Together. United Nations University.
- Passarelli, David, Denton, Fatima and Day, Adam (2021). Beyond Opportunism: The UN Development System’s Response to the Triple Planetary Crisis. United Nations University.
- Passarelli, David and Day, Adam (2021). Governing Uncertainty. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam, Gorur, Aditi, Holt, Victoria K. and Hunt, Charles T (2020). The Political Practice of Peacekeeping: How Strategies for Peace Operations are Developed and Implemented. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam and Caus, Jessica (2020). Conflict Prevention in the Sahel: Emerging Practice Across the UN. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam (2020). UN Transitions: Improving Security Council Practice in Mission Settings. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam and Caus, Jessica (2020). Conflict Prevention in the Era of Climate Change: Adapting the UN to Climate-Security Risks. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam (2020). Climate Change and Security: Perspectives from the Field. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam, Druet, Dirk and Quaritsch, Luise (2020). When Dictators Fall: Preventing Violent Conflict During Transitions from Authoritarian Rule. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam, Hunt, Charles T, Yin, He and Kumalo, Liezelle (2019). Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Assessing the Effectiveness of Peace Operations. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
- Day, Adam, Brubaker, Rebecca and Honwana, João (2018). Capturing UN Preventive Diplomacy Success: How and Why Does It Work?. United Nations University.
- Day, Adam and Pichler Fong, Alexandra (2017). Diplomacy and Good Offices in the Prevention of Conflict. Conflict Prevention Series. United Nations University Centre for Policy Research.