Kessy Martine Ekomo-Soignet

Kessy Martine Ekomo-Soignet graduated with a Master 2 in Geo-Politic, International Security and Sociology (Catholic Institute of Paris). She is a community leader and founder of the national NGO URU, which works for the effective participation of young people in the peace and recovery process in the Central African Republic. She also represents PeaceDirect in the Central African Republic, a British NGO working primarily to promote peace efforts by civil society organizations in conflict zones.

In 2014, she was one of two Central Africans selected for the first generation of the U.S. Government's Leadership Program, the Mandela Washington Fellowship. In 2015, she was a member of the civil society expert group that helped update the United Nations Peace Building Architecture (PBA), sponsored by the Security Council. In 2016, she was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations (Ban Ki-moon) as an expert on the Study on Youth, Peace and Security Agenda. She has since been a member of the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security.

She was one of the focal points of the United Nations HQ for the implementation of Agenda 2250 in the Central African Republic and briefed the Security Council on the urgency of strengthening efforts to help young people contribute effectively to the resolution and prevention of conflicts around the world. Kessy is member of the board of iDove, an African Union initiative that aims to raise awareness among young people about issues related to radicalization and violent extremism.

She works as national consultant to the government of the Central African Republic in the development of its first national strategy for the prevention of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism. Since then, she has accompanied the strategy implementation committee by supporting training by the security forces and civil society.

The same year she was appointed as member of the group of experts of UNDP in charge of the review of the continental (Africa) strategy on Governance and Peacebuilding. In 2024, she was appointed as member of the AP-RCA board. Kessy was invited to join the African Parks-RCA board meeting in May 2024 as an observer and was nominated as new board member in June.