Name: On the Frontlines of Insecurity with USG Gilles Michaud of UNDSS
Start: 2026-03-09T17:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-03-09T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 420 W 118th St room 407

On the Frontlines of Insecurity with USG Gilles Michaud of UNDSS

USG Gilles Michaud discusses the collapse of international humanitarian law with Kent Director Jean-Marie Guéhenno
About this Event

The Kent Global Leadership Program in Conflict Resolution presents a discussion with UN Undersecretary-general (USG) Gilles Michaud. USG Michaud leads the Department of Safety and Security, which is in charge of providing security for all UN operations. He will discuss the challenging environment and faced by UN personnel on the ground, as norms around humanitarian work are increasingly under threat from militants, transnational crime networks, mercenaries, and even governments. In addition he will explain what is being done to protect those who protect the most vulnerable. The discussion will be moderated by Kent director Jean-Marie Guéhenno, who understands the UN system intimately from his years as USG for Peacekeeping Operations.
USG Michaud was appointed to his current position in 2019 after a long and distinguished career in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s chief investigative body. As Deputy Commissioner for Federal Policing he acquired a wealth of experience in counter-terrorism, national security and management of substantial human, physical and financial resources. Mr. Michaud has an extensive background in multilateral organizations as the lead on peacekeeping, international capacity-building and liaison activities for the RCMP and he has served on the Executive Committee of INTERPOL.
USG Michaud is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program in National and International Security and McGill University’s Executive Development Program. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Executive Institute’s 39th Session, the FBI National Academy’s 213th Session and the Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Program administered by the FBI National Academy. USG Michaud has received numerous awards, including the Governor General’s medal for academic achievements, the Queen’s Jubilee and RCMP Long Service medals. In January 2014, he was appointed to Canada’s Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.