Jumaina Siddiqui

Jumaina Siddiqui is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, focusing on international development and security, with more than twenty years of experience advancing democratic governance, peacebuilding, and institutional resilience across South Asia and other regions. Siddiqui currently serves as chair of the American Bangladesh Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership on organizational governance and programmatic priorities, and as a senior fellow at the National Dialogue Forum, where her work focuses on governance, security, development, and climate-security challenges in Pakistan and South Asia.

She has led complex policy and development initiatives at the intersection of governance, conflict prevention, security, and international development, working with governments, civil society, multilateral institutions, and philanthropic organizations.

Most recently, she directed the Global Security and International Affairs Program at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, overseeing initiatives on nuclear security, climate security, anti-corruption, humanitarian access, and global governance. Previously, she led the Pakistan portfolio at the United States Institute of Peace, expanding it into a multimillion-dollar, multi-year program that strengthened local partnerships and advanced peacebuilding and governance efforts. Earlier in her career, she held leadership and program management positions at the National Democratic Institute, Global Communities, the American Bar Association, and the Stimson Center.

Jumaina’s work focuses on strengthening democratic institutions, preventing conflict, promoting accountable governance, and addressing emerging security challenges, including the intersection of climate change and security. Her research and policy interests include democratic resilience, state-society relations, regional security in South Asia, and the role of local institutions in advancing sustainable peace.