Jonathan Sandy is originally from Sierra Leone and is both a national and international practitioner with over 25 years of a career path in promoting democratic and economic governance, Justice, Human Rights, Rule of Law, Crisis and Stabilization Interventions in conflict and fragile states in Africa.
Jonathan has spent many years working for the Government of Sierra Leone, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)/UNDP, the African Union, UN/World Bank in numerous roles, providing high-level strategic and senior advisory support in the ECOWAS, Lake Chad Basin, Sahel, Horn/East Africa, and recently, in the South African Development Community SADC. He brings extensive experience on understanding the risks, challenges and opportunities to Africa’s peace, security and stability, and long-term economic growth and sustainable development. He has a wide knowledge and practical-hands on experiences in Preventing and Responding to Terrorism and Violent Extremism( P/CVE), and the building of trust and relationships between Law Enforcement/Security Sector Institutions and the Judiciary.
He was Chief of Staff of the Office of National Security within the Office of the President of Sierra Leone (2001 – 2005) and on several occasions served as acting National Security Coordinator for the Government of Sierra Leone, being responsible for the development and implementation of national security policies and intelligence services’ coordination and management, including strategic analysis of business intelligence and information on diversified issues such as understanding the risk and uncertainties related to promoting trade and investment opportunities on the Africa continent. Earlier in his career path, he served as Fisheries economist and Head of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, specifically for the GoSL-EU West North West Artisanal Fisheries and Community Development Programme ( WNW AFCOD).
For over 17 years, since 2005, Jonathan Sandy has occupied high ranking positions of Director, Chief, Senior adviser and programme manager on various national and regional programmes within UNDP, on Governance and Rule of Law, Small Arms Control, PVE and Security, in Mali and Sierra Leone. He served as Director of the United Nations Political Office for Somalia, (UNPOS), Security Sector Development Office (SSDO) and as Principal adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) on Stabilization interventions-Rule of Law, Justice sector reform, Military and Police Reforms, and development of National Action Plans on community reintegration of disengaging combatants and prevention/countering violent extremism in Somalia. He recently also served as Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Peacebuilding in South Sudan, and to the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Mission in South( (UNMISS) on building Partnerships for Recovery and Resilience ( PFRR) in South Sudan.
Currently, Jonathan Sandy is the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union Economic, Social, and Cultural Affairs( AU ECOSOCC) Peace and Security Sectoral Cluster, and continues to serve as the Chairperson of the Executive Board of the Regional Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiatives in West Africa and Accredited to the Africa Union ECOSOCC, and continues his career path within the United Nations as Experts for UN/UNDP on Governance, Rule of Law, Security and Prevention of Violent Extremism. His primary focus are of intervention is centered on management of risks and uncertainties related to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement ( AFCTA) and Silencing the Guns, as pathways towards the achievement of the AU Agenda 2063.