Amir Dossal
Amir Dossal is Founder and Chairman of the Global Partnerships Forum, an international platform to address economic and social challenges, through innovative partnerships, www.Partnerships.org. He is also the Co-Initiator of the Pearl Initiative, a CEO-led program, promoting transparency and accountability in the Gulf Region.
In addition, Amir is Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union for Global Partnerships and also serves as Commissioner of the Broadband Commission. He is also Special Adviser to the Chief Information Technology Officer of the United Nations.
Amir is a 25 year veteran of the United Nations, and prior to creating the Global Partnerships Forum, he was Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships, and served as the UN’s Chief Liaison for Partnerships and focal point for the partnership with media mogul Ted Turner to manage the $1 billion gift to the UN. In that capacity, he forged strategic alliances with governments, corporations, foundations, and philanthropists uniting these partners for a common purpose: to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
As the primary interface for the UN Foundation, Amir successfully attracted new investments of over $560 million from various donors, which supported over 450 international projects for women and children’s health, climate change and bio-diversity. He has developed numerous partnerships and secured sizable social investments from such major names as the American Red Cross, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Rotary International. Amir also oversaw management of the UN Democracy Fund, which he established in 2005 as an instrument to strengthen democratic institutions and enhance governance in new and restored democracies.
Amir Dossal works globally across all sectors, including Health, Education, Environment, Peace, Security, and Human Rights. He has built complex, crucial alliances between governments, multilateral agencies, business groups, foundations and civil society, including but not limited to: Arab Foundations Forum, Business Council for International Understanding, Chambers of Commerce, China World Peace Foundation, Committee for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, CITYarts, Commonwealth Business Council, European Foundation Centre, Foreign Policy Association, Humpty Dumpty Institute, IDP Foundation, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, Institute for International Sport, Institute for Large Scale Innovation, Jewish Children’s Museum, LTB Foundation, NEPAD Business Group, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Synergos Institute, United Nations Associations, US Council for International Business, US Department of State, World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists.
When spearheading the UN's engagement with leaders in the sectors of finance, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, and others, Amir developed working relationships with leading companies, including BASF, BT, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Ericsson, Google, GSK, HSBC, Merck, Microsoft, Nestle, Novartis, Pfizer, Royal DSM, Siemens, Standard Chartered Bank, Telefonica, Vodafone, and Walmart. Recognizing the role of the media and ”soft power,” Amir has championed partnerships with high-profile personalities on humanitarian causes, including The Countess Sondes, Cherie Blair, Geena Davis, Francine LeFrak, Petra Nemcová, Julia Ormond, Joan Rivers, Russell Simmons, Inge Solheim, Joss Stone, Christy Turlington Burns, Ali Velshi, among others.
Since joining the United Nations in 1985, Amir has built and led, a number of new initiatives: 1997 Established the Management Policy Office to oversee reform within the UN 1999 Set-up UN Fund for International Partnerships, as interface for UN Foundation 2004 Created African and Caribbean Diaspora Networks, to promote innovation 2005 Established the UN Democracy Fund 2006 Set-up Peacebuilding Support Office to assist post-conflict countries 2006 Created the UN Office for Partnerships, to oversee multiple partnership functions 2007 Launched the Business Advisory Council for the Greater Tumen Region 2008 Launched Digital Health Initiative for m-health and telemedicine 2008 Spearheaded UN MDG Summit Report of Public & Private Sector commitments ($1.6 billion) 2009 Substantially increased UN engagement with Middle East private sector 2009 Launched multiple initiatives in Arts, Culture and Inter-Faith 2010 Co-initiated the Pearl Initiative 2010 Launched the Global Partnerships Forum
Amir has worked with sustained commitment toward an overarching vision of uniting public and private energies for social progress. By nature a social connector, his work is an endeavor to bond the power of the private sector, government, and civil society; in order that together, they may better serve the greater good.
In October 2010, he received the Humanitarian Award from the United Nations Association of New York, for his accomplishments in Partnerships to End Poverty and World Hunger. In December 2010, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, appointed him as Ambassador for Peace and Sport. In February 2011, Amir was appointed Special Envoy to the World Youth Peace Summit.
Amir is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) trained with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, London in 1975. Prior to joining the United Nations in 1985, he worked in the private sector for over 15 years. He has lived and worked in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Amir regularly undertakes speaking engagements, and serves on the board of several non-profits. He is married to Tas, and they have one son, Zecki.
