Steve Hege

Steve Hege has over 15 years of experience working with the United Nations, international NGOs, think tanks and governments on issues related to security sector reform, Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration (DDR), local governance, human rights, political dialogue and natural resource management. He currently manages several security and justice reform programs for USIP in Myanmar/Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Colombia.

Prior to joining the Institute, he served as the coordinator of the U.N. Group of Experts on the DRC (2010-2012) investigating and reporting on arms embargo violations for the Security Council's Sanctions Committee, including researching military integration challenges, illicit trade in natural resources and egregious human rights violations. 

From 2007 to 2009, Steve worked with the Peace Appeal Foundation, where he provided technical assistance on security reforms and transitional arrangements in support of peace processes in Nepal and Lebanon.

Steve has also worked as field researcher and advocacy officer for the Norwegian Refugee Council focusing on the impact of organized crime on communities in Mexico and Colombia and previously managed programs on security sector reform in Central Africa and Southeast Asia with New York University’s Center on International Cooperation. He similarly held positions as a DDR officer within the U.N. Peacekeeping Mission in the DR Congo and a policy officer for Jesuit Refugee Service in Burundi.

As a short-term consultant/advisor, Steve has conducted or contributed to research for DFID, the International Peace Institute, Human Rights Watch and Refugees International. From 2002 to 2004, Steve was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study the role of and work alongside religious organizations in conflict zones in Colombia. 

Steve has master’s degrees in international law/affairs and conflict resolution from Columbia University (New York), Sciences-Po (Paris) and Universidad de Los Andes (Bogotá) in addition to his undergraduate studies in theology at Boston College.