EWI Welcomes New MENA Director Kawa Hassan

News | August 12, 2015

Kawa Hassan joined the EWI team as director of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Program at the Brussels Center in July. 

Hassan’s vast experience extends to countries such as Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iraq and Sri Lanka. Before joining EWI, he coordinated the Knowledge Program Civil Society in West Asia at Hivos—a Netherlands-based international organization working toward creating sustainable and inclusive societies—and led the Public Relations Department in the Netherlands for Gorran, the second biggest political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. 

“As a twice displaced Dutch citizen of Iraqi Kurdish descent, I have seen for myself the terrible impacts of successive violent conflicts on both the Iraqi society and the wider region,” Hassan said. “This personal experience fueled my drive and dedication to conflict resolution and stability in MENA. EWI’s track record and mission matches my personal and professional desire to make MENA a safer place for its people and the world, by building trust and relations that are indispensable for peace, prosperity and security.”

Read Hassan's most recent piece, "Kurdistan’s Politicized Society Confronts a Sultanistic System," here.