Steve Hege

Steve Hege has nearly two decades of professional experience working on issues related to peace processes, human rights, security sector reform, local governance, and natural resource-related organized crime. He currently leads USIP’s efforts in Colombia in support of the implementation of the peace accord with the FARC rebels, the dialogues with the ELN, as well as local peacebuilding and security transformations in municipalities previously under rebel control or influence. Additionally, Steve serves as an advisor in the peace process in Myanmar providing technical assistance to ethnic armed groups and political parties on security structure design and the merging of non-state actors with government institutions. Over the last four years, he has also supported or managed USIP security and justice reform programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Central African Republic, Myanmar and Colombia.

Prior to joining the Institute, Steve was appointed for three years as coordinator and armed groups expert of the U.N. Group of Experts on the DRC 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. Steve has previously served as an external advisor on security reforms and transitional arrangements in support of peace processes in Nepal and Lebanon with the Peace Appeal Foundation, as well as an analyst on the impact of organized crime on communities in Mexico and Colombia for the Norwegian Refugee Council, and managed programs on security sector reform in Central Africa and Southeast Asia with NYU’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. 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.