IPB Council Members

Fatima Medani was elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025.

Fatima Medani is from Sudan and is based in the USA. She is a Strategic Governance and Policy Advocate with 9 years of cross-sectoral experience advancing youth engagement, feminist movement resilience, and grassroots peacebuilding.

Ejimole Fidelia Onwuekwe was elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025. She also served as an IPB Council member for the 2019–2022 term.

Ejimole Fidelia Onwuekwe is based in Imo State, Nigeria. She is a retired nurse and the founder of the World Youth Peace Organization, an NGO established to help empower youth.

Ahmad Bakdad was elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after working with IPB as Assistant Coordinator.

He is from Syria, he is committed to promoting child rights and gender equality, and supporting vulnerable communities, particularly children and women. Dedicated Safeguarding & Protection practitioner and project manager, specialized in capacity building and policy development for child protection & safeguarding, investigations, humanitarian aid, and community-based protection initiatives.

Holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Law and legal practice authorization. With 7+ years of national and international professional humanitarian, Community development, advocacy, global campaigns, and peace-building experiences.

Amani Aruri was re-elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after serving a first term from 2022.

Amani has developed skills and capacities in the fields of social transformation, community activism, human rights, peace and security, advocacy, national dialogue and peace mediation to advance gender equality, economic wellbeing, social justice and human rights agendas at the national, regional and global levels.

Continue reading “Amani Aruri – Council Member”

Eskil Grav was re-elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after serving a first term from 2022.

He is a member of the IPB family,  and active in the fields of peacebuilding and disarmament. He has past experience working in community and peacebuilding activities in both Tanzania and Lebanon, and a has a background in Human Security Theory. Eskil is currently the Parliamentary Ombud for Scrutiny of the Public Administration in Oslo, Norway.

Esset Samatova is an IPB Council Member and a psychologist, human rights defender, and peace activist from the North Caucasus. She has been engaged in human rights, peacebuilding, women’s rights, and non-violent communication since 2011.

Her work focuses on psychosocial support, holistic protection, and resilience for human rights defenders, activists, and civil society organisations working under pressure. She has developed and facilitated trainings on mental health, security, risk analysis, burnout prevention, online harassment, and sustainable activism for defenders and organisations across different regions.

Esset currently works with Protection International, where she contributes to psychosocial support, protection work, and capacity-building for human rights defenders. She has also contributed to women’s empowerment initiatives and civic education projects aimed at strengthening safety, dignity, and participation for vulnerable groups.

In 2022, Esset received the Sean MacBride Peace Prize for her peace and human rights work. She has served as an IPB Council Member since 2022 and was re-elected in October 2025.

Baroness Dayon Ako-Adounvo was re-elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after serving a first term from 2022.
She has a background in biology and sales & business organization, airport operations and marketing. She is the founder and leader of the International Education Connect Agency which supports capacity building for the socio-economic development in Ghana and Sub-Saharan regions and promotes vocational skills exchange to foster peace and unity among the youth. Furthermore, she is founder and leader of the Feeding Hands Ministry & Zoes Trust, a non-government organization that supports villages in Ghana with food, water, and clothes.

Tord Björk was re-elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after serving a first term from 2022. He represents Artists for Peace in the Nordic Peace Alliance coordination group and is the coordinator of the working group on Helsinki+50, a role he has held since 2024. Continue reading “Tord Björk – Council Member”

Tyson Smith Berry Jr. was re-elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after serving a first term from 2022.

Tyson Smith Berry Jr. is a Liberian peace activist, humanitarian, and social development professional who currently serves as the Executive Director of 4Kids International Inc. He has more than 17 years of experience in humanitarian and social development, with expertise in education, child protection, peacebuilding, governance, youth empowerment, and community development.

Tyson is also a Council Member of the International Peace Bureau (IPB), where he has represented the organization in South Sudan. In Juba, he participated in the conference “From Conflict to Beloved Communities: A Series of International Gatherings on Peace, Justice and Nonviolence.” He also represented IPB and spoke on “Climate Change & Common Security: Challenges and Solutions in Africa and the World at Large,” participating in workshops and seminars addressing climate change, peace, justice, and common security.

His professional expertise includes program development and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, demography, organizational programming, and NGO compliance. His academic and professional development also includes a Diploma in Climate Governance, Diplomacy and Negotiations Leadership from the AGNES Centre of Excellence for Climate Research and Leadership in Kenya.

Tyson is an alumnus of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and represented Liberia in Cape Town, South Africa, during the YALI Alumni Trade Fair, participating in activities focused on leadership, networking, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities for African young leaders.

As a peace activist, Tyson is particularly interested in peacebuilding, human rights, democratic governance, climate governance, youth participation, and community development. He has also contributed to public discourse on democratic governance in Liberia through research and writing.

Selected Publication

• Legislative Deadlock and Democratic Challenges in Liberia’s House of Representatives
  Published by Africanist Press on January 15, 2025. The article examines the leadership conflict, institutional challenges, and democratic implications surrounding Liberia’s House of Representatives. (AFRICANIST PRESS⁠). Read the publication on Africanist Press⁠

Continue reading “Tyson Smith Berry Jr. – Council Member”

Yurii Sheliazhenko was re-elected as an IPB Council member in October 2025, after serving a first term from 2022.

Yurii is the Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, board member at the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, and at the World BEYOND War. Furthermore, he was lecturer and research associate at the Faculty of Law, KROK University in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he defended his PhD dissertation in law in December 2021. He also obtained master’s degree in law in 2016 as well as a master’s degree in Mediation and Conflict Management in 2021. Yurii authored tens of scholarly articles, taught courses in constitutional and human rights, comparative and international law, legal theory and history. Also, he is public intellectual, blogger, and human rights defender.