Executive Director and President of the Board, Claudia Abate, created the Foundation for Post Conflict Development(FPCD) after working at the United Nations (UN) for more than a decade, and realizing that her most fulfilling moments were when she was sent on official business to post conflict countries. In an effort to make a personal impact in assisting the world's most vulnerable citizens, it was a natural progression for her to create this foundation, inspired primarily by observing the elections in Fiji, and her work in Timor-Leste at the time of the Restoration of independence. With these combined experiences, Ms. Abate saw first- hand democracy in action, and the effects of poverty on citizens of other countries as a consequence of post conflict situations. This inspired her "to want to do more."
Ms. Abate recognized that there already exist other organizations that focus on the trauma of a post-disaster (man-made or natural) situations. The Foundation for Post Conflict Development was therefore founded at a time where there seemed to be a vacuum of targeted NGOs, particularly in the United States, focusing on post conflict situations.
After vast consultation with a variety of actors in the diplomatic community, non-governmental sector and governmental sector, Ms. Abate officially incorporated the FPCD in April of 2005. The FPCD is a 501 (c) (3) public charity and a non-governmental organization associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations.
In 2004 Claudia Abate successfully inspired the Monaco Red Cross to engage in a project in Timor-Leste. She was given the responsibility of coordination from proposal phase to execution, inauguration and operation, and thus was born the Prince Rainer III of Monaco Maternity Clinic, the first of its kind in Timor-Leste. This landmark project became the model for Maternity Clinics country-wide and in 2012 the Princess Grace Maternity Clinic will open.
Ms. Abate worked for the UN from 1993 - 2006 in the areas of General Assembly and Conference Management, organizing meetings of the Security Council, the General Assembly the Economic and Social Council and subsidiary bodies, as well as some world summits: The World Summit on Social Development in Denmark; the International Conference on Financing for Development in Mexico; the World Summit for Sustainable Development in South Africa; and the International Seabed Authority in Jamaica. Ms. Abate was thus able to gather a "bird's eye view" of the inner workings of UN and international, diplomatic negotiations.
While at the UN, Ms. Abate was elected Chairperson of her Department’s Working Group on Integrity that produced an advisory report on measures to improve integrity, accountability and transparency. In the same vein she was elected to sit on the UN Deputy Secretary General's consultative group of the same subject. The principles learned and highlighted through this process are used in guiding the work of the FPCD.
From November 2006 - July 2007, Ms. Abate was Special Advisor to the President of Timor-Leste and Special Advisor to the Permanent Mission of Timor-Leste to the UN. When former President Gusmao was elected Prime Minister of Timor-Leste in July 2007, Ms. Abate was appointed Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste for Investment.
Ms. Abate sits on various boards such as representing Nobel Peace Laureate and President, Jose Ramos-Horta on Peacejam, the US Committee for the University for Peace and is a recipient of several awards, most recently the Global Citizenship Award from Orphans International Worldwide in 2010.
In September 2011, the President of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Ambassador Nassir Al-Nassir, invited Ms. Abate to be one his advisors.
Ms. Abate received a BA in Spanish (1993) with a minor in Political Science from Rowan University and an MA in Social Science (1999) from Long Island University with a graduate certificate in United Nations Studies. Ms. Abate speaks English, Swedish, French and Spanish and is learning Portuguese and Tetum.
