Francis Mading Deng (born 1938) is a South Sudanese politician and diplomat. He played an important role in advancing a Responsibility to Protect (R2P) when he was the UN's Special Representative on Internally Displaced Persons (1992–2004). Educated as a lawyer, Deng was posted as Ambassador of Sudan to the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden over the period 1972 to 1976. From 1976 to 1980, he was Sudan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. After leaving Sudan's diplomatic service, he held several academic positions before becoming the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

' first Special Representative on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in 1992. He was newly independent South Sudan's first ambassador to the

from 2012 to July 2016

Early life

Francis Mading Deng was born near Abyei, Sudan in 1938. His father was Deng Majok, paramount chief of the Ngok Dinka, the largest tribe in Sudan. Francis was the eldest son of Deng Majok's fourth wife. Deng studied law at University of Khartoum (Bachelor of Laws) and

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

(LL.M.). He earned a

Doctor of Juridical Science A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate degree in law that is equivalent to a Ph.D. degree. In most countries, it is the most advanced law degree that can be earned. Australia ...

(J.S.D.) from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1967. He also took graduate courses at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

Career

Under Sudanese presidents

Ismail al-Azhari Ismail al-Azhari (; October 20, 1900 – August 26, 1969) was a Sudanese nationalist and political figure. He served as the first Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as List of heads of state of Sudan, Head of State of Sudan from ...

and

Gaafar Nimeiry Gaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Gaafar Nimeiry, Jaafar Nimeiry, or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ; 1 January 193030 May 2009) was a Sudanese military officer and politician who served as the fourth president of Sudan, hea ...

, Deng served as Human Rights Officer at the

United Nations Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the agenda for the deliberative and decision-making bodi ...

(from 1967 to 1972). He went on leave in 1972, spending time as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University and a lecturer in law al Columbia University. In 1972, he joined the Sudan diplomatic service, where he was posted as Ambassador of Sudan to the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. He was Sudan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1976 to 1980. After leaving his country's service, he was appointed as the first

Rockefeller Brothers Fund The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a philanthropic foundation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was founded in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle for the five third-generation Rockefeller brothe ...

Distinguished Fellow. He held several academic positions, mainly in the United States. From 1992 to 2004, Deng served as the

' first Special Representative on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons. On 29 May 2007, United Nations Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

announced the appointment of Deng as the new Special Adviser for the Prevention of

Genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

, a position he held until 17 July 2012 at the level of Under-Secretary General. From 2006 to 2007, Deng served as director of the Sudan Peace Support Project based at the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...

. He also was a Wilhelm Fellow at the Center for International Studies of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

and a research professor of international politics, law and society at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Before joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Deng was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the John Kluge Center of the Library of Congress. Deng served at the Woodrow Wilson International Center first as a guest scholar and then as a senior research associate, after which he joined the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

as a senior fellow, where he founded and directed the Africa Project for 12 years. He was then appointed distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

before joining Johns Hopkins University. Among his numerous awards in his country and abroad, Deng is co-recipient with Roberta Cohen of the 2005

Grawemeyer Award The Grawemeyer Awards () are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology. The religion awa ...

for "Ideas Improving World Order" and the 2007 Merage Foundation American Dream Leadership Award. In 2000, Deng also received the Rome Prize for Peace and Humanitarian Action. From 2012 to July 2016, he served as South Sudan's first Permanent Representative of South Sudan to the United Nations. Deng is a member of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Advisory Council, a project of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis to establish the world’s first treaty on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. He has authored and edited 40 books in the fields of law, conflict resolution, internal displacement, human rights, anthropology, folklore, history and politics and has also written two novels on the theme of the crisis of national identity in Sudan.

Selected publications

* ''Bound by Conflict: Dilemmas of the Two Sudans'' (International Humanitarian Affairs. with Kevin M. Cahill M.D. (FUP)) (1 March 2016) * ''Identity, Diversity, and Constitutionalism in Africa Now'' (1, 2008) * ''Talking it Out: Stories in Negotiating Human Relations'' (Kegan Paul, 2006) * ''A Strategic Vision for Africa: The Kampala Movement'', with I. William Zartman (2002) * ''African Reckoning: A Quest for Good Governance'', co-editor with Terrence Lyons (1998) * ''Masses in Flight: The Global Crisis of Internal Displacement'', with Roberta Cohen (1998) * ''The Forsaken People: Case Studies of the Internally Displaced'', co-editor with Roberta Cohen (1998) * ''Seed of Redemption'', 1986? * ''War of Visions: Conflicting Identities in the Sudan'' (1995) * ''Human Rights in Africa: Cross-Cultural Perspectives'', ed. with Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im (1990) * ''Cry of the Owl'' (Lilian Barber Press, Inc., 1989) * ''Tradition and Modernization: A Challenge for Law Among the Dinka of the Sudan'' (1987) * ''Dinka Folktales: African Stories from the Sudan'' (June 1984) * ''Dinka Cosmology'' (Sudan studies) (1980) * ''Dynamics of identification: a basis for national integration in the Sudan'' (1973) * ''The Dinka and their songs'' (1973) * ''The Dinka of the Sudan'' (1972, Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc.; 1984, reissued with changes by Waveland Press Inc.)

Personal life

He married Dorothy Ann Ludwig in 1972 in the Church Center for the United Nations. Francis's son Daniel Deng operates a non-profit, KUSH, in South Sudan.

References

External links

The Biography of Francis Deng
UN.
Profile
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Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide {{DEFAULTSORT:Deng, Francis 1938 births Living people Yale Law School alumni Alumni of King's College London Johns Hopkins University faculty South Sudanese officials of the United Nations South Sudanese Africanists Foreign ministers of Sudan Ambassadors of South Sudan to Canada Ambassadors of Sudan to Canada Place of birth missing (living people) University of Khartoum alumni Ambassadors of Sudan to the United States Ambassadors of Sudan to Denmark Ambassadors of Sudan to Norway Ambassadors of Sudan to Finland Ambassadors of Sudan to Sweden 20th-century Sudanese diplomats South Sudanese diplomats Permanent representatives of South Sudan to the United Nations Sudanese officials of the United Nations ASA Best Book Prize winners 21st-century Sudanese diplomats