Maria Kisumbi

Guest Author

Maria Kisumbi (LinkedIn) is Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Humanity United, where she leads engagement with philanthropic partners to advance collective action on peacebuilding, human rights, and social justice. Prior to joining HU, Maria was the Senior Human Rights and Governance Technical Advisor to the Uganda National Planning Authority at the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in Uganda.

A lawyer by training and philanthropy leader, her work focuses on international cooperation, Global South leadership and building partnerships that advance peace, freedom, and justice. Her writing has appeared in World Politics Review, Foreign Service Journal and Africa Development. She holds an LL.M. in Global Health Law from Georgetown University Law Center and an LL.B. from Makerere University in Uganda.

Articles by this author:

Guterres speaks at a podium in the massive General Assembly hall, on a large dais at the base of a gold backdrop stretching to the high ceiling, his image also projected on screens behind him, as member state representatives are seated at long rows of desks arrayed in front of the dais.

As U.N. Secretary-General Candidates Make Pitch to be Mediator-in-Chief, Will Peacebuilding End Up On the Cutting Room Floor?

Jun. 23, 2026 Jordan Street and Maria Kisumbi

People wait in a line to vote at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, on January 14, 2021. Most wear masks, though not all wear them over their noses. They do not socially distance in line. Billboards for various stores hang above shop fronts behind the people in line.

Voter Trust: A Game Changer in Uganda

Feb. 5, 2021 Maria Kisumbi