who we are
Neutral and Independent
The Horn Peace Institute (HPI) is a platform of professionals and stakeholders in the advocacy for peace, conflict, security, democratic reforms, and mediation.
The HPI supports development of priorities, and policy dialogue to ensure inclusive socio-economic transformation, guided by the rule of law, freedom, gender rights, and integration of societies, and coexistence of the Peoples in the Horn.
Our Mission
To enhance the empowerment of women and youth in the Horn region to participate in any peace processes and benefit from socio-economic developments.
Our Vision
Regional peace, gender rights, food security, political stability, regional integration, national democratic leadership, women and youth empowerment and advocacy.
Our Concerns
Our concerns include:
Youth-led crime and insecurity, Poverty, Terrorism, Social disintegration, Inequality, Youth unemployment, Conflicts, Delayed development and Persistent conflicts.
About Us
Where We Came From
The HPI arose due to the increasing realization that conflicts are costly and devastating not only to the generations involved but also to their descendants. Conflicts in the region have failed to be won by force of arms over the years.
The conflicts have been assigned individuals to resolve them. Against this background, the need for an institutional framework for mediation gained currency as the way forward.
HPI aims to increase awareness on the benefits of mediation and increase capacity to negotiate, dialogue, early warning, determine and provide ways of avoiding conflict.
Managing Director
Filsan Ahmed
Filsan Ahmed is a global renown public policy leader, peacebuilding and gender equality expert and practitioner.
Filsan continues her leadership advocacy for peace and gender justice efforts through a peacebuilding institute she founded in the Horn of Africa.
As a young visionary African leader, Filsan inspires a generation of young African leaders to advance peace and good governance that ensures dignity for all, especially the most vulnerable women, children and youth.
In 2020, Filsan became the youngest minister ever in Ethiopian history and the first Somali Ethiopian woman to ever be appointed to the federal government of Ethiopia. In her role as Minister of women, children and youth, Filsan in her tenure introduced policy programs like the National sex offender registry, Gender-based violence police unit, and Children’s social service to end( FGM and Early marriage), Ethiopian Youth council, Connection centers for youth.
Filsan has been extremely brave when reports emerged about sexual violence in the conflict in Tigray, she set up a task force to investigate and at a time when the Ethiopian government was in denial about what was happening she said publicly, that there was conclusive evidence that women had been raped. And later, she resigned her position as a minister demonstrating courage and moral leadership.
Filsan received the post-nominal honorific title of Goodwill Ambassador in 2020 for her peace and reconciliation program.
Filsan’s transformative initiatives include Nabad TV To inform, educate, inspire and entertain Somali speaking communities.
Filsan started a peace and reconciliation project called the NABAD project which created a real and meaningful dialogues between the Oromo and Somali communities.
At the end of the peace process, Filsan used the momentum as launchpad to start NABAD TV for her message to reach a greater audience. It’s the first independently owned TV station in the Somali region, and its also the first to be started by a woman in the Horn of Africa.
Filsan studied and lived in Addis Ababa where she obtained a degree in leadership and management at Unity University, and in England where she obtained a degree in communications science at The University of Hertfordshire She later worked as a speech and language therapist in England for several years.