Peter Yeo
Vice President of Public Policy and Executive Director of Better World Campaign, United Nations Foundation
Peter Yeo joined the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Campaign in February 2009 with over twenty years of legislative, analytical, and management experience, including senior roles on Capitol Hill and in the State Department. Prior to arriving at UNF, Yeo served for ten years as the Deputy Staff Director at the House Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA). He has worked on a broad range of foreign policy and foreign aid issues. He led the successful negotiations for the landmark HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, commonly known as PEPFAR, as well as the successful $50 billion reauthorization of the law in 2008.
He also shepherded into law several measures dealing with China, Tibet, Burma, and East Timor. Prior to his work with the Committee, he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. State Department during the second Clinton Administration, where he led the negotiations around repayment of the U.S. arrears to the United Nations and was part of the U.S. delegation to the climate negotiations in Kyoto. Yeo holds a BA in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University as well as a MA in East Asian Studies from Harvard University.
Fun fact: Peter Yeo has been an advocate for the UN long before he worked at the UN Foundation. Peter was the delegate from Mozambique at the National Model UN. His love for international cooperation was passed along to his son, who is a present Model UNers.
Blog Posts by Peter Yeo
A Message to Congress amid Possible Funding Cuts to UN & Peacekeeping
Under UN peacekeeping, it is individuals from other countries who assume great personal risk, as evidenced by the recent kidnapping of 21 Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan and the deaths of four Russian peacekeepers in Congo. Despite these significant occupational hazards, UN peacekeepers remain central to efforts like those that advance democracy in places like Liberia and strengthen government capacity and prevent conflict in South Sudan. It is therefore crucial that our nation fully fund our peacekeeping dues.
March 14, 2013
New Poll: Americans Want the U.S. to Play an Active Role in the United Nations
Very soon, President Obama will be joined by new Cabinet members, including a new Secretary of State. A new session of Congress also includes new faces, with more than 90 new members.
January 16, 2013
Tell the Candidates to Think Global
We are down to the final days of this election and these last two debates count. According to our national poll of likely voters released today, 3 out of 4 Americans say foreign policy impacts their vote. Yet nearly half say the presidential candidates are not discussing international issues enough.
October 15, 2012
What Did U.S. Leaders Say at the UN?
As the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly commenced last week, news outlets widely covered the impassioned speeches of world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama. But have you heard what other U.S. officials were talking about in New York during UNGA? Here are a few highlights.
October 3, 2012
Carrying the Torch for Peace
As over 10,000 of the world’s greatest athletes convene in London for the 2012 Olympic Games, three truly stand out. It is not their athletic ability, their hours in training, or their love of competition that makes their stories unique —though certainly they shine in those categories, too. Rather, it is their triumphs in rising from histories of war and conflict to represent their nations with pride. As these athletes prepare to march in Friday’s Opening Ceremonies, we are reminded of how their countries arrived at this day.
July 27, 2012
A Strong Global Fund is Vital to an AIDS-Free Generation
Over the span of three decades, humanity has witnessed the rise of one of the world’s deadliest diseases, and also launched one of history’s greatest global attacks. Just 30 years ago, AIDS was barely uttered in newspapers anywhere around the globe, let alone becoming a household term. Twenty years ago, AIDS became the number one cause of death for U.S. men ages 25 to 44.
July 24, 2012
A Right to Reproductive Health
As a child growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I watched my mother go to work each day, dedicated to running our local women’s health clinic. A staunch defender of reproductive rights, she was armed with more than a team of medical experts, but also the kindness and wisdom that patients—many of them young women—relied on to prepare for the rest of their lives.
July 10, 2012
A Nation Turns One
Last year, the world watched with hope as the Republic of South Sudan emerged as a new nation. At the time, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan E. Rice noted, “Today is a day of celebration for all South Sudanese, and a day of triumph for all who cherish the rights of all people to govern themselves in liberty and law.”
July 9, 2012
On Its Birthday, UN Peacekeeping Gives Back
Today, United Nations Peacekeeping celebrates a birthday. At 64, I think it’s safe to say that Peacekeeping is officially in its prime. Surely, with its years have come many hard-earned accomplishments. In fact, to date there have been 67 peacekeeping operations on four continents. But ever since its infancy, this historic—and indeed heroic—institution has been an overachiever.
May 29, 2012
Thanking UN Peacekeepers on Capitol Hill
As an American, it was a proud moment for me when I watched members of Congress stand before a crowd on Capitol Hill last week and thank United Nations Peacekeepers for putting their lives on the line in the name of global peace and stability. U.S. Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) eloquently noted that the sacrifices of UN peacekeepers mean greater national security for us all.
May 21, 2012
Think of it this way: This week is not just about eating less. It's about taking action.
Live Below the Line is a great concept, and I’m glad to participate this week to support the Shot@Life Campaign. Think of it this way. Live Below the Line participants spend $7.50 total to eat and drink for five days. My grocery basket on Sunday night was filled with a loaf of inexpensive bread, peanut butter, two bananas, two boxes of pasta and a (half-priced) dented can of peas.
May 9, 2012
American Voters Say YES to a strong U.S. – UN Relationship
One of the key pillars of our organization has always been championing a strong relationship between the United States and the United Nations. The United Nations Foundation and Better World Campaign believe strongly that the UN is beneficial to U.S. foreign policy and international security.
May 3, 2012
Freedom of the Press: Fueling a Free Society
Before finishing my breakfast this morning, I had read through the A section of the Washington Post, checked three cable news and network morning shows for major headlines, and read stories on six different news sites recommended by colleagues and friends via email and social media. By the time I go to bed tonight, I cannot tell you how many news sources I will have consumed.
May 3, 2012
Finding Hope in India
As the father of two boys, visiting hospitals and health clinics in the developing world, and seeing kids struggling to make it to the next day, is always difficult. But when I met with Dr. Julius and Dr. Asha at Hrudayalaya Hospital as part of the UN Foundaton Board meeting in Bangalore, I was instead filled with hope.
March 28, 2012
UN Foundation International Women’s Day Luncheon
As I was preparing my remarks for our annual International Women’s Day Luncheon held yesterday in Washington, I could not help but reflect on the story of a young girl in Malawi named Kumbukani, who despite all odds turned a seemingly shattered life into a powerful journey.
March 15, 2012
