Amal Kandeel

Amal A. Kandeel advises government, international, and private entities on economic and public policy; natural resources and sustainable development; and conflict/peace and human security issues. Her work has been focused on Middle East and North Africa (MENA) political economy and development, particularly on the nexus of freshwater resource security, climate change, food security, and sustainable agricultural/rural development, as well as women in development. She is also a writer on these issues for the Atlantic Council.

Ms. Kandeel was previously the director of MEI's Climate Change Program and a policy advisor to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on MENA. She also advised Arab diplomatic missions and government agencies on natural resource and security issues. She worked at the Library of Congress as a subject matter expert. She also taught at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Her work has been focused on Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

Her contributions to conferences, roundtables, private meetings and other projects are sought by various agencies in the US and abroad. This has included the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Atlantic Council, United States Institute of Peace, Qatar National Food Security Program, MEC International, Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, Istituto Affari Internazionali, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, among others.  

Ms. Amal Kandeel is a writer who is published internationally, including with the Middle East Institute, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Atlantic Council, the United States Institute of Peace, and Al-Arabiya, as well as in Middle East Policy, Arab Studies Quarterly, Middle East Economic Survey, the National (UAE), the National (US), Saudi Gazette, and the Middle East Times.

Ms. Kandeel founded and directed the US-based Pioneers International, a small consultancy focused on identifying and developing renewable energy, eco-friendly construction, and public health solutions in Egypt.

She is a member of the board of directors of the Egyptian American Cultural Association, Virginia, and a co-founder of the Middle East and North Africa Consultants Association, Washington, D.C.

Ms. Kandeel has master's degrees in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced and International Studies, and in economics from the American University, Cairo, and a bachelor’s degree in economics with highest honors from Cairo University. She is bilingual in English and Arabic. She has multicultural experience and is well-traveled in four continents. She is a self-taught artist.

Education
Bachelor of Science in Economics, Cairo University; Master of Art in Economics, American University in Cairo; Master of International Public Policy, concentration in Energy, Resources and Environment, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS)

Countries of Expertise
Egypt

Issues of Expertise
Water and food security, international water issues, agriculture and climate change, rural poverty, gender, and development

Languages
English, Arabic