Alexandra (Sascha) Pichler-Fong is currently the UN Political Adviser in Eritrea. Prior to deploying to Asmara, she held a Visiting Scholar Appointment at Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, where she researched recent UN preventive diplomacy engagements. A long-time UN staffer, Alexandra headed the Policy Planning Unit in the Department of Political Affairs and served in the cabinet of three Under-Secretaries-General for Political Affairs. She has lectured internationally on the UN’s work in the area of peace and security and, through a network of academic institutions and think tanks, has been instrumental in bringing evidence-based research into the UN’s practice. Prior to joining the UN in 2002, Alexandra worked for Crisis Group, an international think tank specialized in conflict prevention, and a network of European development NGOs. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA Honours in History and Modern Languages from Oxford University. She is fluent in German, English, French and has a working knowledge of Spanish as well as a smattering of Italian and Tigrinya.