John Jal Dak (popularly known as “JJ” ) is the Founding Director of Youth Social Advocacy Team (YSAT), a youth led Regional NGO that promotes peaceful communities by tackling barriers to Education, Hunger and root causes of violent conflicts in Uganda, South Sudan. He serves as UNHCR Global Advisor for Organizations led by displaced people appointed in 2022. He serves as Co-chair of Charter for Change Working Group on the Localizations of Humanitarian Aid. He has been elected as the International Steering Group (ISG) Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa Region at United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) in 2023. Jal is an International Summer School fellow in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies at University of Oxford. Jal is a Generation Change Fellow with United States Institute of Peace (USIP), an Obama Africa Fellow 2022 Cohort, a One Young World Enterprise for Peace Fellow, a Yunus, and Youth Fellow Class of 2020 and a Core member of Local Humanitarian Leadership on Localization of Humanitarian Aid. Jal is a researcher who contributed as a research Assistant for the 2018 UNHCR Research on the impact of streetlights in the refugee settlements in Uganda, 2020 Research with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicines on the challenges facing displaced HealthCare Workers and 2021 Research on role of youth in the Youth Peace and Security in the Borderlands of Great Lakes Region for United Network of Young Peace Builders (UNOY) based in the Hague.
Jal is an award-winning Humanitarian Practitioner, public speaker, transformative leader with over 9 years’ experience in humanitarian and Emergency Response Programs. He was the recipient of the Best Humanitarian of the Year Award 2022 in South Sudan by Junub Talent Awards and a Pico Grant Award winner by the International Development Innovation Network (IDIN) 2018 with multiple leadership roles at community and learning institutions.