Dr Diego Salama is Head of Partnerships & Communications.
He joined UNU-MERIT in 2013 as a Research Assistant and subsequently progressed into roles focused on partnerships, communications, and institutional engagement. In 2015, he was appointed Communications Officer, and in February 2022, he assumed the role of Acting Head of Communications. In September 2022, he transitioned to his current position.
In this role, Dr Salama leads UNU-MERIT’s partnerships portfolio, supporting the Director in strategic partnership development, programme and project management, and engagement across the United Nations system and with external stakeholders. He plays a central role in positioning the Institute within multilateral networks and advancing evidence-based partnerships aligned with UNU-MERIT’s strategic priorities. His responsibilities also include managing institutional governance processes and drafting reports and formal submissions to the UNU Council and host country authorities, contributing to strategic reporting, accountability, and institutional positioning
Alongside this, he oversees the Institute’s communications, including public information, external relations, and digital communications. He is responsible for shaping how UNU-MERIT’s research, education, and policy engagement are communicated to global audiences, ensuring coherence, visibility.
Dr Salama holds a PhD in History of International Relations from Leiden University. His doctoral research examined the history of United Nations peace operations, with a particular focus on UN engagement in the Middle East. He is an Affiliated Researcher at the Institute for History at Leiden University. Dr Salama serves as Managing Editor of Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organisations, a leading peer-reviewed journal published by the Academic Council of the United Nations System.
