30 Notable alumni of Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Updated: June 22, 2026 EliteDegrees
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is ranked #1,523 in the world and #13 in Switzerland by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 30 notable alumni from Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Marie-Ange Lukiana Mufwankolo
politician
minister
Marie-Ange Lukiana Mufwankolo, born Mufwankolo, is an elected member of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo who has also been a member of the Senate for Kinshasa. Previously, she was Minister of Gender, Women and Children in the governments of Adolphe Muzito and Minister of Labor and Social Welfare under Laurent-Desire Kabila and Gizenga Government.
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2. Max Sørensen
1913-1981 (aged 68)
diplomat
judge
university teacher
Max Sørensen was a Danish diplomat, judge, and professor of international law. He holds the distinction of being the first person to have sat as a judge on both the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights.
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3. Jasmin Singer
1979-. (aged 47)
writer
animal rights advocate
Jasmin Singer is an American animal rights activist. Since 2022, she has been the host of Weekend Edition for WXXI, Rochester, NY's NPR member station. She is the co-founder of the non-profit organization and podcast Our Hen House, serves as editor-at-large of VegNews, and is the former Vice President of Editorial at Kinder Beauty. She also supports LGBTQ+ and overlapping...
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4. Nicolas Rossier
cinematographer
screenwriter
film director
Nicolas Rossier is an American filmmaker and reporter best known for his biographical documentaries of the former president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide and South African Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient F.W. de Klerk.
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5. Márcia Donner Abreu
1961-. (aged 65)
diplomat
Márcia Donner Abreu is a Brazilian diplomat. She is currently ambassador of Brazil to the Republic of Korea. She was ambassador of Brazil to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and to Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.
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6. Arnauld Antoine Akodjènou
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Arnauld Antoine Akodjènou, a native of Benin, is a long-life humanitarian and diplomat, currently serving as Senior Adviser for Africa at the Kofi Annan Foundation specifically working on the Democracy and Electoral Integrity Initiative. Prior to this he served as the Regional Refugee Coordinator and Special Adviser to the High Commissioner for refugees for the South Sudan Situation at the...
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7. Mahdi Ahouie
1977-. (aged 49)
political scientist
Mahdi Ahouie is an Iranian political scientist, and assistant professor of international politics, and member of the Department of Iranian Studies at the University of Tehran. In April 2025 he was appointed Vice-President of the Iranology Foundation in Tehran. He is also working as a psychoanalyst. He has also been Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural...
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8. Laure Waridel
1973-. (aged 53)
writer
environmentalist
Laure Waridel, CM is a social activist, a writer, an associate professor of environmental studies and sociology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and a radio and TV commentator.
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9. Riadh Sidaoui
1967-. (aged 59)
political scientist
writer
journalist
Riadh Sidaoui is a Swiss–Tunisian writer, journalist and political scientist.
10. Juan Gasparini
1949-. (aged 77)
journalist
writer
Juan Gasparini is an Argentinian investigative journalist and author.
11. Arthur Dunkel
1932-2005 (aged 73)
diplomat
economist
Arthur Dunkel was a Swiss (Portuguese-born) administrator. He served as director-general of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade between 1980 and 1993. Dunkel was educated at the Graduate Institute of International Studies, in Geneva. He was Professor for International Trade at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland).
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12. Frédéric Bastien
1969-2023 (aged 54)
historian
writer
journalist
Frédéric Bastien was a Canadian author, historian, and journalist, best known for the book La Bataille de Londres. Dessous, secrets et coulisses du rapatriement constitutionnel, whose allegations surrounding the 1982 patriation of Canada's constitution caused political controversy in Quebec and led the Supreme Court of Canada to launch an internal probe.
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13. Youssouf Bakayoko
1943-2023 (aged 80)
diplomat
minister
politician
Youssouf Bakayoko was an Ivorian civil servant and ambassador who served in the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 2006 to March 2010.
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14. Nanjala Nyabola
writer
political historian
political scientist
women's rights activist
Nanjala Nyabola is a Kenyan writer, political analyst, and activist based in Nairobi, Kenya.
15. Philippe C. Schmitter
1936-. (aged 90)
academic
political scientist
sociologist
university teacher
Philippe C. Schmitter is an American political scientist specializing in comparative politics. He is Emeritus Professor of the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute.
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16. Joseph Tsang Mang Kin
1938-2024 (aged 86)
writer
Joseph Tsang Mang Kin, GOSK was a Mauritian poet, political scientist, philosopher, and biographer.
17. Robert McFarlane
1937-2022 (aged 85)
politician
military officer
Robert Carl "Bud" McFarlane was an American Marine Corps officer who served as National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1983 to 1985. Within the Reagan administration, McFarlane was a leading architect of the Strategic Defense Initiative, a project intended to defend the US from Soviet ballistic missile attacks. He resigned as National Security Adviser in late 1985 because...
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18. Annemarie Huber-Hotz
1948-2019 (aged 71)
sociologist
ethnologist
politician
Annemarie Huber-Hotz was a Swiss politician who served as the Federal Chancellor of Switzerland between 2000 and 2007. She was nominated by the FDP for the office, and elected to it on 15 December 1999. In 2011, she became President of the Swiss Red Cross and ex officio vice-president of the IFRC.
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19. André Simonazzi
1968-2024 (aged 56)
middle management
government spokesperson
journalist
André Simonazzi was a Swiss journalist born in Monthey. He held the office of Vice-Chancellor and spokesman for the Swiss Federal Council, from April 2009 until his death in 2024.
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20. Pierre Krähenbühl
1966-. (aged 60)
manager
Pierre Krähenbühl is director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the organization’s second-highest-ranking position, a role he began in April 2024. He previously served as ICRC’s Director of Operations from 2002 to early 2014.
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21. Marco Piccinini
1952-. (aged 74)
manager
businessperson
diplomat
politician
Marco Piccinini is a Monegasque sport personality, businessman, and politician.
22. Saadia Zahidi
economist
Saadia Zahidi is an economist and senior managing director at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and co-authors the WEF's Future of Jobs, Global Gender Gap and Global Risks Reports. She has served on the United Nations Secretary General's high level panel on women's economic empowerment and on the European Space Agency's (ESA) high level advisory group on human and robotic...
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23. Robert Ferdinand Wagner Jr
1910-1991 (aged 81)
diplomat
lawyer
politician
Robert Ferdinand Wagner II was an American diplomat and politician who served three terms as mayor of New York City, from 1954 to 1965. When running for his third term, he broke with the Tammany Hall leadership, ending the clubhouse's reign in city politics. He also served as United States Ambassador to Spain and in a number of other offices.
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24. Alpha Oumar Konaré
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
Alpha Oumar Konaré is a Malian politician, professor, historian and archaeologist, who served as President of Mali for two five-year terms from 1992 to 2002 and was Chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2003 to 2008.
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25. Princess Nora, Marchioness of Mariño
1950-. (aged 76)
sports executive
aristocrat
Princess Norberta of Liechtenstein, Marchioness of Mariño, popularly known as Princess Nora, is a member of Liechtenstein princely family. She is the fourth child and only daughter of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein and his wife Georgina von Wilczek, and the younger sister of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
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26. Witold Waszczykowski
1957-. (aged 69)
historian
diplomat
university teacher
politician
Witold Jan Waszczykowski is a Polish politician. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2015 and 2018. Waszczykowski was a Member of the Sejm (2011–2019), and has been a Member of the European Parliament to 2024.
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27. Jafar Hassan
1968-. (aged 58)
civil servant
politician
Jafar Hassan is a Jordanian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Jordan since 2024. Hassan worked in Jordan's diplomatic service and was chief of staff for Abdullah II of Jordan.
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28. Mauricio Mulder
1956-. (aged 70)
lawyer
politician
Claude Maurice Mulder Bedoya, known as Mauricio Mulder, is a Peruvian politician, lawyer and former journalist. One of the most prominent and influential members of the Peruvian Aprista Party, he was Congressman from 2001 to 2019, representing Lima. From 2004 to 2010, he held the office of party secretary general.
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29. Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee
diplomat
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee is a Ghanaian diplomat who has been serving as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Africa at the United Nations Secretariat since 2021. In this capacity, she is part of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
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30. Imran Nazar Hosein
1942-. (aged 84)
writer
philosopher
school teacher
ulema
Imran Nazar Hosein is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian Islamic preacher, author, and philosopher who specialises in Islamic eschatology, world politics, economics, and modern socio-economic/political issues. He is the author of Jerusalem in the Qur'an and other books.
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