Janeen Fernando is the Peace and Development Advisor for the United Nations in the Maldives. Prior to taking up the role in 2023, he served in similar capacities in Sri Lanka and briefly in Thailand. At the UN, he led workstreams on peacebuilding, conflict prevention and developed innovative programmes in emerging concerns such as countering online hate speech. Prior to his work in the UN, he headed the politics research practice and parliamentary accountability platforms and worked on tracking issues faced by religious minorities. Janeen was also a lecturer in International Studies, and holds a BSc. from the University of London and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge where he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar.