Yosuke Nagai
Dr. Yosuke Nagai is the Founder and Executive Director of Accept International. Since establishing the organization in 2011, he has been dedicated to implementing deradicalization, reintegration, and rehabilitation programs for defectors, prisoners, and detainees of non-state armed groups, particularly violent extremist groups, with a primary focus on Somalia, Yemen, Kenya, Indonesia, and Colombia. Additionally, he has implemented emergency humanitarian assistance programs to support victims and internally displaced persons in these regions, involving graduates of rehabilitation programs.
Dr. Nagai also actively conducts outreach and sensitization activities in remote and underserved areas, encouraging disengagement from non-state armed groups and promoting community-based reconciliation efforts. His passion lies in empowering marginalized youth, such as disengaged youth combatants, by providing them with opportunities to break free from cycles of violence and become agents of peace. He firmly believes that this approach fosters true inclusion and coexistence, rooted in the principles of human rights and sustainable peace. In 2023, he launched the Global Taskforce for Youth Combatants (GTY), which comprises peacebuilders with past experiences in non-state armed groups. This initiative aims to address the needs of youth associated with non-state armed groups (YANSAG) worldwide and to help them realize their unique potential as agents of peace.
Dr. Nagai holds a PhD in Social Science from Waseda University and a Master's degree in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has served as a visiting fellow at the University of Oxford and the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. Furthermore, he is a member of a Youth Advisory Board, an Expert Group Meeting, and a Technical Working Group within various UN agencies.
