Programs Lead | marissa@youngdiplomats.ca

Marissa Fortune holds a Bachelor of Arts in Joint-Honours Political Science and International Development from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the Institut des hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID) in Geneva, Switzerland. Currently, Marissa helps manage the International Assistance Envelope at Global Affairs Canada (GAC). In 2020 she was hired to coordinate policy for Canada’s campaign for a seat on UN Security Council. Prior to this she was living and working in Accra, Ghana where she completed research for her graduate thesis on gender and peacekeeping while undergoing a fellowship at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC). Marissa has also worked at the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. In 2019 she was selected by YDC to attend the Y7 Summit in Paris, France where she represented Canada in the gender equality working group. Marissa is passionate about social justice, peace and security and has a background in advocacy work related to gender, youth, and violence reduction.