Eric P. Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Eric Paul Schwartz is the current United States Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
, having been sworn in to office on July 8, 2009.
, receiving a B.A.
in Political Science
; at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
, receiving an M.P.A. with a specialization in International Relations
; and at the New York University School of Law
, receiving a J.D.
After law school, Schwartz worked for Asia Watch, a human rights
organization dedicated to monitoring human rights
in Asia. In 1989, he became a staff consultant of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. He worked there until 1993, when he moved to the United States National Security Council
, serving in a variety of functions, with his seniormost title being Senior Director and Special Assistant to the President for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs. There, he played a role in drafting the Clinton Administration's response to a number of peacekeeping
, humanitarian and refugee
issues, including U.S. involvement in the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
, the deployment of U.S. forces to train forces in Sierra Leone
as part of a group of peacekeepers dispatched to Sierra Leone in 1998, the resettlement of Kurdish
refugees in Northern Iraq
, resettlement of the Vietnamese boat people, the admission of Haitian
refugees and Operation Uphold Democracy
, and U.S. relief efforts in Central America and Kosovo
. He left the National Security Council in 2001.
From 2001 to 2003, Schwartz held fellowships at the Woodrow Wilson Center, the United States Institute of Peace
and the Council on Foreign Relations
. At the Council on Foreign Relations, he directed the Independent Task Force on Post-Conflict Iraq
, working closely with co-chairs Thomas R. Pickering
and James R. Schlesinger
. He also worked with the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
's Responsibility to Protect
Project.
In 2003, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Sérgio Vieira de Mello
invited Schwartz to join the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
. After Vieiera de Mello's assassination during the Canal Hotel bombing
, Schwartz was the second highest ranking official in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He served there until 2005 when Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan
appointed Schwartz as his Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; in this capacity, Schwartz served under Bill Clinton
, who was the Secretary-General's Special Envoy. He served as Deputy Special Envoy until 2007.
After leaving the United Nations
, Schwartz became Executive Director of The Connect U.S. Fund
.
President of the United States Barack Obama
nominated Schwartz to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
. This appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate
on June 19, 2009, and Schwartz was sworn in to office on July 9, 2009.
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration is the head of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration within the United States Department of State...
, having been sworn in to office on July 8, 2009.
Biography
Eric P. Schwartz was educated at Binghamton UniversityBinghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
, receiving a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
; at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
, receiving an M.P.A. with a specialization in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
; and at the New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
, receiving a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
After law school, Schwartz worked for Asia Watch, a human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organization dedicated to monitoring human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in Asia. In 1989, he became a staff consultant of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. He worked there until 1993, when he moved to the United States National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
, serving in a variety of functions, with his seniormost title being Senior Director and Special Assistant to the President for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs. There, he played a role in drafting the Clinton Administration's response to a number of peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
, humanitarian and refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
issues, including U.S. involvement in the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor provided an interim civil administration and a peacekeeping mission in the territory of East Timor, from its establishment on October 25, 1999 until its independence on May 20, 2002 following the outcome of the East Timor Special...
, the deployment of U.S. forces to train forces in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
as part of a group of peacekeepers dispatched to Sierra Leone in 1998, the resettlement of Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
refugees in Northern Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
, resettlement of the Vietnamese boat people, the admission of Haitian
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
refugees and Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
, and U.S. relief efforts in Central America and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. He left the National Security Council in 2001.
From 2001 to 2003, Schwartz held fellowships at the Woodrow Wilson Center, the United States Institute of Peace
United States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world...
and the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. At the Council on Foreign Relations, he directed the Independent Task Force on Post-Conflict Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, working closely with co-chairs Thomas R. Pickering
Thomas R. Pickering
Thomas Reeve "Tom" Pickering , is a retired United States ambassador. Among his many diplomatic appointments, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992.-Early life:...
and James R. Schlesinger
James R. Schlesinger
Dr. James Rodney Schlesinger is an American politician. He is best known for serving as Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
. He also worked with the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty was an ad hoc commission of participants which in 2001 worked to popularize the concept of humanitarian intervention and democracy-restoring intervention under the name of "Responsibility to protect."The Commission was founded by...
's Responsibility to Protect
Responsibility to protect
The responsibility to protect is a norm or set of principles based on the idea that sovereignty is not a privilege, but a responsibility. RtoP focuses on preventing and halting four crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, which it places under the generic...
Project.
In 2003, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello was a Brazilian United Nations employee who worked for the UN for more than 34 years, earning respect and praise around the world for his efforts in the humanitarian and political programs of the UN...
invited Schwartz to join the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is a United Nations agency that works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948...
. After Vieiera de Mello's assassination during the Canal Hotel bombing
Canal Hotel Bombing
The Canal Hotel Bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, in the afternoon of August 19, 2003, killed at least 22 people, including the United Nations' Special Representative in Iraq Sérgio Vieira de Mello, and wounded over 100. The blast targeted the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq created just 5 days...
, Schwartz was the second highest ranking official in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He served there until 2005 when Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
appointed Schwartz as his Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; in this capacity, Schwartz served under Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, who was the Secretary-General's Special Envoy. He served as Deputy Special Envoy until 2007.
After leaving the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Schwartz became Executive Director of The Connect U.S. Fund
The Connect U.S. Fund
The Connect U.S. Fund is a Washington based non-profit organization that promotes responsible U.S. global engagement on nuclear non-proliferation, human rights, climate change and development...
.
President of the United States Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
nominated Schwartz to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration is the head of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration within the United States Department of State...
. This appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on June 19, 2009, and Schwartz was sworn in to office on July 9, 2009.