Joëlle Jenny is a Fellow of the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University. Most recently she was the Director for Security Policy and Conflict Prevention at the European Union’s External Action Service. In that capacity she oversaw the EU's external security policies in the areas of non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament; counter-terrorism/countering violent extremism; cyber, maritime and space security; conflict prevention, peacebuilding and mediation; and EU sanctions.
Prior to joining the EEAS she worked successively as a Swiss and a British diplomat, covering international security issues, non-proliferation/arms control, conflict prevention and peace building, including at the UN. She has worked for the UK’s Department for International Development, the Swiss Foreign Ministry and the International Committee of the Red Cross. She worked extensively in Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian Territories, and held postings in New York, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. She was also a research assistant at NATO.