Allison Lombardo

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Humanitarian Agenda and Human Rights Initiative
Allison Lombardo

Allison Lombardo served as deputy assistant secretary for international organization affairs at the U.S. Department of State, with a focus on human rights and humanitarian affairs during the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Lombardo was a strategy consultant at Deloitte. Ms. Lombardo’s prior public service began at the U.S. Department of State in 2009 as a presidential management fellow in the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan. From 2009 through 2012, she represented the United States at peace talks between Sudan and South Sudan, and from 2013 to 2014, she served as a director for African affairs at the National Security Council. In 2016, Ms. Lombardo served as senior adviser to the USAID administrator, where she guided action on humanitarian issues and international development policy in Africa and Latin America. Prior to her time in public service, Allison worked for the UN special representative on business and human rights and Human Rights Watch. Ms. Lombardo graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and from Brown University.

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Opting Out: United States to Stop Engaging with More UN Entities

Prioritizing and refining the coalitions and organizations an administration engages with makes sense, but budget cuts and an anti-multilateralism philosophy come with risks and mean a broader rupture is likely still on the horizon.

Commentary by Allison Lombardo — January 15, 2026

Audio Briefs

What Is the U.S. Posture Toward the United Nations?

An audio version of “⁠What Is the U.S. Posture Toward the United Nations?⁠,” a new critical questions by CSIS’s Allison Lombardo. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Allison Lombardo — September 25, 2025

Audio Briefs

What Is the U.S. Posture Toward the United Nations?

President Trump delivered withering criticism of the United Nations at UNGA this week, but the future of U.S. contributions to the United Nations remains unclear. What will the future hold for U.S. support to the United Nations?

Critical Questions by Allison Lombardo — September 25, 2025

Audio Briefs

Why U.S. Junior Professionals in the UN Still Matter

An audio version of "⁠Why U.S. Junior Professionals in the UN Still Matter⁠," a new commentary by CSIS's Allison Lombardo with Ella Lipin. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Allison Lombardo and Ella Lipin — August 20, 2025

Audio Briefs

Why U.S. Junior Professionals in the UN Still Matter

Individual Americans’ contributions can be an easy way to retain some U.S. inroads to a UN that will soldier on even without the United States as an active participant.

Commentary by Allison Lombardo and Ella Lipin — August 20, 2025

USAID Cuts Weaken U.S. Influence at the United Nations

Recent cuts to U.S. foreign assistance made by the Trump administration include major pullbacks on U.S. contributions to the United Nations. This jeopardizes U.S. leadership on humanitarian aid, global health, and disasters, as well as strategic competition and leadership in the UN system.

Commentary by Allison Lombardo — May 19, 2025

Audio Briefs

USAID Cuts Weaken U.S. Influence at the United Nations

An audio version of “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠USAID Cuts Weaken U.S. Influence at the United Nations⁠⁠,” a new commentary by CSIS's Allison Lombardo. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Allison Lombardo — May 19, 2025

Audio Briefs