Marti Flacks

Marti Flacks is the Khosravi Chair in Principled Internationalism and director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The initiative seeks to bring innovative thinking and a multidisciplinary approach to tackle pressing global human rights challenges and better integrate human rights across foreign policy priorities. Ms. Flacks spent more than a decade in the U.S. government, most recently serving at the National Security Council (NSC) as director of African affairs from 2015 to 17, where she coordinated U.S. policy across East and Southern Africa and on continent-wide trade and economic issues. Prior to the NSC, Ms. Flacks spent three years as deputy director of the Office of Energy Programs at the U.S. State Department, leading the department’s work on energy transparency and good governance, and four years working for the U.S. special envoy for Sudan on implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the independence of South Sudan. She joined the U.S. government through the Presidential Management Fellows program at the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to joining CSIS, Ms. Flacks served as deputy director & head of the North America office at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, a human rights organization focused on the role of business in respecting human rights. Ms. Flacks received a BS in foreign service from Georgetown University, a master's degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a JD from Columbia Law School. She is originally from Solon, Ohio.
Areas of Expertise
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- aschwartz@csis.org
- Paige Montfort
- Media Relations Manager, External Relations
- 202.775.3173
- pmontfort@csis.org
In the News
Foreign Executives Need To Do Human Rights Due Diligence In Mexico
Marti Flacks in Forbes — April 26, 2023
Biden’s democracy summit 2.0: Ukraine war spurs globalized format
Suzanne Spaulding and Marti Flacks in The Christian Science Monitor — March 29, 2023
Biden widens net in new democracy summit as Russia, China concerns grow
Marti Flacks in France 24 — March 27, 2023
White House Hosts International Women of Courage Awards
Marti Flacks in Voice of America — March 8, 2023
US Accuses Russia of 'Systemic' War Crimes
Marti Flacks in Voice of America — November 22, 2022
U.N. accuses China of possible "crimes against humanity" against Uyghurs
Marti Flacks in CBS News — September 1, 2022
News Analysis: Biden tying himself in knots over looming Saudi Arabia visit
Marti Flacks in Los Angeles Times — July 13, 2022
Could COVID help Biden avoid a controversial interaction in the Mideast?
Marti Flacks in USA Today — July 13, 2022
All content by Marti Flacks
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Reflecting on Rana Plaza: The Evolution of Corporate Engagement on Human Rights in Supply Chains since the 2013 disaster
Event by Marti Flacks , Kalpona Akter , Kelly Fay Rodriguez , Michael Bride , Scott Nova , and Neeran Ramjuthan — April 24, 2023
The UDHR at 75: A Conversation with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
Event by Volker Türk and Marti Flacks — April 18, 2023
The 2023 Forum on Business and Democracy
Event by Marti Flacks , John J. Hamre , Don Graves , Brad Smith , Paige Alexander , Karan Bhatia , and Neil Potts , Alissa Starzak , Thea Lee , Kevin Cassidy , Shawna Bader-Blau , Nate Herman , Richard Nephew , Kathy Sheehan , Michele Crymes , Megan Bridges , Johnny Walsh — March 28, 2023
Democracy Summit
Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Marti Flacks — March 27, 2023

Press Briefing: Previewing the 2023 Summit for Democracy
Event by Marti Flacks , Suzanne Spaulding , and Christopher Hernandez-Roy — March 22, 2023
The Potential Legacy of the Summit for Democracy Process
Commentary by Marti Flacks — March 21, 2023
The ICC Wants Putin. Now What?
Critical Questions by Marti Flacks — March 20, 2023
The Expanding Use of Technology to Manage Migration
Report by Marti Flacks , Erol Yayboke , Lauren Burke , and Anastasia Strouboulis — March 6, 2023
Promise and Peril: Migration Management Technologies in West Africa and Central America
Event by Erol Yayboke , Marti Flacks , William Brownfield , Badara Ndiaye , Amal El Ouassif , Caterina Rodelli , Ángela Alarcón , and Oscar Chacón — February 22, 2023
Priorities for the U.S. National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct
Report by Marti Flacks — February 21, 2023