About
Political Scientist | Migration Expert | Anthropologist | Special Presidential Envoy for Migration, Returns & Children’s Rights | Mother | Blogger | Westgate Terror Attack Survivor
Political Scientist | Migration Expert | Anthropologist | Special Presidential Envoy for Migration, Returns & Children’s Rights | Mother | Blogger | Westgate Terror Attack Survivor
I was born in Somalia and am the youngest of a family of five.
When war erupted in Somalia in 1991, my father was executed in clan-based clashes. As a young teenager, I was forced to flee Mogadishu and overnight became an internally displaced person.
After living with my aunt for a few months, I travelled to Italy as an asylum seeker and reunited with the rest of my family.
In Italy, I studied Political Science and later completed a Master’s degree in Anthropology and Comparative Development.
Living in Italy, I experienced racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. These experiences inspired my passion to help the most vulnerable, train minority groups, explain displacement, and support second-generation migrants.
I also worked with international organizations in Europe and Somalia, advocating for the rights of women, migrants, refugees, and minority communities.
Despite numerous opportunities to work with international organizations abroad, I longed to return home and play a more direct role in Somalia’s development. In 2009, I returned to Somalia to work with the development organization IIDA, founded by my mother, where I advocated for women’s rights.
As a mother of two, I entered Somali politics following immense personal tragedy. In September 2013, I lost my husband of two years in a terrorist attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. Rather than surrender to grief and anger, I chose forgiveness. Guided by moral purpose, fortitude, determination, and hard work, I committed myself to addressing some of the root causes of the violence and hatred that continue to plague Somalia today.
I currently serve as the Special Presidential Envoy for Migration, Returns & Children’s Rights. In this role, I have taken the lead and made significant contributions to the Khartoum Process, the League of Arab States, the African Union Horn of Africa Initiative, and IGAD’s National Coordination Mechanism on Migration.
I work on the front line to save lives by rescuing stranded Somali migrants and refugees across the globe. Together with our partners, I have successfully facilitated the return of hundreds of stranded Somali migrants and refugees back home.
The Somali Government highly values the contribution of the Somali diaspora in Italy towards advancing the Government’s agenda. In this regard, the Government has recognized and commended my work in establishing migration governance in Somalia and my pioneering efforts to rescue stranded Somalis in countries such as Libya and Tanzania.
I continue to work towards developing a legal and policy framework to protect children, migrants, and refugees in Somalia. I also support Somalia’s efforts to join other global partners in signing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocols on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants.
Ambassador Mariam Yassin Hagi Yussuf, Special Presidential Envoy for Migration, Returns & Children’s Rights – Office of the President of the Federal Government of Somalia. Amb. Mariam Yassin was born in Mogadishu in 1977 and was the last born of a family of 5. Unfortunately, when the war in Somalia erupted in 1991 her father was executed due to clan-based clashes and Mariam, a young teenager at the time was forced to flee Mogadishu and over-night became an Internally displaced person.
Political Scientist | Migration Expert | Anthropologist | Special Presidential Envoy for Migration, Returns & Children’s Rights | Mother | Blogger | Westgate Terror Attack Survivor
Copyright © 2026 Ambassador Mariam Yassin All Rights Reserved