Cherinet Hariffo

Diplomatic dynamo: Cherinet Hariffo

School/College: College of Liberal Arts
Degree/Year: BA, political science and government, 2024
Hometown: Moyale, Ethiopia
Current Job Title: Permanent representative of IGAD to the United Nations
Current Employer: Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa

As a teenager speaking before the United Nations for the first time in December 2021, Cherinet Hariffo, CLA ’24, remembers being incredibly nervous. But “as soon as the microphone was on,” Cherinet says words and emotions built up over a decade of navigating the globe as a refugee began pouring out of him. Just a few years later, Cherinet is now one of the world’s most promising young diplomats serving in a senior position as he represents a bloc of East African nations before the U.N.

Cherinet Hariffo poses along a line of flags representing the United Nations.

Getting noticed. Cherinet’s work caught the eyes of high-level government officials back in his native East Africa. While still finishing his degree at Temple, Cherinet served as an advisor to Djibouti’s mission to the U.N. In October 2024, he was appointed by Workneh Gebeyehu, executive secretary to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in East Africa to serve as the permanent representative to the U.N. for IGAD, an organization of eight member states tasked with fostering peace and prosperity across the often-volatile region.

Jet-setter. Cherinet currently splits time between the Horn of Africa and IGAD’s offices in New York City, which he established in his first major task as representative. While diplomacy suits him well, he dreams of one day returning to Ethiopia full time and being part of the next generation of officials seeking to make the country a better place and be part of the change.

Forced to flee his home at the age of 9 due to civil conflict, Cherinet arrived in neighboring Kenya as an unaccompanied minor, splitting time between a refugee camp and facilities in Nairobi. Despite these circumstances, he was able to obtain an education and eventually an opportunity to resettle in the United States in 2018.

Temple became a safe harbor for Cherinet after moving between foster families in Pennsylvania and Indiana. A Lower Merion High School graduate, he selected Temple for its location in a big city and its diverse student body. An Ethiopian flag flying in the Howard Gittis Student Center served as a reminder he was welcome, and Fox School of Business Associate Professor James Lammendola became an important mentor.

“Basically, Temple is a place I discovered my true potential. That’s more than enough for me. The education was also tailored to my needs, not mandatory. It let me do what I really wanted and realize my potential.”

—Cherinet Hariffo
Permanent representative of IGAD to the United Nations