Dr. Rhuks Ako is a senior analyst with the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department of the African Union Commission (AUC) where he convenes the Youth for Peace (Y4P Africa) Program. He jointly oversaw the completion of the AU Continental Framework on Youth Peace and Security as well as the AU-PSC-mandated study on the roles and contributions of youth to peace and security in Africa. Prior to this, he occupied positions as a senior analyst in the Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Division (CPEWD) within the Peace and Security Department (PSD) and political analyst in the Department of Political Affairs. Rhuks is a qualified lawyer with a doctorate in environmental justice, natural resource governance, and Conflicts. Between 2002 and 2015, he held tenured positions in the law schools of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and the University of Hull, United Kingdom. He was a member of the team of researchers that received the APN 2014-2016 Collaborative Working Group Fellowship Award. Rhuks is an accomplished researcher and scholar with over 50 published academic outputs including a monograph, edited collections, and articles in peer-reviewed journals.