Biography
Dr. Jon D. Unruh is a Professor of Geography at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
His research, applied and policy work over the past 25 years has focused on war-affected
human geographies, with a particular focus on the re-establishment of land and property
rights after armed conflict. His past work has dealt with Islamic, customary, tribal, statu-
tory and war-related approaches to land rights and how these interact with displaced pop-
ulations, restitution and other remedies, legal pluralism, and agriculture in postwar and
peace-building scenarios.
His experience includes fieldwork and policy analyses in: Iraq, Syria, Darfur, Yemen, Li-
beria, Somalia, Angola, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Slovenia, East Timor,
Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Zanzibar, Ethiopia, Zambia, Peru, Kenya, Jordan, Lebanon,
Cambodia, Uganda, Colombia and Central America. Dr. Unruh has advised a variety of
governments; as well as bilateral and multilateral organizations including the United Na-
tions, The World Bank, USAID, UK-DFID, US State Department, Canadian Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, The Japanese Global Infrastructure Founda-
tion, The US Institute of Peace, the UK Overseas Development Institute, US Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration; US Office of the Coordinator of Reconstruction
and Stabilization, NATO, International Development Research Centre-Canada, and the
Canadian Peace-building Coordinating Committee.
