Hugh Dugan
Diplomat & Author
Blockchain Diplomacy & the United Nations Former National Security Council Senior Director
Bridging Diplomacy, Multilateralism & Emerging Technology
Hugh Dugan is a seasoned diplomat, scholar, and author with nearly four decades of experience at the highest levels of international affairs. He is one of the longest-serving Americans on the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations, having advised eleven U.S. Permanent Representatives over 26 years.
He served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Organization Affairs on the National Security Council, and as Acting Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Today he focuses on the intersection of traditional diplomacy and emerging technologies — particularly how blockchain can enhance transparency, accountability, and effectiveness within the United Nations system and multilateral institutions. He is a Fellow at the Center for United Nations and Global Governance Studies at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy.
Run of show
Appearing at
Wednesday, September 16
Main Stage, Hard Rock Times Square
Writing the Rules Without Killing the Signal
Regulation can clarify markets–or smother the innovation that made them valuable. Leaders from policy, sovereignty, and industry debate how to write durable rules that protect users while keeping open networks competitive and expressive.
Friday, September 18
Main Stage, Hard Rock Times Square
Capital at the UN Table: Financing Guidelines into Markets
At the UN table, guidelines only matter if capital can follow. This summit panel bridges multilateral frameworks and market mechanisms–how financing instruments turn policy intent into deployable infrastructure.
Friday, September 18
Main Stage, Hard Rock Times Square
Institutional Capital for UN-Aligned Infrastructure
Institutional allocators are evaluating UN-aligned infrastructure as a distinct category of opportunity. Speakers outline what “bankable” looks like: governance, returns, and the structures that let large capital participate responsibly.
Expertise
- •United Nations Diplomacy
- •Multilateral Institutions
- •Blockchain Diplomacy
- •International Organizations
- •U.S. Foreign Policy
Signature Moves
- •26 Years US Delegate to the UN
- •NSC Senior Director
- •Acting Special Presidential Envoy
- •UN Reform Negotiator
- •Scholar & Author on Multilateralism
“Is the United Nations working — and is it working for us? Technology can help answer that question with greater transparency and accountability.”
– Hugh Dugan
