New EIP president: Pekka Haavisto
07/10/2016
EIP‘s Board of Governors is pleased to announce the appointment of Pekka Haavisto as new President of the European Institute of Peace.
Pekka Haavisto: “I am proud and honoured to be invited to serve as president of the European Institute of Peace. EIP is a unique organisation – it complements European efforts to achieve peace, it acts as a bridge between official diplomatic channels and people in conflict zones and it develops innovative conflict resolution approaches. The time could not be more challenging for Europe’s peace agenda. It is important that we now strengthen our capacities for mediation and conflict resolution.”
Martin Griffiths, EIP‘s Executive Director, welcomed the appointment of EIP’s new president: „Pekka Haavisto cares deeply about peace. He not only understands conflicts he also knows what needs to be done to resolve and prevent them. Together we will develop new strategies for EIP to expand our activities and remain a creative and innovative organisation at the heart of Europe.”
Pekka Haavisto is a Finnish politician with extensive experience in crisis management, political negotiation and mediation. He is a member of the Finnish Parliament and has twice served as a cabinet minister. In autumn 2014 he was appointed as the Foreign Minister’s Special Representative for mediation and crisis management in Africa. Between 2005 and 2007 he served as the European Union Special Representative to Sudan and Darfur. He has also led several missions to conflict areas as the Chairman of UNEP’s post-conflict work.
The European Institute of Peace (EIP) was founded in 2014 as an independent partner to the European Union and Europe, augmenting its global peace agenda through mediation and informal dialogue. The Institute, registered as a Belgian foundation, pursues multi-track diplomacy and acts as a flexible, external tool in support of EU mediation efforts where the EU has limited freedom to act. It also serves as an operational hub, and connects existing expertise and shares knowledge and lessons on European mediation. The Board of Governors of the EIP is composed of the Governments of Belgium, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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