Sonya Reines-Djivanides & Ulrich Schneckener: The fundamentals of peacebuilding

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." Martin Luther King’s quotes still inspire many across the world when it comes to peacebuilding. But in a world of constant change, challenge and conflict, is peace a mere utopian dream or something tangible that we can and should actively strive towards? In this episode of the EAIE podcast, peacebuilding takes centre stage as our host, Laura Rumbley, tries to uncover some of the fundamentals of this fascinating work. How do we define and understand peacebuilding as a concept and a practice? What are some of the challenges and opportunities that come with addressing the work of peacebuilding from a diversity of perspectives? What does the academic world bring to the domains of peacebuilding and conflict resolution? And what can societies and individuals do in the face of the challenging realities we currently find ourselves in?

Our featured guests are Sonya Reines-Djivanides, the Executive Director of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), the largest conflict prevention and peacebuilding network in Europe, and Ulrich Schneckener, Professor of International Relations & Peace and Conflict Studies at Osnabrück University, and Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research. Tune in now to listen to this episode of the EAIE podcast!

About Sonya Reines-Djivanides

Sonya Reines-Djivanides is the Executive Director of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), Europe’s largest conflict resolution network and peacebuilding organisation. With more than 20 years of experience in international conflict resolution, including working in the senior management of peacebuilding organisations like Search for Common Ground, Sonya has frequently commented on foreign policy and conflict issues. She received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science and French from The University of New Mexico and her Master of Arts in International Relations, with a focus on International Conflict Negotiation and an advanced Certificate in International Conflict Management, from Syracuse University. She holds a graduate certificate in International Mediation and Conflict Analysis from the United States Institute of Peace and completed a Peace Mediation Course with the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs. Sonya has taught Master’s level mediation and negotiation at Kent University and sits on the board of Directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding and WeMove Europe.

About Ulrich Schneckener

Prof. Dr Ulrich Schneckener has been working as a Professor of International Relations & Peace and Conflict Studies at Osnabrück University in Germany since 2009. He is also the Co-director of the MA programme ‘Conflict Studies and Peacebuilding’. Since 2016, he has been the Chairman of the Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research. Between 2002 and 2009, he worked as a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin. Some of his key research interests include international conflict management, peace- and state-building, political violence and European and global security.