What is Martti Ahtisaari’s vision for peacemaking?
We at CMI believe that Martti Ahtisaari’s vision is increasingly needed for peace mediation to meet future challenges. On the occasion of our 20th anniversary, CMI’s Peace Talks takes a closer look at this vision.
Founder of CMI, Nobel Peace Laureate Martti Ahtisaari can be considered the most successful peace mediator of all times. At the age of 83, President Ahtisaari is having his well-deserved retirement days, but his vision lives on. We at CMI believe that this vision is increasingly needed for peace mediation to meet future challenges.
As CMI turns 20 this year, this is a good occasion for CMI’s Peace Talks to reflect on his legacy for the organisation and for peacemaking more broadly. For Roxana Cristescu, who is the Head of CMI’s Programme in Eurasia and the Director of EU relations, treating everyone equally and being determined are Ahtisaari’s two key characteristics as a man and a mediator.
“Ahtisaari has this incredible talent of putting people at ease. This is something that is reflected in all the work we do at CMI. Being resilient and proficient, but being always there for people and making sure that who ever engages with us feels welcomed, comfortable and trustful”, observes Cristescu.
Ahtisaari says that without equality the world will never get rid of conflicts. This Ahtisaari’s vision is echoed also in Finland’s approach to foreign policy. “Conflict resolution and sustainable development need to go hand in”, says Kai Sauer, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and CMI board member.
This message, highlighting the nexus between peace and sustainable development, is particularly powerful in a situation where the Covid-19 crisis threatens to make conflict countries even more fragile and to give rise to new and old tensions.
In CMI’s Peace Talks we look at the world through peacemaking lenses. We have conversations with both our own and other top experts on what it takes to build lasting peace amidst the volatile world situation. In the wise words of our founder, Nobel Peace Laureate Martti Ahtisaari, we believe that all conflicts can be resolved. This podcast is about how to do it.
Guests
Roxana Cristescu, Head of CMI’s Programme in Eurasia and the Director of EU relations, and Kai Sauer, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and CMI board member.
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Recorded: September 3, 2020
Edited: CMI’s Communications Officer Olli Puumalainen
Host: CMI’s Communications Manager Antti Ämmälä
Jingle: Jukka Backlund
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CMI’s Peace Talks available on: Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts and iTunes.