STAFF

Areas of expertise: Programme and operations management, risk management, policy compliance and integrity. Good governance, humanitarian assistance and refugee protection, civil society support.

Biography: Saara Vuorensola-Barnes is the Head of Quality Assurance and Risk Management, focusing on CMI’s global programme management and development, institutional planning and reporting, and risk management.

Saara has more than 15 years of experience from international cooperation with NGO, private sector, and intergovernmental entities in Central and South America and Africa both at head office and field levels. Before joining CMI Saara worked for eight years as a Country Director for an international NGO focusing on humanitarian assistance, refugee protection and social cohesion in conflict affected countries of Colombia and later in Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia, where se was in charge of multi-million assistance programmes. She worked with diverse funding partners and was actively engaged in the Colombian Humanitarian Country Team and UNHCR led Refugee assistance and protection coordination mechanisms in Kenya. Saara holds Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Helsinki.

Areas of expertise: Peacebuilding, conflict resolution, conflict prevention, UN peacekeeping, EU crisis management, multilateral affairs, global governance, partnerships, and public diplomacy.

Biography: Dr. Jibecke Joensson is Head of the CMI’s Brussels Office, focusing on maintaining relations and building strategic partnerships with the EU and Brussels stakeholders.

Jibecke was previously seconded by Sweden to the European External Actions Service where she focused on the EU-UN partnership on peace and security, and prior to that the Acting Head of Policy and Best Practices of the Challenges Forum International Secretariat, at the Folke Bernadotte Academy, Stockholm. She has been a political adviser in the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, and Programme Manager and Research Assistant with the United Nations University Office, New York.

In addition, Jibecke worked as Programme Manager with Adam Smith International, London and with international human rights NGOs including Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights. She holds a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, with a focus on Understanding Collective Security in the 21st century: A Critical Study of UN Peacekeeping in the former Yugoslavia.

Areas of expertise: Foreign Politics and diplomacy, Service design, Organizational development, Compliance, Global Education, Youth, Peace and Security + Youth engagement, Ahtisaari legacy, Work safety and SEAH

Biography: Mrs. Riikka Marjamäki works as Head of Development at CMI and is responsible for several internal and external development processes. Riikka is specialised in impact, service design and learning. She also leads CMI’s global education and youth work and the work in the Western Balkans.

Riikka previously headed the Office of President Ahtisaari for nearly 10 years, and in this capacity worked closely with other key governmental and non-governmental organisations in the field of mediation and conflict resolution. Mrs. Marjamäki has 20 years of expertise from international relations, conflict management and peace mediation and has previous experience from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, human-rights and women’s rights organisations and teaching.