Beth Krasna, President of the Foundation Board said:
“The Foundation Board is delighted to appoint Dr Wennmann as Professor of Practice and holder of the Nagulendran Chair in Peace Mediation, a subject fully aligned with our core mission. He is particularly suited to this new Chair given his vast experience in mediation practice, policy and critical thinking and we look forward with great anticipation to the developments he will initiate in his new role. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Nagulendran Philanthropy Alliance for making this possible.”
Marie-Laure Salles, Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute said:
“The appointment of Dr Wennmann builds on his significant academic and practical track record in the field of peace and security and dedicated service to the Institute for over two decades. We thank the Nagulendran Philanthropy Alliance for the generosity and look forward to our collaboration on the issue of peace that is so much at the heart of our identity as an institution.”
Dr Achim Wennmann, said:
“I am extremely honoured to receive this distinction and look forward to nurturing the understanding and engagement necessary to advance peace in its multiple trajectories and shapes. The Chair comes at a very important moment in which the peace mediation community must ask itself if it can step up and raise its public voice in defence of the pathways to peace, or risk being side-lined to a political periphery.”
In addition to the Chair, Dr Wennmann will continue to serve as the Institute's Director for Strategic Partnerships. He has been the Executive Coordinator of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform from 2011 to 2021, in the capacity of which he co-founded Geneva Peace Week and Peace Talks Initiative. Achim has served in multiple mediation support roles, most recently on the economic dimensions of the conflict in Yemen. He has over 100 publications for academic and policy audiences and is the editor of the Geneva Policy Outlook.
More information on Dr Wennmann is available here.
About the Geneva Graduate Institute
A pioneer in the exploration of global issues, the Geneva Graduate Institute opens creative spaces for diverse communities and fosters the understanding and engagement essential to a peaceful, equitable and sustainable world. Located in the heart of International Geneva, a centre of global governance, we build on scientific excellence and transdisciplinary to foster critical and creative thinking on the major challenges of our time.
About Nagulendran Philanthropy Alliance
Nagulendran Philanthropy Alliance is a Swiss-based private philanthropic fund founded by Singaporeans Dorothy and John Nagulendran to promote a more peaceful world. The fund builds strong alliances with partners to support innovative projects and inspire the next generation of peacemakers.