GRONINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 15 MAY 2022. “Caecilia van Peski has been a member of the SIB-Groningen (DUNSA) Board of Recommendation since 2011. She is a frequent speaker for SIB Groningen, usually on an annual base, sometimes in person, sometimes via VTC as was the case in 2021 when Caecilia van Peski presented a guest lecture to the SIB Groningen audience while based in NATO Resolute Support Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. This lecture was very well received by SIB members because it offered students a glimpse inside the military theater in Afghanistan, which in itself was rather unique. Caecilia van Peski offered our members a highly insightful, direct eyewitness account from what was happening in Afghanistan at that time, just weeks before the violent siege of Kabul, a live report “from the ground”. On 21 February 2021 Caecilia van Peski was our speaker again, this time on conflict management in Eastern Ukraine.In hindsight, a highly noteworthy speech on the conflict in Ukraine, just days before the 24 February 2022 invasion of the nation. These are just a few examples of how Caecilia van Peski has enriched the ever-changing program of lectures regarding International Relations that our Association offers. Caecilia van Peski is a loyal supporter of SIB-Groningen, her engagement with our United Nations Student Association functioning as a testimony of Caecilia van Peski’s long-term involvement with the field of international relations, as well as with those talented young professionals that form the new generation of diplomats and deployed personnel in international missions. In her role of Board of Recommendation member, she has been supporting novice and senior Board members in their governing endeavours, whether it be within or outside of SIB. As such, she has been a constant, loyal companion, and for over ten years, has been a highly valued member of the Board of Recommendation, speaker at events, and friend of the Association.” Ms Hannah Müllers, President SIB-Groningen / Dutch United Nations Student Association The Netherlands (DUNSA), Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands
GRONINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 01 MAY 2022. “Caecilia van Peski has been a supporter of The European International Model United Nations (TEIMUN Foundation) for several years now. She has been a frequent speaker for our diverse audiences, which consist of students from universities worldwide, who study various international topics such as International Relations and International and European Law as well as International Finance and History. Most recently, on 10 March 2022, Caecilia van Peski functioned as our key-note speaker during the 20th Edition of GrunnMUN (The Groningen Model United Nations), which took place at the prominent premises of the historic Provinciehuis Groningen (Provincial Parliament). This TEIMUN Foundation GrunnMUN Conference was titled “Moving Forward: Fostering Development in a Globalizing World” and Caecilia van Peski chose to link her own contribution to aforementioned theme through her opening speech titled “Moving Forward: Fostering Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in a Globalizing World”. The first half of her speech addressed issues regarding peace and security on the European Continent and in the wider world. Her inspirational talk started with the perception and awareness of risk and threat in the lives of (young) people who reach maturity in today’s complex society. Caecilia van Peski offered our audience examples both from the regional, national, as well as international level, all in respect to changes in geopolitical and geostrategic realities.The second half of her speech pointed towards opportunities for change by use of the UN Agenda 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Caecilia van Peski devoted specific attention to SDG #16, which promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and the building of effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Through her words, Caecilia van Peski set the example of the importance of individual, community and societal resilience and we will remember her words when she mentioned how no matter how small our actions may seem to us, when we put them together, our stories and actions can have great power. By taking part in the 20th GrunnMUN, Caecilia van Peski demonstrated how we too can become part of the global movement working to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies and we greatly thank Caecilia for that inspiration.” Ms Ana Dorma, President TEIMUN Foundation 2021-2022, Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – 22 JUNE 2021. “I wish you luck and success in your new assignment. I’m sure you do it better than anyone else.” General Samet Yuksel (Turkish Airforce), Commander Camp HKIA (Hamid Karzai International Airport).
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – 02 FEBRUARY 2021. “I first met Caecilia van Peski in 2018, when I was a student in the Minor Program Peace and Conflict Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam). Caecilia had come to our University to give a fascinating guest lecture as part of our University’s Peace and Conflict Programme. Her lecture was titled “Peacekeeping from Theory to Practice” and revolved mainly around her work for the OSCE in Eastern Ukraine. This lecture clang with me during the following years – years in which I proceeded my studies at VU Amsterdam – as the content of Caecilia’s talk and the way in which she was able to relay her passion and personal experiences to her audience left a lasting impression on me. Some years later, upon my successful graduation, I was given the responsibility to manage the teaching of the same Course Program. When the opportunity arose, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to invite Caecilia back to our lecture halls as a guest lecturer. While getting to experience her lecturing again – now from the position of a lecturer myself – it struck me with how much ease, sensitivity and respect Caecilia was able to include all her students and in a highly interactive manner, even though her topics revolved around rather complex political themes. For example, when talking about a specific conflict region, Caecilia asked whether there were someone in her audience who originated from the specific region. When one student identified herself positively, Caecilia immediately integrated the perspectives of this student within her own knowledge from the region. Caecilia went on posing questions to her students that prompted them to reflect on their own background. As such, Caecilia constantly checked whether her students were able to relate to what she was explained. In doing so, Caecilia demonstrated a high level of personal and cultural sensitivity towards her students. This same sensitivity and level of engagement was also present in the way in which she answered the questions of her students. Moreover, Caecilia was able to offer a truly engaging lecture within the restrictions of the online setting in COVID-19 times. All in all, Caecilia gave the students a different and inspiring perspective on what it could mean to be a practitioner within the field of Peace and Conflict Studies and we are grateful for that.” Ms Nour Gjaltema, Junior Lecturer Political Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 16 OCTOBER 2020 “In 2011, when I first met Caecilia van Peski, she had come to our Eindhoven University of Technology to attended a lectures series on Technology, Engineering and Peacebuilding. Little later, Caecilia – who at the time already was a member of the Netherlands Society of International Affairs (NGIZ) – surfaced as a new board member for our NGIZ Chapter South (NGIZ-Zuid), the organization to which I function as Secretary. NGIZ, founded in 1945, is based on the objective of actively contributing to the exchange of knowledge and information and stimulating discussion about international issues and Dutch foreign policy. The organization is embedded within the Netherlands Institute of International Relations “Clingendael” yet functions independently, not tied to any political, religious or ideological belief. NGIZ organizes a wide range of activities, such as lectures, debates and seminars on current events and important international developments. The organization also establishes academic chairs at Dutch universities with the aim of stimulating academic education and research in the field of international relations. Since her entry into the board of NGIZ Chapter South, Caecilia has been supporting the dissemination of knowledge and know-how on international topics relating to security, multilateralism, development and diplomacy to the wider audience, including students of Eindhoven University of Technology and members of the Academic Society Eindhoven (Academisch Genootschap) and Tu/E Studium Generale. Also, she has contributed to the identification of and engagement with distinguished speakers for the NGIZ Lectures Series, identifying several interesting options for excellent speakers from within her vast network. Over the years, Caecilia emerged as an active agent in the structural development of NGIZ, with NGIZ – being amongst the oldest Societies in the Netherlands with a specific focus on international affairs – having to adapt more contemporary and innovative approaches for successful communication with its audiences. Caecilia also delivered guest lectures and presentations under NGIZ auspice herself, notably on the topic of NATO-Russia relations, Transatlantism, the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 and the Armed Conflict in Ukraine of 2014 onwards. As such, I have become to know Caecilia as an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable fellow board member. Despite the fact of her frequent absence from our country because of her international deployments, she has always remained true to her NGIZ work, loyal as well to her responsibilities as a board member and we would not like to miss her as such.” Dr Hans J.L. Schippers, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Society, Eindhoven University of Technology, Secretary Netherlands Society of International Affairs (NGIZ-Zuid)
TBILISI, GEORGIA – 10 MAY 2020 “Caecilia van Peski is a person with extraordinary experience, energy and positivity. She has been involved as an international expert in the project ‘Promoting Diversity and Women’s Equal Participation in Georgia’s Defence and Security Sector Institutions’ supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Georgia and implemented by the Georgian think tank Civil Council on Defence and Security (CCDS). Caecilia’s engagement in the context of the 20 November 2020 workshop ‘Diversity & Inclusion in Defence and Security Institutions: Towards more Equitable Representation and Participation’ at the Georgian Defence Institution Building School (DIB), Georgian Ministry of Defence, Tbilisi, Georgia absolutely enriched the project content and process. Participants from Georgian defence and security institutions as well as civil society and academia were fascinated with the extent of Caecilia’s experience and professionalism, as well as her engagement with the audience in Tbilisi. The workshop was organized in partnership with the Georgian MoD Defence Institution Building School and the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Georgia. Through her presentation, Caecilia opened the Diversity and Inclusion realm for Georgian participants; she helped to unpack the whole sphere and inspired participants to dive into the subject and continue working on advancing these issues in the defence and security sector institutions. Our cooperation did not end with the workshop in Tbilisi, as Caecilia was instrumental in building a connection between our organization and the Diversity & Inclusion Network of the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces at Kromhout Military Barracks in Utrecht, to which she functions as Ambassador Diversity & Inclusion. Caecilia’s contacts and recommendations contributed to the advancement of the project idea and the integration of diversity and inclusion concepts into the frameworks that are currently under development. Since the Workshop took place, project participants have been regularly approaching Caecilia with various questions; she is always helpful to their professional needs and inquiries. Caecilia van Peski actively participates in the dialogue and discussions initiated by CCDS on SSR and Democratic oversight of the Security Sector, Military oversight mechanisms, inclusion of national minorities into the Armed Forces, the status of Georgian Military Veterans within society, and the security and development nexus. She shares her knowledge and experience with Georgian military, civil servants and civil society representatives and knows how to motivate them for further action and transformation. Caecilia communicates with positive energy, always helps, always guides, and connects people and ideas. Her rich personality and professionalism balance each other in harmony. Her support to the Republic of Georgia, its democratic development and democratic institution building is outstanding and very much valued in Georgia.” Dr Shorena Lortkipanidze, Co-Founder and Board Member Civil Council on Defense and Security (CCDS)
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – 27 April 2020 “Caecilia and I met during professional coaching sessions in which she was my coachee. The sessions took place during spring 2020 and were part of the professional development of members of the United Nations Senior Women Talent Pipeline (SWTP). Caecilia is very experienced in a wide range of complex and volatile contexts (peace keeping, truce-supervision, issues involving border management and migration, human rights, diverse humanitarian settings incl. crisis response and civil-military engagement). She has proven her ability to not only adapt and adjust to the male-dominated sector in which she works, but to also thrive and succeed in such an environment. For this, she has received national and international recognition. Her career extends beyond typical military roles to several bi- and multi-lateral organisations, including the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, OSCE, European Union, NATO and the United Nations. Through various senior professional roles, she has demonstrated herself to be a skilful, results-focussed colleague and leader.” Dr Amaya Gillespie, Former Director United Nations System, International Career Coach
ROME, ITALY – 21 February 2020 “I had been working in close touch with Caecilia throughout the first half of 2015 in the context of our reciprocal engagement as Monitoring Officers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Ukraine, Patrol Hub Mariupol. In her working approach and personality, I detected many similarities with mine and we were immediately able to develop a common language work wise and in our personal interaction alike. Caecilia clearly demonstrates to be capable to serve a structured Organization such as the OSCE both in the function of team leader, positively inspiring and influencing others, and team player, responding to supervisors’ instructions with discipline and spirit of service. The distinguished combination, in her profile, of a military background on the one side with curiosity, social commitment, solidarity and genuine attention to the rights and interests of vulnerable groups on the other side makes her the ideal candidate to operate in highly-volatile contexts from a security point of view, while maintaining a unique human touch and focus on injustice and inequalities. Scenarios of transition from humanitarian emergency management to preliminary development cooperation endeavours may thus represent the ideal contexts where Caecilia can make the most of her particular skills. I really appreciate her strength, steadiness and determination in conjunction with well-shaped negotiation and mediation abilities. I would like to emphasize that Caecilia can act, rather at the same time, as the most resolute soldier and as the most refined diplomat… a mix that in our environment it is rather rare to identify!” Ms Sara Bonotti, Senior Officer of the OSCE in the Balkans, Ukraine and Central Asia
TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS – 08 October 2018 “Caecilia van Peski is one of those alumni from Tilburg University that we love seeing back in the classroom. An alumna of the Tilburg School of Social Sciences, Caecilia brings to life her vast experience from working in the international arena – experience that she gained through employment for various international organizations. She does so through education of the next generation of international students who hold the potential to make a lasting impact on our planet’s future. Over the past years and at different occasions, Caecilia has re-visited our University to give lectures to the students in the Bachelors and Masters programmes Global Management of Social Issues. Caecilia lectured on peace and conflict, post-war reconstruction and geopolitics of Europe and the Russian Federation (2017) and on the UN SDG Campaign / UN Agenda 2030 (2018). The topics which Caecilia shared her knowledge on are of high relevance to our programs as they address issues of great importance such as sustainability and development, the use of human capital and natural resources, organizational studies and sociology in order to address complex global challenges in contemporary societies. She does so in a comprehensive manner, from a cross-cultural and international perspective. Given Caecilia’s engaging teaching style and excellent rapport with the students, I hope to have Caecilia back in my classroom many times again.” Dr Jörg Raab, Academic Director International Bachelor Global Management of Social Issues and Associate Professor, Tilburg University, The Netherlands
HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, USA – 28 September 2018 “I met Caecilia van Peski in 2016, in Bratislava, Czech Republic, when we both attended our first CCADD Conference (Convention on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament). As a result of our inspirational first encounter, I invited Caecilia as a Scholar-in-Residence at Juniata College, February 12-16, 2018. Caecilia visited our Campus for several days and was a bundle of energy and enthusiasm, and a source of great inspiration and information for all our students. Caecilia was keen to meet with students, both inside and outside the lecture halls. In a matter of days, she was able to build excellent rapport with students of various backgrounds. She met with individual students and in groups to share her experiences, engaging in dialogue on subjects that matter to students today. Caecilia was a very well-received guest speaker in several classes across several disciplines (Peace and Conflict Studies, Psychology, Comparative Politics and Physics), including my class on Environmental Physics where she talked about the devastating effects of damage to the natural environment as a result of conflict and war. Her observations and insights on the impact that environmental conflict can have included water scarcity challenges, challenges vis-à-vis food security, the effects of climate change, and the environmental legacy that can remain in post-conflict areas, for example concerning unexploded remnants of war, mining of civilian areas and the disregard of nuclear and chemical waste. Caecilia was a fount of knowledge in offering ideas to students, challenging them to form ideas and concepts of their own. By making our students aware of professional resources and potential career paths in the nexus of peace and development, Caecilia stimulated our students to venture in new directions. Both students and faculty were energized and abuzz after her visit!” Dr James Borgardt, William W. Woolford Professorship in Physics, Subject Matter Expert Nuclear Physics, member of the American Institute of Physics
UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – 26 September 2018 “I met Caecilia van Peski as a fellow psychologist and a member of the Netherlands Psychological Association (NIP) and the International School Psychology Association (ISPA), of which she has been an active member since 1995. Whenever our paths crossed, often in the context of board, committee or conference activities, she always impressed me with her knowledge and passion as a psychologist, but even more so with her dedication and perseverance and her genuine dedication to making the world a better place. Caecilia is one of the few people I know who does not only talk about big ideas like peace, freedom, and human rights; she actually transforms these big words into concrete actions. Caecilia dedicates all her knowledge and know how – both as a psychologist and as a person – to taking part in peace missions, civil-military interactions and activities promoting human rights around the world. With her likeable personality, she actually gets things done where others fail or do not actually get past talking about it. Her support to activities promoting human rights education in psychology has been of great value, both to myself and to our profession. If anything, I very much missed Caecilia during her years abroad, as she would have been a great asset for the development of our profession and the role psychologists can plan in present day society, human and children’s rights, peacebuilding and issues of diversity in Dutch society. I trust Caecilia will continue to make a difference in these areas, and hope I will have the opportunity to work with her on these issues as well as others, furthering the profession and the impact of psychologists in contemporary society.” Dr Helen E. Bakker, Associate Professor Utrecht University, Department of Developmental Psychology, Chair Post-Master Program School Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychologist Specialist at the Netherlands Psychological Association (NIP), former President of the International School Psychology Association (ISPA)
RUSTAVI, REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA – 31 August 2018 “My first contact with Caecilia van Peski was established in 2004 via the International School Psychology Association (ISPA), of which we both were a member. At the time, both Caecilia and I were passionate about ISPA’s Living Values Educational Program (LVEP). There were educators and psychologists involved in LVEP in more than 40 countries, and Caecilia happened to be one of them. LVEP was designed as a global endeavour to help students develop positive (intercultural) skills and values and move towards their potential. The program demonstrated to be able to create caring, respectful environments where students felt safe, had a wish to learn, and lived their values. As such, LVEP successfully decreased violence and bullying, and created a caring school climate which is conducive to quality learning. When meeting via the internet over the topic of LVEP, Caecilia first spoke to me about another organization she was involved in, named CISV. As such, Caecilia was the first person ever mentioning CISV to me. Shortly after, Caecilia introduced the idea of together establishing CISV in Georgia. We embarked on our collaborative work of building an environment in which CISV in Georgia could take root and grow. In March 2005, Caecilia undertook her initial promotional visit to Georgia, to start the actual process of establishing CISV in Georgia. During this initial visit, we met with further colleagues of mine in Tbilisi, Rustavi and Zugdidi, all of which were working in the field of development and humanitarian affairs: CTC in Tbilisi in the context of the Community Development Initiative/Upper Svaneti Development Program; SIQA – the Georgian Association of Educational Initiatives in Rustavi, and the Association Atinati in Zugdidi. Iris Dagan, representing CISV Israel, was actively involved in the visit as well. After thorough preparation and consultation, CISV Georgia was established in the fall of 2005 under the NGO SIQA; in 2011, CISV Georgia became an independent organization of its own. Over the next years, I would meet with Caecilia at several occasions: at local and international CISV events, at CISVs Global Conference 2018, which was held in The Netherlands, and at working meetings in Tbilisi. After the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Caecilia was deployed to the European Union Monitoring Mission to Georgia (EUMM), serving as an international monitor at the contact line with South Ossetia. At her duty station Gori, she supported the process of stability and security. At the same time, she kept promoting peaceful means to end conflict and war by promoting CISV Georgia. Today, Caecilia plays a substantial role in the development of peace education programs globally, and in Georgia. We hope to continue our co-operation with Caecilia towards the future, regarding peace education development in Georgia whilst at the same time expanding CISV into the South Caucasus region as a whole (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan).” Mr Pavle Tvaliashvili, President of CISV Georgia, Founding Director of LTD EMT – Education and Management Team, Senior Trainer and Consultant in the field of Education, Youth, Civil Society and Organizational Development
HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, USA – 28 August 2018 “I invited Caecilia van Peski to serve as a Scholar-in-Residence at the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College (February 12-16, 2018), the Institute to which I serve as a Director. Caecilia had a wide and lasting impact on our community, and we are planning to bring her back to Juniata in the near future. While she was here she presented a keynote speech on issues concerning international security and stability in Europe, the Russian Federation and the Eurasian region. She also spoke in a number of classes and shared contemporary knowledge on the topics of Climate Change, Human Rights, Interpreting Terrorism, Global Environment History and Early North America. One of the most impactful aspects of Caecilia’s visit was the Peace and Conflict Studies Salon in which she spoke on Women in International Politics. Many of us, both professors and students, continue to draw on her experience of creating an international leadership position all too often hostile to, or dismissive of, women leaders. Not only did Caecilia impress our community with her scholarship and practice, she also met individually with students and participated in student events, including a celebration of the Lunar New Year. Since her fellowship at Juniata, Caecilia has continued to create links and synergies between the Baker Institute and other Peace and Conflict Studies programs, including at the Arctic University of Tromsø, Norway, and with a group of scholars working at the nexus of conflict transformation, Indigenous peoples and Indigenous knowledge systems. Caecilia demonstrates remarkable energy, passion and commitment to creating world-wide networks of peace scholars and practitioners.” Dr Polly Walker, Director of the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and Elizabeth Baker Evans Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS)
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 21 August 2018 “I first met with Caecilia van Peski on the occasion of my inauguration as Director of the Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence (CCOE) in The Hague. From here on, a fruitful co-operation between our parties evolved. Caecilia is a frequent visitor to the CCOE, often bringing new ideas, contacts and concepts. I offered Caecilia the opportunity to enrol in relevant CMI/CIMIC courses at the CCOE. Within the scope of only one academic year (2017-2018), Caecilia was able to attend – and successfully complete – all relevant CCOE Courses. She embarked on this remarkable endeavour and would become the first CCOE student to complete all courses within the brief time-frame of only one academic year. She did so by fully immersing herself in her course work and in her Postgraduate Master of Civil-Military Interaction at the Helmut-Schmidt-University, University of the German Bundeswehr. The courses which Caecilia enrolled in ranged from our NATO Field Worker Course, over to the NATO Liaison Officer Course, the NATO Functional Specialist Course (designed for reservists military officers), the UNOCHA UN-CMCoord live Course, the NATO Staff Worker Course and, finally, the NATO Higher Command Course which accommodates for the OF-4 (LtCol) and OF-5 (Col) military level. I am proud to have Caecilia as a member within our CMI/CIMIC Community of Interest; she is indeed a great ambassador for CMI/CIMIC in general, and for the CCOE in particular. Caecilia is a well-respected member of our house, also on the other side of the table – as a mentor / lecturer / subject matter expert. This is a perfect win-win situation and the bigger win is on our side. Caecilia is invited to establish even closer links to our Concepts, Interoperability and Capabilities Branch, and to our Lessons Learned & Analysis Division. I am confident that in this area of responsibility, Caecilia can play a significant role on the production side.” Colonel Wolfgang Paulik, German Federal Armed Forces, Director of the Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence (CCOE)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – 09 May 2018 “I had the opportunity to work with Caecilia van Peski during VIKING18 ‘Protection of Civilians, Leadership & Gender’ Multilateral Command Post Crisis Response Exercise in Sweden, 16-26 April 2018. At the time, Caecilia served as a Special Assistant to the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) of the Exercise and proved to be a responsible and competent professional in the execution of her duties. Also, in the VIKING18 Exercise, Caecilia worked as a Deputy Chief of the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) cell, helping this section to consolidate occurrences in the area of operations swiftly and efficiently. I would like to emphasize the communicative and captivating person that Caecilia is, her personality contributing greatly to an overall pleasant working environment and as such enhancing the effectiveness of the mission. I thank Caecilia for the work she has done in VIKING18 and wish her success in her further career.” Major-General Francesco Humberto Montenegro junior, former Commander of the 10th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Brazilian Armed Forces, former Commander of the 25th Contingent of MINUSTAH United Nations Stablization Mission in Haiti, UNMIB Force Commander in VIKING18
CHANDIGARH, PUNJAB, INDIA – 05 May 2018 “It was in November 2017, at the European Security and Defence College Course on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict (PoC) at the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Stadschlaining, Austria, that I first met with Caecilia van Peski. The UN Protection of Civilians paradigm is a whole-of-mission responsibility, which includes all components of the peacekeeping mission – the major players being the military, the civilian and the police. Caecilia had chosen to attend my lectures based on her academic interest in the recent inclusion of the PoC perspective in the UN peacekeeping mandate, and her own practical experience with developing POC policy and strategy in the field during many peacekeeping missions she was deployed to. During the course, Caecilia exhibited keen interest in the matter and demonstrated outstanding understandings of contemporary PoC challenges, including the ones attached to her own role in the context of civil-military interaction. I found Caecilia to be a highly motivated professional, strongly committed to the implementation of the PoC provisions of UN mandates – and innovative in evolving various tools in its success. Caecilia is highly skilled to perform a wide range of advisory, co-ordination, monitoring and reporting roles in the context of POC and other UN paradigms. As a senior expert in her own field of international peace and security, she feels responsible for working with other mission components in order to develop PoC threat assessments and establish co-ordination structures in order to facilitate the development of a mission-wide PoC-strategy. Above all, Caecilia has shown me the character of a committed soldier imbibing exceptional qualities in the entire range of military professionalism.” Lieutenant-General (ret.) Jasbir Singh Lidder, former UNMISS Sudan Force Commander, former UN Deputy Special Representative to the Sudan, former ONOMOZ Mozambique Deputy Chief-of-Staff, former Director-General Military Operations at the Indian Army Head Quarters in New Delhi
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – 04 April 2018 “Humble, passionate, and inspiring – this is how I would describe Caecilia van Peski. She is a true role model for me and for many others. I was honoured to first meet Caecilia van Peski in 2016, in my capacity as Head Delegate at United Netherlands (UNL). UNL is an internationally oriented, student-led organisation that focuses on the world of international relations and diplomacy. Caecilia is a member of United Netherlands’ Board of Recommendation and we invited her as keynote speaker to the opening of the academic year at Radboud University, Nijmegen. This was a wonderful experience. Caecilia eloquently shared her professional experience, her extensive knowledge and respect for different cultures, and fervently described her role as a woman working in peace and democracy. Her presentation and active role during the simulation assignment that followed left a truly inspiring mark on our delegates. Caecilia has a gift of sharing her story in a compassionate and engaging way. Not only did our delegates greatly benefit from learning about Caecilia’s extensive professional experience; they were also captured by her interest towards them and her kindness. Her immense expertise, compassion and genuine enthusiasm sparked great motivation in our delegates, prompting them to get the most out of their year at UNL. We were very thankful for this and could not have wished for a better opening of the academic year. Caecilia and I stayed in touch, as Caecilia remained involved with the progress of our delegates and the state of affairs within UNL. We are very appreciative of her active support as member of the Board of Recommendation. In 2017, I joined the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG). In my role as Research Associate I was responsible for the professional development of the PILPG Netherlands team. On the occasion, I immediately thought of inviting Caecilia to speak at one of our sessions so the team could meet her. Caecilia kindly set away time to meet with PILPG and, during the session, connected with every single team member in a genuine, caring and modest way. Again, expressively sharing her knowledge and experience. This was a fantastic experience for the team. Finally, Caecilia and I stayed in touch personally as she supported me with further steps in my career by means of advice and recommendation. In the past years, I have learned a lot from Caecilia, on a professional and personal level. I am very thankful for her warm support and I hope to work with Caecilia in the future.” Ms Nina Krijnen, Research Associate PILPG Public International Law and Policy Group, former Head Delegate at UNL United Netherlands
WAGENINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 08 January 2018 “I have gotten to know Caecilia van Peski as a person highly dedicated towards peace, democracy and international co-operation – with special focus on women and youth. In 2013, Caecilia was a speaker on “Equal Power, Lasting Peace” at the “Places of Peace” Peace Conference of the Dutch National Committee Commemoration Capitulations 1945 (Wageningen45) at Wageningen City Hall, The Netherlands. She is also a frequent participant in the annual commemoration of Liberation Day Wageningen, celebrated each year to mark the end of the occupation of The Netherlands by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Besides being a kind-hearted and friendly person, I have found Caecilia to be highly reliable in how she manages her network, meetings and communication. It is a pleasure and honour to work with her, at the personal level, based on her agreeable personality, as well as on the professional level, where in her work, Caecilia displays well-roundedness, high levels of expertise and robust academic standards.” Mr Ed Dumrese, Director Loevestein Castle, Director EDwise International Management, Consultancy and Development, Vice-President European Network Places for Peace, Board Member Dutch Friendship Association NSWaS Neve Shalom / Wahat-al-Salam
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 03 November 2017 “Caecilia van Peski impressed me by her enthusiasm and her willingness to go and see on the spot how peace support operations were deployed and developed. Her active participation in the monitoring missions in Afghanistan, Georgia and Ukraine gave her a most valuable insight in the possibilities and limitations of these missions. Caecilia and I met in the context of EuroDéfence, the group of 14 countries working towards strengthening European Security and Defence, and together went to its 2014 Annual Conference in Berlin. Caecilia van Peski also participated actively in our six-weekly meetings that take place in The Hague, whenever her duties abroad permitted her to do so. EuroDéfence Netherlands greatly benefited from Caecilia’s practical experience in peacekeeping, border monitoring and integrated border management. I wish her success in following the postgraduate Master Programme on Civil-Military Interaction at the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg, where, no doubt, she will stress the importance of German-Netherlands cooperation in times of changing security perspectives.” Dr Willem F. van Eekelen, former Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, former Secretary General of the WEU Western European Union, President EuroDéfence Netherlands
TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS – 15 September 2017 “As Director of Feniks Expertise Centre for Emancipation in Tilburg, The Netherlands, I highly recommend Caecilia van Peski, whom I have known for many years as a warm-hearted, highly determined professional. In 2009, I got to know Caecilia van Peski through her inspiring work in support of equal rights for women. In 2010, Caecilia was appointed United Nations Special Representative on Women. Already than, she was very passionate in her work and driven towards her mission. Since, Caecilia’s approach has remained on a similar high-level engagement. At Feniks Centre for Emancipation, we admire her for that. In the daily work at Feniks I am in close contact with female refugees and their children. Many of these women have suffered great trauma as an effect of the atrocities of war to which they were exposed in the most troubled regions. Women take in a position of special vulnerability in this, often falling victim to rape and other gender-related abuse. In this and other matters, Caecilia has demonstrated to be able to bridge the gap between the daily lives of people and the policies that have been put in place vis-a-vis the position of both women and men in today’s society. She does so in an outstanding fashion. For this reason, it is my pleasure to provide this reference. I do so without any reservations.” Ms Gerda de Vries, Director of Feniks Expertise Centre for Emancipation, Tilburg, The Netherlands
OISTERWIJK, THE NETHERLANDS – 05 September 2017 “Caecilia van Peski is one of those alumni from Tilburg University of whom we are very proud. Having studied a double Master Programme in both Educational as well as Cultural Psychology with Merits (Class of 2001) at Tilburg University, Caecilia van Peski has developed into a key player in the international arena of diplomacy and international affairs, encompassing work for the Dutch Foreign Office, the European Commission, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations. She has done so whilst never losing her firm rootedness in her native Province of North Brabant and City of Tilburg. She remains very much involved with her Alma Mater, Tilburg University as well as the City of Tilburg and is a great ambassador for our University and the Province of North Brabant.” Prof Dr Sylvester C.W. Eijffinger, President Tilburg University Society, Jean Monnet Chair European Financial and Monetary Integration, Center for Economic Policy Research London, UK
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 27 August 2017 “It is always a delight to work with Caecilia van Peski, whether in office or in the field. Caecilia moves forward, especially where others fail to deliver. When the going gets tough, the environment gets volatile or ethical dilemmas or conflicting interests hamper active commitment by the international community, Caecilia is the one who stands up. It is at these instances where she has proven to persevere and find authentic, creative ways to ‘get the job done’, or to at least initiate tabling of the right discussion. Because of her huge active involvement and intrinsic drive to ‘do good’ as a skilled, communicative and socially competent professional, Caecilia has earned my lasting respect over the years.” Lieutenant-Colonel RNLA Ernst E. Lobbezoo, former Commander 1CIMIC-battalion, Military Commander Provincial Reconstruction Team Uruzgan, Afghanistan
UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – 25 August 2017 “Caecilia van Peski is a warm-hearted person and an impressive professional. As Director of the International Peace Movement PAX, I had the pleasure to have Caecilia amongst the members of our Board. Besides her extensive knowledge and network in the field of international relations, conflict resolution and mediation, she is a great connector. Caecilia is very accessible and well able to connect both to civilians as well as higher-level politicians and policy-makers. Caecilia is well informed on policy and practice, and their interlinkages. Caecilia is a great asset in building sustainable inclusive societies, both in The Netherlands and abroad. This is what she stands for; this is where her passion lies. I look forward to our continued cooperation.” Mr Freek Landmeter, former Operational and Financial Director PAX (2001-2017) – IKV Interchurch Peace Council, leading Dutch Peace Movement, Consultant IMO Institute for Man- and Organisational Development
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 22 August 2017 “I have known Caecilia van Peski already for many years as an expert on EU Eastern Partnership countries (including Ukraine and Georgia) and the Russian Federation, especially in the fields of election monitoring in these countries, and as a leading member of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and before that of the EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia. Most recently, Caecilia has been closely in touch with “Raam op Rusland” (“Window on Russia”), a platform for the exchange of knowledge and debate on Russian affairs, especially on issues related to the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine and the aftermath of the downing of flight MH-17. Furthermore, Caecilia participated at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in meetings with delegations of government/NGO/multilateral organizations’ representatives from inter alia Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia and from the Russian Federation. She has been a regular guest lecturer, including at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ on issues concerning Security and Human Rights. Caecilia has contributed articles on such issues which have been published in Security and Human Rights (former Helsinki Monitor), amongst which “Good Cop, Bad Cop. Georgia’s One Hundred Days of a New Democratic Dream” (2013) and “Diplomacy and Life on Georgia’s Boundary Line” (2012). As already referred to above, Caecilia has been deployed to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (2014-2016), Second-in-Command at the Mariupol Patrol Hub, which involved active patrolling and security reporting within a highly volatile security situation. She is an experienced international election observer on behalf of the OSCE/ODIHR in countries in Eastern Europe and broader Eurasia. Caecilia is part of a national and international network of experts on Russia, Eastern Europe and broader Eurasia, a network that involves presently only a limited number of female experts. This leaves her as quite unique in this field of expertise.” Mr Tony van der Togt, Senior Research Fellow at The Netherlands Institute of International Relations “Clingendael”, EU/NATO-Russia, Wider Europe and Eurasian Union, former Dutch diplomat specialising in Russian and Eurasian affairs
BAMAKO, MALI – 20 August 2017 “It is my pleasure to submit this recommendation on behalf of Caecilia van Peski, Chief Peace Programming Section at UNDP / United Nations Volunteers Bonn HQ. I first met Caecilia in December 2016 in Bamako, Mali. Caecilia had taken up her post as Chief a few months earlier and had indicated that her first UN mission in her new capacity should be a field visit to Mali, Western Africa. The country of Mali has been struggling after in January 2012, an armed conflict broke out in the north of the country in which Tuareg rebels declared the secession of a new state. The conflict was complicated by a military coup in March that same year. In response to insurgents’ territorial gains in the northern region of Gao, French military launched Operation Serval with an aim to restore security and rule of law. In 2017, Mali remains under state of emergency with the country having become subject to the worst asymmetric war declared by jihadist groups. In fact, MINUSMA, the UN Stabilization Mission to Mali, holds the notorious score of being the deadliest UN Mission of all times. Despite this grave and dangerous situation, Caecilia decided to visit our office in Bamako. And she did not stop there; she insisted in leading a mission to Gao, Northern Mali to visit UN Volunteers working in the remote and highly challenging desert region. Caecilia visited the MINUSMA Super Camp in Gao, where she engaged with UN Volunteers and military personnel of various troop contributing countries. Caecillia, wearing her bulletproof vest, embarked on a MINUSMA armoured convoy heading for “Parc Jeunesse”, the Gao Youth Centre, which was rehabilitated by UNV Mali. By observing Caecilia during the execution of her work, I noticed how she has the capacity to quickly adapt to hardship conditions, always keeping a keen eye on the security conditions surrounding her. Caecilia has a natural way of bringing energy in her team even under highly stressful conditions; she is a gifted team player. Over the past year, I continued to discover Caecilia’s professional capacity and gifts. She has proven to be a problem solving/solution driven Manager and a very good listener. She never shies away from learning and sharing her knowledge with her peers and colleagues. Her sense of justice and fairness will be long remembered along with her firm dedication to her duties and responsibilities related to peacekeeping and peace building. Caecilia undertook all her assigned duties with efficiency, effectiveness and thoroughness. I found her to be reliable, creative, hard working and well organized. I have great respect for Caecilia’s demonstrated leadership and managerial skills and therefore recommend her without reservation.” Mr Hamadou Amadou Oumarou, Office of the Director of Mission Support, Administrative Officer, MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – 19 August 2017 “Over the course of 2008-2009, I collaborated with Caecilia van Peski on the curriculum design and marketing of the first Fontys University International Summer University on Global Citizenship, an interdisciplinary, multi-intelligence, immersive and transformational summer academy for bright young leaders from around the world. It was a rare privilege and a sheer pleasure to work with an expert like Caecilia: her profound erudition ranging from psychology and pedagogy to politics and diplomacy; visionary thinking coupled with the know-how to create down-to-earth applications that work – I had the good fortune to experience it all that first collaboration and I’ve witnessed it time and again as we’ve kept in touch for almost a decade now. I’m impressed with Caecilia’s rootedness in her hometown of Tilburg even as she travels the world on tough assignments that typically require navigating complex political terrain if not physically dangerous terrain. I’ve come to know Caecilia as powerful yet patient, courageous and compassionate, and with a deep drive to contribute to peace and social justice – which may range from something as lofty as revitalizing a UN Resolution on women’s rights and contributions to something as mundane yet life-saving as negotiating safe passage for a convoy of coal for remote villages in Eastern Ukraine just before the winter snow will block the road for months. The legacy of the family of clergymen and civil servants that Caecilia stems from informs her unique mission of purposeful, determined service in this world.” Mr Ronald Hazelzet, Education and Diversity Consultant, International Career Coach
BONN, GERMANY – 16 August 2017 “Caecilia van Peski joined the United Nations Volunteers Programme at its Headquarters in Bonn in October 2016, when she was appointed Chief of the Peace Programming Section. As her direct supervisee, I came to know Caecilia as a caring and humane colleague and in her role as a Section Chief and team leader too. In both roles she impressed me with her caring personality and considerate aptitudes. I suppose her background in Psychology and the professional career she pursued over the past decade or so, equipped her to navigate at UNV’s most critical times. Caecilia lead the Peace Section at an unsettling historic period of the organization’s history that also impacted Caecilia’s own assignment tenure and experience from within the organization, namely, the radical reprofiling and historic transformation of the organization – that literally started one month following Caecilia’s appointment as a Chief of Section and is yet to be concluded. During these tough times, Caecilia showed elasticity in her management approach, balancing between learning the daily UN routines, performing at the UN professional level, meeting management expectations, adhering to the staff anxieties due to the transformation uncertainties, etc. In all these aspects and challenges, Caecilia showed resilience, openness and impartiality raising a radical ‘No favouritism’ standard. Caecilia took in an active role in the section’s response to the food security crisis in the Horn of Africa (spring-summer, 2017), with special attention to the situation in Yemen, a state in protracted political crisis where in July 2017 a calamitous cholera outbreak took many lives. Technically, Caecilia is well organized and remains flexible in her approach to new assignments while maintaining an open door policy to meet and accommodate the staff needs and demands within her section. Caecilia’s open personality, willingness to learn and multi-national, multifaceted expertise helped her to swiftly adapt to the UNV environment. In November 2016, I travelled with Caecilia as part of a UN delegation that met with core UN agencies in Geneva. During the mission, I was witness to Caecilia’s accommodative personality and proactiveness, listening and providing constructive feedback to others characterize her excellent team leader demeanour altogether. Caecilia is diplomatic in her approach and even-tempered. She welcomes constructive feedback and even seeks-out feedback pro-actively so that she continues to develop her professional and personal skills.” Mr Ibrahim Hussein Mohamed Hamadnallah, United Nations Volunteers Programme, Senior Portfolio Manager for the Arab States
JUBA, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN – 10 August 2017 “I had the privilege of first meeting Caecilia van Peski in June, 2012, on my attendance to the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Course of International Alert and Transition International in Landgraaf, The Netherlands. Caecilia’s organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, was funding the course. Since, I have remained in contact with Caecilia and have come to admire her for her strong leadership. In South Sudan, the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programme was initiated in 2005, as part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was signed to end the longest civil war on the Africa Continent. The Programme focused on the reintegration of 180,000 ex-combatants and special needs groups on both sides of the border. As part of her own DDR work, Caecilia worked with ex-combatants as well as special needs groups; women in military roles. Caecilia supported these women to become aware of the UN Security Council Resolution #1325 on ‘Women, Peace and Security’, through UN WOMEN empowerment programmes. In South Sudan, Caecilia facilitated the training of women in transition into civilian society, rehabilitation, community work, building of dialogue and engagement in local peace initiatives. I have gotten to know Caecilia as a person with extensive knowledge and experience when she was involved in this assignment. At current, in her function of UNDP/UNV Chief, Peace Programming Section, she holds responsibility over more than 850 UN Volunteers within UNMISS South Sudan and UNAMID Sudan. Caecilia is a leader of extraordinary capacity. She works hard and is determined to do her work diligently and honestly. She is a true team player, stable and resolute.” Mr Majur Mayor Machar, Deputy Chairperson of the SSDDRC South Sudan National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission
ATHENS, GREECE – 03 August 2017 “I greatly appreciate Caecilia van Peski for her openness of character and her gift to be highly compatible to any international person despite cultural and social differences. I love Caecilia for her unique and very sharp sense of humour. “Who is intelligent? – A man who has the greatest of smiles!”. In 2003, I met Caecilia for the first time as she arrived to Kiev with the admirable mission of establishing CISV International in Ukraine. It was springtime, the beautiful days around Orthodox Easter. The days of Caecilia’s mission to Ukraine I remember as a kaleidoscope of endless meetings with authorities in the context of starting the new programme. Flash forward ten years in time and our lives take an immensely dramatic turn when my friend and colleague Caecilia returns to my beloved Motherland, Donbas Oblast in Eastern Ukraine. This time, she is wearing a bulletproof vest and the white helmet of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. A brave soldier, Caecilia monitors and witnesses at first-hand the armed conflict that brought the forces of evil at play. She monitored the firing of shells from Grad rocket-launchers at the scene that used to be my childhood planet, with its lovely and forever sunflower fields that are now so sadly missed. I saw that sunflower again in the picture that Caecilia posted on the occasion of the annual commemoration of the downing of flight MH-17. Caecilia’s picture – one that she herself took at the actual crash site – underlines the conviction that I share with her that all people are in fact closely connected. I give my heart to Caecilia for her active and brave position she takes in in life, for her readiness to be close to others. I wish I could have personally delivered my respect to this Lady during the 2016 Medal Ceremony at Nieuwekerk The Hague, where Caecilia stood among the Netherlands Military, Police and Civilian Experts who had recently returned from mission deployment as she was awarded a prominent medal on behalf of the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, token of respect for Caecilia’s contributions to international peace and security.” Ms Olena Masneva, First Secretary, Press Officer of the Embassy of Ukraine to the Hellenic Republic, former President of CISV Ukraine, former Focal Point for the Ukrainian Branch to CISV Lithuania
GAO, MALI – 02 August 2017 “I first met Caecilia van Peski, in Gao, capital of Gao Region, northern Mali, in December 2016. On the occasion, Caecilia was leading a delegation from United Nations Volunteers Headquarter during a field mission to Mali to directly see how UN Volunteers are contributing to the implementation of the MINUSMA mandate. During her visit, Caecilia van Peski demonstrated a keen understanding of the UNV work, its challenges and the volatile security environment under which MINUSMA executes its work in Mali yet also the positive results from the engagement as far as progress towards stabilization in the region is concerned. During my discussions with Caecilia, I noted how she is an experienced manager, seasoned through her own mission work and at the same time experienced in her work at the Headquarter level. I found her to be open minded, a Chief who works closely with her staff, listening to them and being a good communicator. Her professionalism reminds me of the work within my own former career in Burkina Faso, where I worked as an Officer in the National Gendarmerie Forces, as the success of a mission depends on the strength in leadership of the Commander. After our meeting in Mali, Caecilia and I remained in contact until in July 2017, this contact culminated in my visit to UNV HQ in Bonn. When I reached the Office, I observed the good atmosphere between Caecilia and the members of her staff. Caecilia is a true team player. I can summarize that I find Caecilia van Peski to be a professional manager, an interpersonally strong and client-oriented person, always in a good mood, a hard worker with a strong educational background, with a wide and rich conversion of military and civilian experience (a bright mixture) and an inexhaustible energy, animated by a fierce will to always succeed in her mission.” Mr Mohamadi Ouedraogo, International UNV Political and Security Advisor to MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, former Officer in the Burkina Faso National Gendarmerie Forces
TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS – 31 July 2017 “I am grateful that Caecilia van Peski is a recurrent guest lecturer at the Tilburg University Summer School, course on “Cultural Diversity – Theory and Practice” which I am directing. The summer school attracts a highly diverse group of international students who find themselves at various stages of their academic career. Lecturers are brought in to the summer school to share from their own professional field of expertise through lectures and workshops. These sessions contribute towards the intercultural competence training and theoretical insights into cultural psychology that is aimed for in the case of the students. Caecilia has delivered a workshop on “International Monitoring and the Process of Borderization: Insights from an Insider”, both in the 2016 as well as in the 2017 edition of the summer school. Her lectures entailed a thrilling experience for the workshop attendants. Caecilia provides an exceptional, well-grounded focus when elaborating on the antecedents of borderization and its consequences, which helps students understand the gravity and implications of the theoretical input they have been offered in previous modules of the course. Caecilia is a wonderful lecturer. She quickly and easily connects with her audience, reading from their responses what direction to take her lecture in. Caecilia bridges theory and practice in a nimble fashion. It is particularly rewarding to see how she enables students to find their own road to discovery – a contribution that is immensely valuable. Students clearly resonate with both the content and the style of Caecilia’s lectures. After class, they seek further contact with her to continue the conversation. With further additions of the Tilburg University Summer School scheduled for the coming years, I am already looking forward to the next instalment of Caecilia’s workshop!” Dr Michael Bender, Assistant Professor Department of Social Psychology at Tilburg University, Research Fellow at Babylon Centre for the Study of Superdiversity at Tilburg University, The Netherlands, Honorary Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Gratia Christian College, Hong Kong
KIEV, UKRAINE – 20 July 2017 “I know Ms Caecilia van Peski from my work as a Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During my tenure as a diplomat in The Hague we had good professional contacts, discussing bilateral issues of cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands, in particular the enhancement of the position of women in both countries. Caecilia is very keen for making contributions to the opening-up of opportunities for students from different foreign countries including Ukraine. She is very dynamic and a motivated professional who could analyse complicated subjects of international developments.” Ms Iryna Yefremova, Deputy Director General at the First European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
OSLO, NORWAY – 07 September 2016 “I had the pleasure of working with Caecilia van Peski in the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMMU). The primary aim of the mission was to contribute to the reduction of tension, and to foster peace, stability and security in the region. An integrated part of the SMMU mandate was to monitor and support the implementation of all OSCE principles and commitments under the Minsk I and II Agreement. On the ground, this meant that we monitored the general security situation, established facts related to incidents both as directly observed by us as well as reported from the embattled parties. Since we were the eyes and ears for all 57 OSCE participating States, our primary focus was to report under the principles of impartiality and transparency. I engaged in numerous patrols that took place with Caecilia in charge as Patrol Leader. During these patrols, she performed her duties with professional skill, fore-thought, cool-mindedness and balanced judgement. During a particularly volatile time in our Area of Responsibility – a period that forced our Commander-in-Chief to retreat because of major injuries inflicted on him during a targeted attack in Shyrokyne – Caecilia, till then OSCE Patrol Hub Mariupol’s Second-in-Command, was then obliged to immediately step up as Acting Commander-in-Chief. Caecilia demonstrated that she could swiftly and successfully take on this bigger responsibility. At the time of Caecilia’s takeover of leadership, the Mariupol Patrol Hub counted more than 100 international monitors and around 10 local staff, staff who found themselves working within the most volatile security situation after a year-long deadly cycle of violence had killed tens-of-thousands of military and civilians. One of the main concerns of Caecilia in her role as Acting Patrol Hub Leader was the day-to-day risk that the members of her team were exposed to when she sent them out on patrol. Bad road conditions, craters from nightly shelling, active crossfire, mines and unexploded ammunition posted constant and great risk. In the same period, we experienced an increase in random firing across the contact line, both from small arms and heavy weapons with calibre exceeding 100mm. As Acting Patrol Hub Leader, Caecilia was not only in charge of running the internal life at the Hub she also took charge over operations, was taking part in active patrolling, reconnaissance missions, humanitarian affairs monitoring, conflict prevention, facilitation of dialogue and the support of local peace initiatives. A few of her main achievements in this regard: facilitation of dialogue with the citizens of Shyrokyne (after the spring 2015 Battle of Shyrokyne); establishment of point-of-contact with J9 cell (Civil-Military Interaction) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces; negotiations with the Mariupol City authorities on issues concerning water and energy supply, access to health care, access to justice, waste management, combatting criminality and organized crime, combatting radicalization of youth volunteer groups, reducing pollution of the environment due to conflict-related activity; removal of chlorine tanks (under direct attack, posing acute threat to the population) at the water treatment reservoir. Caecilia was also our primary spokesperson vis-à-vis media, foreign journalists, protest groups, and peace activist. In her role as Acting Patrol Hub Leader, Caecilia was leading the negotiations between the representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and those of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as part of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) on truce supervision and adherence to the ceasefire agreement. I also point out the unnegotiable demand Caecilia placed on her staff towards their full and unabridged adherence to the OSCE Security Policy and Code of Conduct. If not addressed and clearly followed-up by, violating these regulations soon becomes one of the major problems in international missions. It is not sustainable nor morally acceptable that international organizations have their staff reporting on humanitarian issues during daytime, where during nighttime, the same staff are exploiting the most vulnerable within the local population. Further, it is deemed unfair to most monitors who do follow the rules and regulations, when a minority is jeopardizing the reputation of the organization as a whole. As such, I hold great respect for the firm stance Caecilia took in vis-à-vis unnegotiable adherence to Code of Conduct – a position that brought her great resistance from a small group of staff. I myself have always supported Caecilia in her righteous quest, and plan to keep doing so also in the future. As Deputy Patrol Hub Leader and Acting Patrol Hub Leader, Caecilia displayed leadership qualities par excellence. She was effective in command, effective in personnel management, willing to engage in cooperation, and remained cheerful and calm even under the greatest of stress. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed working with Caecilia for the enormous contributions she made to the success of the OSCE Mariupol Patrol Hub. Caecilia is an excellent ambassador, both for the Netherlands and for the international world of humanitarian workers. I would most willingly work for her again in the future.” Mr Kurt Karlsen, Liaison Officer CTSAMM Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism to UNMISS United Nations Mission to South Sudan, former Monitoring Officer in the OSCE SMM Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
SANKT KANZIAN, AUSTRIA – 04 August 2016 “I know Caecilia van Peski from my mission with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine, an unarmed, civilian mission, present in all regions of Ukraine. Our main tasks were to observe and report, in an impartial and objective manner, on the security situation, to facilitate dialogue among all parties to the conflict, to report on the humanitarian situation and needs of the civilians, and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid by organizations such as the ICRC and the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation to the most vulnerable. For several months, I had the pleasure to share an office with Caecilia at the Headquarters of the OSCE monitoring team in Donetsk, from where I was able to witness first-hand her dedication to producing mission essential results. Caecilia is a true team player, very experienced, well versed, always with an open ear for all her colleagues. This type of true kindness is quite rare these days. You get people who are nice to those who hold some sort of value to them, but Caecilia is that kind of person who would go and talk to the lone stranger crying in the street. Caecilia also has the power to lighten someone’s day just by smiling at him or her. I find it a pleasure and honour to know her.” Mr Otmar Lindner, Officer in the Austrian Armed Forces, former Patrol Hub Leader Donetsk, former Minsk Agreement Reporting Donetsk and former Operations Officer at the OSCE Patrol Hub Kherson in the OSCE SMM Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
MARIUPOL, UKRAINE – 24 January 2016 “As an OSCE Mariupol Monitor, Operations Officer and Deputy Patrol Hub Leader, Caecilia van Peski’s dedication, initiative and performance of duty were key aspects of our Patrol Hub’s success. Caecilia’s organizational skills and creative solutions to various challenges increased our productivity and streamlined our process. Positive and focussed, she used years of international experience to help guide and coordinate efforts for our hub that tripled in size. Caecilia has excellent analytical and assessment abilities; her valuable input shaped our Patrol Hub’s objectives. With keen knowledge of our Area of Responsibility, she helped plan and direct hundreds of patrols along a 50km line of contact and throughout a sector covering 7,500 square kilometres. Caecilia has excellent interpersonal skills; she has an engaging personality that allows her to quickly connect with others. From Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC), civic leaders, IDPs or visiting diplomats, the Patrol Hub received numerous accounts regarding the productive meetings she organized. Caecilia freely gave her time and energy to any monitor that needed it. She built teamwork and encouraged her colleagues. A true professional, she always shared credit when her ideas generated good results. Caecilia can be counted upon to handle any task with little or no supervision. She works well under pressure, always meeting deadlines and calmly responding to challenges. She has a strong work ethic. As an Operations Officer and Deputy Patrol Hub Leader, she displayed excellent initiative in every aspect of duty. In leadership roles, she continually anticipated and planned for missions yet to come. Caecilia is an outstanding manager who leads by example. She volunteered for difficult assignments. She was the deputy or leader of monitoring patrols dispatched to hazardous areas of active combat. She conducted those patrols well, placing the highest priority on the security of all members of her patrol team. Caecilia professionally conveys plans directives. She accepts input from others. She readily delegated work, striving often to match a monitor’s interest or unique skills with the needs of the mission. Caecilia is an able writer and speaker. Her written reports, assessments and analysis were concise and comprehensive. She delivered daily briefings to the Patrol Hub. When acting as a Patrol Hub Leader, she remained in constant contact with Headquarters. She reviewed the details of upcoming patrols with every patrol leader, amounting to over 40 patrols weekly.” Lieutenant-Colonel James Pow, US Marine Corps, OSCE SMM Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Patrol Hub Leader Mariupol
SÖDERTÄLJE, SWEDEN – 02 June 2015 “I remember vividly the very moment that I met Caecilia van Peski for the first time. Days before this first meeting, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany had, at the Minsk Summit, agreed to a package of measures to alleviate the ongoing war in the Donbass Region of Ukraine. The talks that had led to the deal, overseen by the OSCE, had been organized in response to the collapse of the Minsk I Protocol Ceasefire. The new package of measures – Minsk II – was intended to revive the Protocol. In the weeks after the signing of Minsk II, Caecilia and I both engaged in active monitoring of a highly complicated and extremely fragile situation in the east, a situation that literally included many ‘tripwires’. As a result, I engaged in numerous Patrols, many of which also Caecilia took part in for we had become members of the same Patrol Team. I recall the tactful approach Caecilia employed when liaising with governmental, military and civilian interlocutors. As a Deputy Patrol Hub Leader – and later as our Acting Patrol Hub Leader – Caecilia showed determination and courage at moments that lives were at stake. In this respect, I wish to particularly mention the active role Caecilia had during the ceasefire negotiations in the war-ridden town of Shyrokyne. The robust matter that constitutes Caecilia’s core also came to surface the day that I accompanied her on a Patrol in the context of monitoring the withdrawal of heavy weaponry. During the Patrol, Caecilia led our team over nearly impassable pathways literally lined with tripwire and unexploded ordinance. Deep inside the woodlands, it was Caecilia who eventually was able to locate the substantive weapon collection site our Mission had been wanting to monitor in reference to the heavy weapons pull-out by both sides to the conflict, in the aim to create a buffer zone. Besides the effective monitoring and verification of the ceasefire regime, Caecilia and I co-operated in the drafting of two analytical reports, the first one focussing on modalities of conducting local elections in accordance with the temporary order of local self-governance in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast, the second report on decentralisation of power and the amalgamation of municipalities. In this work, Caecilia demonstrated ardent insight in matters of (local) self-governance, never seizing to lose sight over the effect the proposed measures had on the local population. As such, Caecilia demonstrated profound insight in the causes that fuel conflict and peace.” Mr Alexander Pirogov, Senior Advisor SKL International (Affiliated to SALAR Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions), OSCE SMM Monitoring Officer Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 08 April 2015 “I met Caecilia van Peski for the first time in 2006 while being on an OSCE/ODIHR mission. Her drive to perform well and her professionalism struck me immediately. After that first encounter, I worked with her on several missions and the impression lasted. Her idealism never blurred her realism or prevented clear view of tasks to execute. Her hard work and experience is widely acknowledged. I mention here that for that reason, her national authorities tasked her to organise and execute a special seminar for election experts at the Foreign Office in The Hague, which turned out to be a great success. Furthermore, Caecilia is willing to take on hardship and difficult assignments. Even a severe mission-related car accident in Georgia did not stop her from going on missions again. Caecilia has already carved out a relevant and significant niche in the world of monitoring and observation missions but I am sure she will do so even more – and beyond that – in the years to come. Caecilia van Peski is an intelligent, brave and likable person and for all this also a role model for all the women in the international security arena.” Brigadier-General RNLA (ret.) Onno van der Wind LL.M., Former Director of the IDL (Instituut Defensie Leergangen / Netherlands Military Staff College), International Legal and Security Expert Central Asia and the Caucasus
DIEMEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 27 December 2014 “Caecilia van Peski is possibly the most experienced international election observer in the Netherlands. Her understanding of democratic electoral processes makes her the ideal person to promote a stronger participation in International Election Observation Missions. Her excellent presentations on the importance and practice of Election Observation are both enjoyable and effective. Ms Van Peski has an active global network of political and diplomatic contacts. I always enjoy working with her.” Mr Harry van Bommel, Member of the Dutch House of Representatives on behalf of the Dutch Socialist Party, International Election Observer
LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 23 December 2014 “If international cooperation can be part of someone’s DNA, it is in Caecilia van Peski’s. We first met in the context of the United Nations Association The Netherlands, a highly respected Dutch NGO that has always been rich in ideas and poor in funding. In 2004, Caecilia became a member of the Board to UNA Netherlands. As such, she contributed to raising the public profile of UNA Netherlands, also ensuring sound financial resources that could consolidate the organization. First and foremost, Caecilia’s UNA work has been instrumental in strengthening the United Nations Peace Agenda. She did this through clear insight and perseverance. Caecilia is as tenacious as a terrier, a quality she shows in every aspect of her work on human rights, both academic as well as in the field. One of the most recent examples of her achievements being her work in Eastern Ukraine’s separatist-held area. In this, Caecilia combines the true daring of a diplomat for peace.” Prof Dr Louk de la Rive Box, Honorary Professor of International Cooperation, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, former Rector of the ISS International Institute of Social Studies The Hague, The Netherlands
KIEV, UKRAINE – 30 September 2014 “Caecilia van Peski is a member of the OSCE SMM Strategy Sub-Team, with focus on military issues, border guards, strategic objects, executing daily patrols, liaising with interlocutors, building of rapport with state actors – University staff of the Mykolaiv Military Faculty, Military Personnel, Military Prosecutor, Military at Block posts. She worked in Donetsk under extreme conditions and has settled into the team in Kherson well and within one day. She is full of ideas for the Team Leader to shoot down. Caecilia is a team worker, in active contact with all members of the team. She holds a vast experience from the field and extensive professional and academic training and education. She is used to the drafting of accurate and academic-level analytical reports.” Mr Georgios Pokas, Head of Operations, OSCE SMM Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
HILVERSUM, THE NETHERLANDS – 14 August 2014 “The other day, I ran into a truly amazing woman. She professionally interacts with criminals, crooks and scoundrels, rebels, and governmental troops, perpetrators and victims alike. And while doing so, she doesn’t allow anyone to push her aside. She stands strong under the hardest circumstances, in the midst of those in need for protection most. And she is not afraid to face serious risk while doing so.” Mr Roelof Hemmen, RTL News TV Anchorman
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 10 August 2014 “I worked together with Caecilia van Peski on the first Hague Academy Model United Nations with the Peace Palace in The Hague as its venue. The Model United Nations was designed on the position that drones take in within International Law. The MUN was organized especially for the participants of The Hague Academy of International Law, Class of 2014. Caecilia van Peski – in her role of board member of the United Nations Association the Netherlands – was our partner in the design and start-up of this project. It was great working together with such an interesting, intelligent and above all well-organized woman of whom I learned a lot.” Ms Sophie Brinkel, Legal Researcher Peace Palace Library, Vice-Secretary General Association The Hague Academy of International Law
TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS – 01 August 2014 “During my ‘Fontys years’, I had the pleasure to work with Caecilia van Peski whom I would describe as a global citizen ‘pur sang’. Caecilia consistently framed her activities towards a global context, which was a novelty at the time that she worked at Fontys University for Applied Sciences. Especially during my years as Director of the BAZN Academy for Public Administration I saw the strength of Caecilia who introduced Comparative Electoral Studies as well as the UN Millennium Development Goals to our Academy’s curriculum, the concepts of which were highly original and innovative at the time. Besides her work as a lecturer/researcher at the Academy for Public Administration, Caecilia functioned as Fontys University’s primary liaison person vis-à-vis EAIE (the European Association for International Education) and NAFSA (the Association of International Educators), the latter being the world’s largest non-profit association dedicated to international education and exchange, working to advance policies and practices that ensure a more interconnected, peaceful world. In 2008, Caecilia and I attended the annual NAFSA Conference in Washington D.C., US. On the occasion, Caecilia surprised me with the immense richness of her network consisting of international educators from around the globe. That same year, Caecilia and I travelled to Milan, Italy, to participate in the EIAE Course ‘How to design a Summer School Programme’. Caecilia had initiated our attendance to the course, as a means of preparations towards the organization of the Fontys University International Summer University on Global Citizenship (2008-2009), a programme, which was designed and developed by her. As part of a consultancy assignment, Caecilia once invited me to join her as a co-trainer to Bar, Montenegro. In a collaboration with the University of Kragujevac, Serbia and the Mediterranean University of Podgorica, Montenegro, Caecilia functioned as a project leader for a development programme on enhancing youth employment at the Business Start-up Centre in Bar. Caecilia was very convincing in her role as project leader, applying her knowledge and skills on youth entrepreneurship during several workshops with academic staff. During her years of professional engagement with Fontys University, Caecilia made an important contribution to the corporate policy on internationalisation of higher education, including the creation of ‘learning abroad’ opportunities for our students. Caecilia is a real ‘woman of the world’ and a very dedicated colleague to work with.” Mr Pieter Bon, former Director BAZN Academy for Public Administration (2002-2010), Dean Fontys Academy for Creative Industries, Educational Psychologist and Singer/Lyricist
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – 30 July 2014 “Iron Lady.” Mr Frits Conijn, Contributing Editor “Het Financieel Dagblad” (“The Financial Daily”)
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 24 July 2014 “I have known Caecilia van Peski for many years and have followed her in her various capacities. I admire her skills as a mobilizer of people, mediator in situations of conflict and activist for peace. Caecilia is knowledgeable and dedicated. She has demonstrated remarkable perseverance. She has a good analytical mind and knows how to get things done.” Prof Dr Jan P. Pronk, former Minister of Development Cooperation Dutch Foreign Office, former UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission UNMISS Sudan, former UNCTAD Assistant Secretary-General, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UN Special Envoy to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Tokyo, Japan
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – 01 July 2014 “There are moments in life at which one encounters a person with whom there is an instant connection. Caecilia van Peski is a person I experienced this with, the moment I met her at VIKING Civil-Military Training in Sweden, 2014. Caecilia is a true diplomat. Her flair, intelligence and the way in which she connects to people of disparate backgrounds are remarkable. She holds deep knowledge on a wide range of topics and is able to switch from one subject to another with great agility. Caecilia is a natural. She is a born leader with a strong vision that she is able to translate into practice. She holds a sincere interest in the world and the people she works with. I have personally benefitted from the way in which Caecilia welcomes others into her broad professional network, inclined as she is to support people in their growth. For it is she herself who understands the importance of development in all domains of personal and professional life.” Dr Marjolein C. Groot, United Nations Political Affairs Officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Researcher at University College Dublin, Ireland
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 10 February 2014 “Caecilia van Peski contributed to our Shelter City Programme from the time that Shelter City was but a small pilot programme. She met with our Human Rights Defenders, spoke with them about their work, gave advice vis-à-vis the lobby and advocacy activities that our defenders are involved in and introduced them within her own network – all of which was very valuable to the work of our defenders. Caecilia is highly knowledgeable in the field of Human Rights, the defence of Human Rights, and the threats that Human Rights defenders are faced with. Especially the exchange of perspectives on UNSC Resolution 1325 – one of Caecilia’s primary topics – was of great value to our Human Rights Defenders. With her energy, her drive and her interest in the personal background of the defenders, Caecilia made an excellent contribution to our project. It is my hope that she will keep on doing so in the future.” Mr Guus van Zwoll, Program Officer ‘Shelter City’ at Justitia et Pax
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – 07 January 2014 “During my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of ‘Oekraïne Magazine’ (the only Dutch-language print publication fully devoted to Ukraine), I had the pleasure of working closely with Caecilia van Peski, who contributed in many ways to the success of our Magazine. Caecilia provided us with many well-informed and well-written articles on various subjects regarding Ukraine, notably her written coverage on elections in Ukraine, which she had monitored as an OSCE observer. Caecilia also was a source of inspiration and insights on Ukrainian geo-political issues, drawing on her experience in international affairs and diplomacy, thus providing us with invaluable input and inspiration for themes to be covered by our Magazine. Above all, Caecilia is a pleasure to work with. I can warmly recommend her to any organization working on international affairs and public diplomacy projects.” Mr Diederik Kramers, European Affairs Journalist and Communications Specialist, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of ‘Oekraïne Magazine’ (Ukraine Magazine)
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 19 December 2013 “I was first introduced to Caecilia van Peski through my membership of the Board of Advice of the Dutch United Nations Association. Working with Caecilia in educating young leaders in international relations in handling United Nations negotiations has been a wonderful experience for me. Notwithstanding the great number of people participating in the Model United Nations commemorating the Centenary of the Peace Palace in 2013, the Conference went perfect, thanks to Caecilia’s talent as an organizer, manager and performer.” Dr Paul W. Meerts, former Deputy Director General of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations “Clingendael”, International Negotiation Analyst, Member of the Steering Committee of PIN Process on International Negotiation, Founding Member of the Netherlands Negotiation Network
TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS – 17 December 2013 “Caecilia van Peski, a former student of mine, has built up much cross-cultural expertise in intercultural communication competence during her work abroad. Through this, she has developed a truly cosmopolitan perspective on her topics.” Prof Dr Fons A.J.R. van de Vijver, Professor of Cross-Cultural Psychology at Tilburg University, The Netherlands, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UNITED KINGDOM – 15 December 2013 “I have worked with Caecilia van Peski since 2002 during her involvement in – and chairing of – CISV International’s Educational Development and Research Committee, ED&R. Founded in 1950, CISV is a global movement dedicated to educating and inspiring for peace. Our international programmes and activities are organized and run by an extensive body of dedicated volunteers of whom Caecilia is a lifetime member. Caecilia holds a keen interest in peace education (theory and delivery) and makes interesting and exciting associations and linkages among different methods, opportunities and people in the field. She brings immense enthusiasm to the work. It was a pleasure to co-operate with her on various projects.” Ms Gabrielle Mandell, Secretary General CISV International
DELFT, THE NETHERLANDS – 01 December 2013 “I first met Caecilia van Peski in 2008, when we were colleagues at the Academy of Public Administration, BAZN, in Tilburg, the Netherlands. I found Caecilia to be a very enthusiastic and inspiring person. Caecilia holds deep knowledge on democracy development and elections. The fact that she combines her thorough knowledge of the theory of elections with extensive ‘on the ground’ electoral experience in a countless number of countries provides her with unique qualities. Besides, Caecilia is just great fun to work with. She displays and abundance of optimism and has a stimulating attitude towards others. I gladly encourage others to work with Caecilia.” Dr Peter Castenmiller, Member of the Dutch Electoral Council, Chairman of the Rekenkamer (Court of Audit) of the Province of Zeeland
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – 20 November 2013 “Since 2005, Caecilia van Peski has been a Member of the Board of the United Nations Association The Netherlands. In my capacity as Chair of UNA Netherlands, I have co-operated extensively with her. Without any hesitation I can state that Caecilia is a very motivated and engaged person. Her persistence is certainly admirable. Caecilia has exceptional organizational skills, not only being hardworking herself, but also very capable of involving and motivating others. She is always full of ideas, and is prepared to follow-up on them. A remarkable proof of these talents was the organization of the ‘Centenary Peace Palace Model United Nations’ in September 2013, which Caecilia initiated, designed and executed. This special commemorative MUN was a great success both in terms of content and participation. Caecilia has an extensive network composed of young as well as experienced people in the field of international co-operation and diplomacy. She manages to sustain this lively and highly diverse network because of her dedication and friendly character.” Prof Dr Yvonne M. Donders, Chair United Nations Association The Netherlands, Prof of International Human Rights & Cultural Diversity, Executive Director of University of Amsterdam International Law Centre
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 30 October 2013 “Caecilia van Peski has great personal courage and determination. She is very knowledgeable about elections having participated in many OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Missions. She also understands the relevance and importance of the whole electoral cycle and has organised conferences on election observation and the present-day challenges. Caecilia is a person of integrity and drive and will do well at whatever she undertakes.” Ambassador Dame Audrey Glover, former Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) in Warsaw, Poland, OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Head of Mission, former Head of the UK Delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission
ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – 25 September 2013 “Caecilia van Peski is an outstanding specialist in the field of democratic electoral processes. Her experience in numerous countries vis-à-vis this purpose has rendered her extraordinary skills. Rev Dr Adriaan Mari van Peski – Caecilia’s late father – was a theologian within the Remonstrant Brotherhood, just like myself. It pleases me greatly to find a similar profound interest in theology in Caecilia. In this, Caecilia builds on the legacy of her father’s 1968 ‘Outreach of Diakonia; A Study of Christian Service, with special Reference to its International Aspects’. We will certainly hear much more of Caecilia van Peski in the future.” Prof Dr Christiane M.G. Berkvens-Stevelinck, Professor of European Culture at Radboud University Nijmegen, Remonstrant Theologian
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA – 05 September 2013 “I have met Caecilia van Peski in 2009 at the LIFE-PEACE Research Group on Dialogue in Intercultural Communities at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. We remained good friends ever since. She is a great person and a reliable professional, always a pleasure to be in touch with. I am continuously impressed by Caecilia’s capacity to shift the conventional thinking on citizenship, justice, power and peace. There is much to be learned from her professional work, political commitment and from her personal resilience.” Prof Dr Maria-Carmen Pantea, Lecturer of Sociology and Social Work at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS – 01 September 2013 “I have known Caecilia van Peski since 2004, we have been deployed to several OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission together. Over the years, I have gotten to know Caecilia as a person who possesses the perfect mixture of idealism and pragmatism. She jumps at opportunities to make the world better and make other people believe the world can be made better. In this, Caecilia’s expertise in the field of elections and electoral procedures is widely recognized.” Esquire Willem Hendrik de Beaufort, LL.M., former Secretary General of the Parliament of the Netherlands
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – 25 August 2013 “Caecilia van Peski is a social innovator ‘par excellence’ and inspirational in her commitment and approach to working for justice and human rights. I have known Caecilia and her work since 2008 and witnessed how she has developed opportunity after opportunity into exciting and often highly successful initiatives. Her leadership style is caring, and always professional. A great colleague to have in any team.” Mr Robert Watson, Director of Frontier Consulting, independent consultant to the European Union on Human Rights, Governance and Access to Justice, Trainer at the UN Staff College in Turin, Italy
UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – 14 July 2013 “I have great respect for the professional competencies of Caecilia van Peski, with whom Context International Cooperation has worked together over a decade with regard to issues such as global social justice and global citizenship. Caecilia has the remarkable competency to link the ‘local’ to the ‘global’ (and vice versa) and to operate both at the strategic as well as the operational level. She has a long – and lived through – track record in promoting global citizenship. In my view, Caecilia is both a ‘thinker’ and a ‘do-er’ who gets things done; she is an experienced diplomat and an innovative entrepreneur. Moreover, it is always a pleasure to work with her.” Mr Fons van der Velden, Director Context International Cooperation
TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS – 01 July 2013 “Caecilia van Peski is one of the most passionate women I know. She is always out there, mobilizing people and resources to achieve the goals that she believes in. These goals spring from her conviction that ‘human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that they should act towards another in a spirit of brotherhood.’ Caecilia continues with an admirable perseverance, even when life gets tough, as was the case after the severe injuries she suffered while being deployed to the EU Monitoring Mission to Georgia, EUMM. Caecilia takes in a unique position within my network in the way in which she expresses her vast interest in – and knowledge of – human rights, globalization and global citizenship.” Dr Ralf Bodelier, Director ‘Wereld Podium’ (‘World Podium’) – Programme on Global Development
UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – 14 June 2013 “PAX operates in countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Europe. PAX starts up and supports local peace initiatives and mobilizes moral, political and financial support for these within Dutch society and through (international) campaigns. Our work is geared to match the human security concerns in countries and regions where we operate. This approach determines the quality and success of our work. Since 2008, Caecilia van Peski has been Member of the Board of IKV. She is highly motivated towards – and engaged in – our work. Caecilia stands out on the basis of her broad knowledge of international affairs and her vast international experience in the field of peace building. She is a fervent proponent of human rights and democracy and as such has contributed substantially to our peace movement.” Mr Jan Gruiters, General Director PAX – IKV Interchurch Peace Council, leading Dutch Peace Movement
BARCELONA, SPAIN – 14 June 2013 “I can vouch for Caecilia van Peski’s vast experience of working in Peace Studies throughout the world by virtue of exquisite postcards I keep receiving from her, with delectable text that cheers me up immensely even when I am in the depths of a math-equation induced depression. She has a radiant personality that comes across immediately in both face-to-face meetings and email messages. When logistics are a problem, clever ideas are sought, or someone needs a gentle diplomatic prod to open a gate or get things going, I turn to Caecilia.” Prof Dr Nicholas T. Longford, Professor of Statistics and Mathematics at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UNITED KINGDOM – 20 November 2011 “Caecilia van Peski worked with me as a contributing editor while I was editor in chief of Interspectives, Journal on Transcultural Education. Caecilia was both a good author and editor, timely meeting all deadlines and working without supervision or prompting. She has a good command of the English language, writes in a clear and effective style, and edits diplomatically. Caecilia is knowledgeable in non-formal, cross-cultural education – both in its theory and its practical application. Caecilia is a good, cheerful and energetic colleague and is equally effective as a team player and team leader. She has taken her knowledge and skills in intercultural education and effectively applied them in her international work.” Dr Joseph G. Banks, JD (ret.), Editor-in-Chief of “Interspectives” Journal on Transcultural Education, Assistant Dean of the College of Law of the University of Cincinnati, USA
WEERT, THE NETHERLANDS – 04 January 2011 “I am pleased to provide a reference on my earlier association with Caecilia van Peski, in particular our joint membership of the Education Committee of the United Nations Associations The Netherlands (UNA Netherlands). Between 2004-2010, Caecilia was a member of this Committee. As such, she was co-developer of two interactive educational websites, “VN Arena” and “VN Canon”, which were developed in collaboration with the Netherlands Association for the Development of School Curricula (Nationaal Expertisecentrum Leerplanontwikkeling). I know Ms Van Peski as a very committed and very active person in development and human rights, United Nations and other international fora. She served as UN Women’s Representative in the delegation of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the United Nations General Assembly Sessions in New York. She has given many lectures on aforementioned topics and she has a highly extensive network of contacts spanning the globe. Caecilia van Peski is one of the most committed persons I have come across in my career.” Mr Toon Vissers, Independent International Affairs Professional, Secretary of the Committee on United Nations Education of UNA Netherlands the United Nations Association The Netherlands, former Resident Representative at UNDP United Nations Development Programme
GORI, REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA – 27 January 2011 “Caecilia van Peski was deployed to EUMM Field Office Gori, first as a Monitor in the Human Rights and Humanitarian Team, and later, as of December 21, 2010, as the Team Leader of the same cell. Caecilia performed her duties with professional manner and her wide knowledge about Gender Equality and International Human Rights was well recognized amongst the Field Office members. The Patrol Reports she wrote were analytical and of high standard, and fulfilling additional responsibilities such as making presentations was not a problem for Caecilia. On the contrary, she was happy to share the knowledge she had and to work additional hours when needed. Due to her social character, Caecilia van Peski did not face problems to get along with people from different cultures or professional backgrounds. Her unprompted way of working enabled her to establish new contacts with the local communities and actors that benefitted the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Team. Caecilia van Peski displayed high levels of motivation and potential. She has very good communication skills. She was able to make clear and tailored presentations to the different target groups (such as Gori University students and NGOs) and she had no problem to utilize the most common software programs. Caecilia possesses a natural leadership and managerial skills and she has no problems to meet the deadlines. She showed high motivation and willingness to take more responsibility within the team. Due to a highly unfortunate mission-related accident, she didn’t have the time to achieve the expected outcome, which is something her supervisors highly regret. There is no doubt that her contribution to the mission would have been significant if the accident would not have taken place.” Mr Georgios Papaioannou, EUMM European Union Monitoring Mission to Georgia, Deputy Chief Field Office Gori
EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS – 16 October 2010 “Caecilia van Peski joined our team at Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Division Fontys International Projects from 2004 to 2007 in her role as international trainer, consultant and project developer. She was tasked with exploring the options for Fontys’ participation in national and international co-funded educational projects, skills and needs analysis and the drafting of project proposals. Also, Caecilia engaged in international consortium building and the negotiations involved in University-to-University MoU building. Caecilia van Peski co-operated in a highly motivated and dedicated way, demonstrating profound knowledge of higher education and vocational education and training (VET), cross-cultural education and the internationalisation of higher education. Caecilia holds strong capacities in the building and expanding of solid global networks. Her long-term engagement with youth/students and her contributions to the internationalization of higher education were recognized by our university and have been effectively applied to Fontys’ involvement in international partnership building. Caecilia’s work facilitated the establishment of institutional policy regarding the internationalisation of Fontys University’s corporate and academic curricula. Caecilia’s enthusiasm, high level of autonomy and sensitivity to the team made working with her a true pleasure. Socially skilled and highly communicative, Caecilia proved to be an excellent liaison officer on behalf of Fontys University of Applied Sciences at several NAFSA Conferences – Association of International Educators – and EAIE Conferences – European Association for International Education.” Mr Ger van Zantvoort, MSc, Managing Director Fontys International Projects at Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
BERGEN, NORWAY – 02 April 2009 “It is my pleasure to acquaint you with one of our University’s most outstanding visiting professors, Caecilia van Peski, who for many years already has supported the Master Programme ‘Democratisation and Human Rights’ at Bergen University, Faculty of Comparative Politics. I have known Caecilia since 2004, when for a while she lived and worked in the Bergen area. Ever since, Caecilia has been returning to our University in springtime to teach and train in Electoral Studies. Caecilia offers our students both the current academic knowledge as well as the practical know-how of the important work in support of democracy, offering those who organize, manage and observe elections the tools that are needed to deter fraud, mitigate election-related violence and build trust through building integrity. Caecilia herself has taken part in many international election observation missions. She is a leading expert in her field and also holds extensive knowledge on intercultural matters concerning elections. She brings real-time examples from the field straight into the classroom. It should not be left unmentioned that Caecilia is a very pleasant person to work with. She has a captivating and very unusual sense of humour and is able to level with students in a highly intelligent manner. Caecilia holds a keen interest in international politics – mainly regarding the Eurasian, Russian and Eastern European region – and also has deep knowledge of the Norwegian political system. For many years now, our students have felt inspired by Caecilia, a fact that can be read from the outstanding scores which Caecilia receives from the evaluations run by our University.” Prof Dr Frank H. Aarebrot, Professor of Comparative Politics at Bergen University, Norway
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – 18 October 2009 “I met Caecilia van Peski in the context of our work for CISV International. CISV International is a UK-based international NGO, founded in 1950 with a focus on peace education. On an annual basis, more than 600.000 people associate with CISV, in some 67 Member Associations worldwide. Caecilia participated actively, and enthusiastically. Full of dedication, she used her leadership skills to mobilize people towards active volunteering, the reaching of common goals and of tangible results towards peace. Over the course of several years, Caecilia and I worked together in order to establish CISV’s core concepts, educational methodology and corporate policy. Caecilia’s work included research on the reform of CISV’s educational principles, improvement of CISV programs regarding their educational and pedagogical content, outreach and co-operation with students and academic staff of the University of Newcastle (UK) and Northumbria University (UK), contributions to the development of peace education and experiential learning for children and youth, research on cross-cultural understanding and programming on internationalisation and experiential education. In 2002, Caecilia became a member of CISV’s Educational Development and Research Committee (ED&R), an international Committee that I myself was chairing at the time. Three years later, in 2005, Caecilia was elected Chair ED&R and as such became my successor. As Chair ED&R, Caecilia took part in the evaluation of the “CISV 21-Day-Village” study, suggesting a shortening of the core educational programme of the organisation without compromising on educational quality. Caecilia contributed to the design and development of games and tools for peace education – “learning by doing”. The ED&R Strategy Plan was drafted under her guidance; also, the drafting of the CISV corporate strategy on inclusion and diversity (CISV Strategy Plan “Preventing Exclusion”, 2007) took place under her leadership. Caecilia is a full-blooded cross-cultural expert and a true activist for peace. ” Ms Glaucia Critter Chiliatto, former Chair of CISV’s Educational, Development & Research Committee