Launch event for Accord No.29, “Pioneering peace pathways: Making connections to end violent conflict,” and the new report “Public support for peacebuilding: Public attitudes in Japan towards peacebuilding and dialogue with armed groups”

Mr. Jonathan Cohen is the Executive Director of Conciliation Resources. He has extensive experience in dialogue and confidence building initiatives, receiving an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to conflict prevention and resolution in 2007. He was previously CR's Director of Programmes, overseeing programmes in Africa, the Caucasus, South Asia and Southeast Asia. He is the Chair of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office, a platform of 41 peacebuilding organisations.

Dr. Teresa Dumasy is the Director of Policy and Learning at Conciliation Resources. She leads CR's work to share evidence and learning with international policymakers and promote peacebuilding responses to conflict. She also coordinates UK NGO efforts to address the impact of counterterrorism legislation and sanctions on humanitarian and peacebuilding work.

Mr. Akihito Hayashi is a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) expert in the mine action sector in Cambodia. He previously worked as a program officer of the Asia Peace Initiatives Department at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) working to build media networks in Southeast Asia and conducting the survey on public attitudes in Japan about peacebuilding and dialogue with armed groups. He is currently a visiting fellow at Sophia University’s Institute of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies.

Dr. Alexander Ramsbotham is the Director of Accord at Conciliation Resources and serves as Series Editor for CR's flagship publication. He also leads CR's partnership work with the Political Settlements Research Programme, an initiative which focuses on inclusive political settlements to end violent conflict.

Ms. Cate Buchanan is a mediation support and process design specialist. She currently works for the UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General - Yemen as a Senior Adviser and also in advisory roles for Conciliation Resources, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, UN Mediation Support Unit, International IDEA and UNFPA Myanmar.

Dr. Akiko Horiba is a Program Director and Senior Program Officer of the Asia Peace Initiatives Department at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) with a focus on Southern Thailand conflict, women’s political participation in Asia, and strengthening civil society networks in Southeast Asia. She is also a lecturer at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Before joining SPF, she worked as a Policy Secretary for the House of the Representatives. Her research interests are conflict analysis, peacebuilding, and Southeast Asia politics.

Professor Toshiya Hoshino is a professor at Osaka University. Until August 2020, he was an Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations for 3 years. He was the Former Vice President of Osaka University. From 2013-2016, he was the project head of SPF-supported “Asia Peacebuilding Initiatives.” His expertise includes the theory and practice of international relations with special emphasis on human security.