Kirsi Joenpolvi

Thematic expertise: mediation strategy and process design, mediation and conflict coaching techniques, multi-track processes, inclusive and inter-community dialogue design, peacebuilding strategies and programming, women’s inclusion in peace processes

Regional/country-specific expertise: Sub-Saharan Africa, the European region (incl. Ukraine, Kosovo), East and Southeast Asia, Central and Southern America

Languages: fluent English; working knowledge in Spanish, Chinese; basic French

Kirsi Joenpolvi works for the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, specifically within the Mediation Support Unit, where she provides strategic and technical support to the UN’s and its partners’ peacemaking efforts. Formerly, as Officer-in-Charge of the Peacebuilding Commission Support Branch, she advised countries in developing strategies to seek international support for their peacebuilding priorities through the Peacebuilding Commission. Within the UN, she has also served as a Senior Officer in the Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa, focusing on the interrelation between peace and development. Prior to joining the UN in 2015, Ms. Joenpolvi worked for the OSCE in Vienna, advising the Secretary-General on the design of national and local-level dialogue processes and the mediation of local ceasefires in Ukraine. From 2007 to 2013, she headed the Africa Program of President Ahtisaari’s organization, CMI. In that capacity, she supported peace processes in Liberia, Mali, and South Sudan, and advised the African Union’s Peace and Security Department. Ms. Joenpolvi has also worked for UNDP on the resolution of local conflicts in Timor-Leste and Afghanistan, for the European Union in Ethiopia (2004-2006) to de-escalate post-electoral violence, and for the Australian Government (2001-2003) on good governance in China. Ms. Joenpolvi holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Tampere, Finland, and a certificate from Fudan University, Shanghai. She is a certified community mediator, conflict coach, and leadership coach in New York City.