Mariano Aguirre to leave NOREF in 2020
Mariano Aguirre will leave NOREF in 2020 following a decade-long commitment to establish and develop the Centre to its present status.
Former Director and current Senior Adviser Mariano Aguirre Ernst, who was brought in to establish and direct NOREF since its establishment in 2009, has decided to leave NOREF in August 2020. After being named its first Director, Mariano built NOREF to be a policy-oriented peacebuilding centre of international stature. He was instrumental in developing its relations with Norwegian research institutions and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in creating global networks of influential analysts and peacebuilding practitioners.
By the time Mariano stepped down as Director in November 2016, the Centre had multiplied its staff, budget and activities, and was firmly placed as a key Norwegian actor among international efforts working to build sustainable peace during and after armed conflict. Moreover, the Centre was well positioned to take up its new role as a leading actor in international conflict resolution.
Mariano continued to contribute to NOREF’s work in a position as Senior Adviser, until August 2017, when he took a leave of absence to work for the UN in Colombia. In August 2019, Mariano commences a sabbatical leave, in recognition of his unique contributions to NOREF, before ending his current contract in August 2020.
