Theresa Whitfield’s primary research areas are peacemaking and mediation, specializing in issues such as engagement with armed groups and the varied roles played by international actors, including the United Nations, in conflict resolution. In addition to her position at CICR, she is a Senior Adviser to the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, responsible for liaison with the United Nations; a Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC); and a member of the Board of Trustees of the UK-based Conciliation Resources. She has been Director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, a program of the Social Science Research Council that facilitates access by UN officials to outside sources of expertise on countries in conflict or crisis, and before that spent five years as an official within the UN’s Department of Political Affairs. Teresa holds a B.A. from Cambridge University and an M.A. -from the University of London. She is author of books on El Salvador and UN peacemaking – a third, addressing efforts to end the Basque conflict in Spain, is forthcoming from Hurst Publications in 2014.
