Dr. Mari Neuvonen is the new Chair of Board of Governors in the Anna Lindh Foundation since 22nd of June 2021. She is currently working as Senior Adviser with questions related to Mediterranean Union and Southern Neighborhood of the EU at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. Her previous position for almost four years was the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in Cairo. She covered also Sudan from Cairo and worked as a co-chair for Gender and Development under the donor-community in Cairo.
Mari has extensive experience working in the European Union’s external affairs. During her position as the Political Adviser to the Director in Civilian Crisis Management at the European External Action Service, Mari was also responsible for handling all EU civilian crisis management (CSDP) missions in the Palestinian Territory and establishing the new ones to Sahel and Niger. Before that, she was the Relex Councellor at the Finnish Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels and worked at the European Parliament at the secretariat of Foreign Affairs Committee, dealing there also with questions related to the Middle East and Africa. Mari has over 20 years of diplomatic, policy-making and academic experience dealing with issues ranging from EU’s foreign policy, human rights, development issues, refugees and trade issues.
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