Expert Profile



Ms Annika Hilding Norberg
Position(s) Head of Peace Operations and Peacebuilding

Ms Annika Hilding Norberg is Head of GCSP Peace Operations and Peacebuilding executive education and training, policy applicably research and advise, dialogue and discussion. She currently focuses on Strengthening inclusive leadership for peace and security; The New Agenda for Peace; and the Future of UN peace operations, special political and peacebuilding missions. Annika serves on the Board of Directors of the International Leadership Association and on the Management Committee of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform

Prior to joining the GCSP, she was the Founder and Director of the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations (Challenges Forum) aimed at strengthening peace operations, a joint platform of then 22 countries, including the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council. Originating from when she served as President of the London School of Economics (LSE) International Relations Society, the Challenges Forum was founded in 1996 as part of her research studies at the LSE on comparative approaches to peace operations. She coordinated the Challenges Forum based at the LSE (1996-2000), the Swedish National Defence College (1997-2002) and the Folke Bernadotte Academy, an agency of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2003-2017). Annika served on the Board of Directors for the Peace Operations Training Institute (2010-2013).

Annika holds a Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the LSE, a Master of Arts in International Politics from the Free University of Brussels and studied languages at the Moscow State University and the Universidad del Pais Vasco. Ms Hilding Norberg is the main editor of some 80 Challenges Forum and other reports and policy briefs and has worked and/or studied in ten countries. In 2008, she was awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences for her contributions to strengthening UN peacekeeping.

 

UPCOMING IN 2023

  • Results-Based Management Course UN Standing Police Capacity, co-organised with DCAF and Small Arms Survey, 27-31 March 2023 (Course Co-Director)
  • Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network Study on United Truce Supervision Organization in cooperation with Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, 1 April-31 December 2023 (Project Team Leader)
  • International Leadership Association (ILA) Leadership for Peace Community Webinar Conversations, Spring - December 2023 (Member, Board of Directors, ILA)
  • New Issues in International Security - Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution and Sustainable Peace Course Week Module, 6-9 June 2023 (Module Leader)
  • Global Peace Index 2023 Geneva Launch co-organised with the Institute of Economics and Peace, June 2023 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Making the Difference in Peace, Security and Development – Results-Based Management and Beyond, co-organised with DCAF and Small Arms Survey, 26-30 June 2023 (Course Co-Director)
  • Swiss Peacebuilding Training Course, co-organised with the Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Swiss Armed Forces, 27 August-8 September 2023 (Course Director)
  • EU Pre-Deployment Course for Common Security and Defence Policy Missions and Operations, co-organised with the European Security and Defence College, 2-6 October 2023 (Course Co-Director)
  • International Leadership Association Annual Conference 2023: Cultivating Leadership for a Thriving Future, 3-4 (online), 12-15 (Vancouver) October 2023 (Member, ILA Board of Directors)
  • Geneva Peace Week 2023 co-organised with GPP, United Nations Office in Geneva and Swiss FDFA, 30 October-3 November 2023 (Member, Management Committee)
  • Enhancing Leadership for Peacebuilding - Senior Level Peacebuilding Course, co-organised with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and Swiss FDFA, November 2023 (Course Co-Director)
  • UN Police Commanders Course co-organised with the UN Department of Peace Operations and the Swiss FDFA, 13-24 November 2023 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Geneva Peace Week Meets New York co-organised with the Swiss FDFA and GPP, November-December 2023 (Member, Management Committee)

 

AGENDA 2024 – IN DEVELOPMENT

Programme development for 2024 in progress, including projects and Initiatives in support of Switzerland’s tenure on the UN Security Council and the New Agenda for Peace. For example, GCSP will co-organise the UN Senior Mission Leadership Course with the UN Department of Peace Operations, the Swiss FDFA and Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Spring 2024. The regular programme of courses and new projects and courses will continue in an augmented mode seeking to integrate findings and policy directions generated by the New Agenda for Peace process.

 

RECENT UNDERTAKINGS

  • Geneva Consultations on the New Agenda for Peace, co-organised with the GPP, the Swiss FDFA, and the UN Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA), 16-17 March 2023 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Swiss Peacebuilding Training Course (SPTC) 2023, co-organised with the Swiss FDFA and Swiss Armed Forces, 26 February-10 March 2023 (Course Director)
  • Briefing by the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism in cooperation with the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research and the GPP, 1 March 2023 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Briefing by the UN DPPA on the New Agenda for Peace, co-organised with the GPP and UN DPPA, 18 January 2023 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Leadership in International Security Course / Master’s in Advanced Studies in International and European Security, GCSP and University of Geneva – Prevention, Conflict Management and Sustainable Peace 2 Weeks Module, 16-27 January 2023 (Course Module Lead)
  • International Leadership Association (ILA). In 2022, pioneered the ILA’s Women Leaders for Peace Fellowship Initiative with 11 outstanding women leaders contributing with 22 thought pieces and lectures, incl.:
    • Global leadership for peace operations and peacebuilding 2030: How Emerging Security Risks Will Challenge Leaders
    • Strengthening Women Leadership for Peace: What Principles of Leadership are Critical and Why?
  • Geneva Security Debate, “A Crisis in Peacekeeping? What Room for Peace Operations in the New Agenda for Peace”, 11 November 2022 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Geneva Peace Week, “Peace is Possible”, 31 October-4 November 2022. High-Level panel on “Making Peace Possible: What’s New on the New Agenda for Peace” organised by the GCSP (Member, Management Committee)
  • Geneva Peace Week Round Table “Health Emergencies and the Humanitarian Sector: Lessons for Sustaining Peace in a Pandemic”, co-organised with the International Peace Institute and the GPP, 1 November 2022 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Launch of the SIPRI Environment for Peace Report co-organised with SIPRI and the GPP, 28 October 2022 (Co-Lead at GCSP)
  • Breakfast Briefing on Our Common Agenda and soft launch of the UN University Centre for Police Research (UNU-CPR) in Geneva, co-organised with UNU-CPR and GPP, 21 October 2022 (Lead at GCSP)
  • UN Mission Advanced Staff Training Course, co-organised with the UN Departments of Peace Operation, Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the Swiss FDFA, 10-18 October 2022 (Lead at GCSP)
  • International Leadership Association Annual Conference 2022, 6-7 (Online) and 13-16 (Washington DC) October 2022 (Member, ILA Board of Directors)
  • EU Pre-Deployment Course for Common Security and Defence Policy Missions and Operations, co-organised with the European Security and Defence College, 3-7 October 2022 (Course Co-Director)
  • Joint meeting with the Afghan Women Leaders Forum (AWLF) on initiatives aimed at strengthening the role of Afghan women in processes concerning political and socioeconomic developments in Afghanistan, co-organised with AWLF, Crisis Management Initiative Martti Ahtisaari Foundation, GPP, the European Union and the Folke Bernadotte Academy, 13 Sepember 2022 (Lead at GCSP)
  • Emerging Security Risks and Their Possible Responses to Build a Better Tomorrow, customised course for the Council of Ministers Secretariat of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 12-18 September 2022 (Course Director)
  • Swiss Peacebuilding Training Course (SPTC) 2022, co-organised with the Swiss FDFA, Swiss Armed Forces and swisspeace, 28 August-9 September 2022 (Course Co-Director)

The GCSP Strengthening Peace Operations and Peacebuilding Initiative 2022-2024: Building Peace in a Turbulent World. The initiative was launched with a GCSP mission (February-March 2022) to engage with key stakeholders and interlocutors, peacebuilding and peace operations contributing countries, organisations and GCSP Alumni in Nairobi, Burundi, Somalia and Cameroon. The purpose of the mission was to enhance the understanding of the evolving nature of conflict and what international, national and local efforts to prevent, manage and resolve conflict can tell us about future needs and requirements. The mission also explored possible areas of cooperation and collaboration (Project Leader).

 

VIDEOS, PODCASTS, PUBLICATIONS and ARTICLES:

GCSP Webinar: COVID-19 and its Impact on UN Peace Operations