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CRISIS MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE (CMI) Founder: Martti Ahtisaari Founded in Helsinki, 2000
CMI seeks solutions to conflicts in co-operation with the concerned parties. Founded by former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, CMI
PEACE IS A MATTER OF WILL THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE (CMI) was founded in 2000 by former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari. It is one of the world’s leading conflict resolution organizations, employing around 80 experts in the promotion of peace on different continents. President Ahtisaari was granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. In 2000 Martti Ahtisaari had served his six-year term as President of Finland and had not yet decided what he would do next. Before his victory in the 1994 presidential election, Ahtisaari had acquired substantial experience in international diplomacy. He had taken several posts with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including ambassador to Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia, and Mozambique. He later worked for the UN, advancing and monitoring the independence process in Namibia. After his term as president, there was much demand for his international expertise. Ahtisaari rejected Kofi Annan’s job offer as director of the UNHCR, the UN’s Refugee Agency, and went to Northern Ireland to monitor the disarmament of the IRA and the parties’ compliance with the terms of peace. Ahtisaari’s early childhood experiences fleeing the Winter War from Vyborg in 1940 increased his desire to seek solutions for crises around the world. He listed CMI in the Finnish Register of Associations and started recruiting young experts. His annual calendar was fully booked with trips abroad, even though the CMI also hosted peace negotiations in Finland. Far from the tumult
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emphasizes negotiation and dialogue. With these proven methods, the organization has achieved excellent results around the world.”