Rama Mani

Dr Rama Mani is the Executive Director/CEO of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies Colombo Office. "She is also an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of ICES. Before joining ICES she worked as Course Director and also a faculty member at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). From 2004 to 2006, she directed the New Issues in Security Course (NISC), entitled, 'Global Peace and Security: Challenges and Responses'.

"She is the author of Beyond Retribution: Seeking Justice in the Shadows of War (Cambridge: Polity, 2002). An established international practitioner and scholar, she teaches, publishes and does policy work on issues of justice and human rights, conflict and peacebuilding, rule of law and the security sector, the United Nations and terrorism.

"Previously, she was the Senior Strategy Adviser to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva, from January to December 2002, addressing issues of humanitarian policy and conflict mediation. From 1999 to December 2001, she worked with Oxfam (GB) in Africa. As Oxfam’s Africa Strategy Manager, based in Uganda, she led a continent-wide campaign on humanitarian and development crises, war and illicit economies in the African continent. Previously, as Oxfam’s Regional Policy Coordinator for the Horn of Africa based in Ethiopia, she developed policies and programmes addressing regional conflict, arms trade and peacebuilding.

"From 2003 to mid-2004, Dr. Mani provided policy analysis, strategic advice and teaching in the areas of justice and peacebuilding in developing countries, under the aegis of a non-profit independent initiative, Justice Unlimited. In 2003, she conducted research in Afghanistan on the justice sector for the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), and in Guatemala for the Small Arms Survey. She served on the faculty of the South Asian Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) orientation course in Summer 2003. She also developed an endogenous African university curriculum on Justice, Peace and Human Rights for the University for Peace’s Africa Programme, working closely with African scholars, in 2003-2004.

"Previously, she worked with the Commission on Global Governance in Geneva as their Senior External Relations Officer from 1992 to 1995, and managed the global launch of their report, Our Global Neighbourhood (Oxford: OUP, 1995). As a Fellow of the Watson Foundation in 1989-90, she investigated immigration and political movements in Algeria and France, in collaboration with non-profit and government agencies, and scholars.

"In an honorary capacity, Dr. Mani is a Member of the Board of "Geneva Call" (an International Humanitarian Organisation engaging armed non-state actors to respect Humanitarian Law). She also serves on the Advisory Group of the Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform, UK, the Editorial Board of the acclaimed journal Global Governance, the founding Advisory Board of the Africa Law Institute. She is a Resource Person to the University for Peace’s Africa Programme. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Academic Council on the United Nations System (1999-2001), and as a Steering Committee Member for the World Civil Society Conference (Montreal, December 1999). She is a permament elected member of the Union of International Associations (UIA).

"An Indian national, Dr. Mani holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Cambridge, U.K., and an M.A. in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University, U.S.A." 

She is married to Alexander Schieffer.

Affiliations

 * Consultative Board, African Journal of Legal Studies
 * International Advisory Board, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
 * Member, World Future Council