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Juha Christensen

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Juha Christensen
NationalityFinnish
Occupation(s)Peace activist, negotiator
Known for2005 Aceh peace process

Juha Christensen is a Finnish businessman, philanthropist[1] and negotiator who played an instrumental role in the 2005 Aceh peace process.[2][3][4] He was also involved in negotiations leading to the release of Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a New Zealand pilot taken hostage by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) during the 2023 Nduga hostage crisis.[5]

Life

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Christensen is a former pharmaceutical executive.[3] Before becoming involved in the Aceh peace process, he had lived for several decades in Indonesia,[6][7][8] and spoke Indonesian fluently.[9]

Involvement in Aceh peace process

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In June 2003 and acting on his own initiative, Christensen went to Stockholm where he initiated discussions with leaders of the Free Aceh Movement.[10][8] In February 2004 Christensen contacted Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland, who he knew personally,[11] to become involved in peace negotiations.[10] Christensen was also able to connect another old friend, Farid Husain,[12] then the Indonesian Minister of Health, with Ahtisaari and the Finnish CMI (Crisis Management Initiative). Christensen was an active participant in the peace negotiations.[6][9] As a result of the negotiations that followed, a peace agreement between the parties in conflict was signed in Helsinki on 15 August 2005.[13][14]

Following the peace agreement, Christensen was a special adviser to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) until 2006.[15]

In 2015, Christensen negotiated the surrender and disarming of Din Minimi,[16][17] a former GAM militant, and 30 of his followers east of Banda Aceh.[18][19][20][21]

As of 2017, Christensen is the general manager of Pacta (Architecture Peace and Conflict Transformation Alliance), a Finnish peace organization that he co-founded.[22][15]

Christensen was invited to join the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council as a founding member.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ Farid Husain; Salim Shahab (journalist.) (2007). To See the Unseen: Scenes Behind the Aceh Peace Treaty. Health & Hospital Indonesia. ISBN 978-979-15936-0-1.
  2. ^ Post, The Jakarta. "Juha Christensen: Committed to peace".
  3. ^ a b Natalie Ralph (25 September 2015). Peacemaking and the Extractive Industries: Towards a Framework for Corporate Peace. Greenleaf Publishing. pp. 220–. ISBN 978-1-78353-247-6.
  4. ^ Jacob Bercovitch; Kwei-Bo Huang; Chung-Chian Teng (28 August 2008). Conflict Management, Security and Intervention in East Asia: Third-party Mediation in Regional Conflict. Routledge. pp. 308–. ISBN 978-1-134-14101-2.
  5. ^ Faturahman, Andi Adam (2024-09-22). Chairunnisa, Ninis (ed.). "Pangkogabwilhan III Akui Keterlibatan Aktivis HAM Finlandia dalam Operasi Pembebasan Pilot Susi Air" [Pangkogabwilhan III Admits Finnish Human Rights Activits Involvement in Susi Air Pilot Rescue Operation]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  6. ^ a b Sumit Ganguly; Andrew Scobell; Joseph Liow (4 December 2009). The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies. Taylor & Francis. pp. 398–. ISBN 978-1-135-22961-0.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-29. Retrieved 2017-03-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ a b Malin Akebo (10 November 2016). Ceasefire Agreements and Peace Processes: A Comparative Study. Taylor & Francis. pp. 118–. ISBN 978-1-317-20412-1.
  9. ^ a b Katri Merikallio; Tapani Ruokanen (15 October 2015). The Mediator: A Biography of Martti Ahtisaari. Hurst. pp. 295–. ISBN 978-0-19-061313-6.
  10. ^ a b Martina Klimesova (30 November 2015). Using Carrots to Bring Peace?: Negotiation and Third Party Involvement. World Scientific. pp. 165–. ISBN 978-981-4699-12-9.
  11. ^ Peng Er Lam (2 June 2009). Japan's Peace-Building Diplomacy in Asia: Seeking a More Active Political Role. Routledge. pp. 138–. ISBN 978-1-134-12506-7.
  12. ^ Antje Missbach (19 September 2011). Separatist Conflict in Indonesia: The long-distance politics of the Acehnese diaspora. Taylor & Francis. pp. 230–. ISBN 978-1-136-63108-5.
  13. ^ Sille Stidsen (1 July 2006). The Indigenous World 2006. IWGIA. pp. 308–. ISBN 978-87-91563-18-8.
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2012-11-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ a b "Team - Pacta".
  16. ^ "Din Minimi, Most-wanted Aceh insurgent 'Agreed to Surrender after Jokowi Vowed Amnesty'". globejournal.com. 27 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Amnesti Terhadap Din Minimi Masih Akan Dilaporkan ke Presiden".
  18. ^ "Kisah Negosiator Finlandia Penghubung Kepala BIN-Din Minimi".
  19. ^ "Din Minimi, Band of Acehnese Militants Surrender to Indonesia".
  20. ^ "Salainen operaatio viidakossa – suomalaisvälittäjä sai aseet pois vastarintaryhmältä Indonesiassa". 18 January 2016.
  21. ^ Tempo.Co (28 January 2016). "Diprotes, Sutiyoso: Amnesti Din Minimi Tetap Diproses".
  22. ^ Bersama, PT Jaring News Media. "Juha Christensen: Penyelesaian Konflik di Papua Lebih Kompleks - Jaring News".[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Pacta News - Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council established – PACTA General Manager, Juha Christensen, a Founding Member".
  24. ^ "Mr. Juha Christensen - Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council".
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