Staff

Lydia Swart
Executive Director

Lydia Swart, who joined the Center in June 2006, is the Executive Director and brings much varied research and management experience gained at international NGOs, including Amnesty International in London; the Animal Welfare Institute, the Environmental Investigation Agency, and the Academy for Educational Development in Washington DC; the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and the Hague Appeal for Peace 1999 (of which she was a founding board member) both in New York and the Netherlands. In 2004 and 2005, she worked for the Secretariat of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. A graduate from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, she is fluent in English and Dutch and has a working knowledge of German and French.

Jonas von Freiesleben
Senior Research Analyst

Jonas von Freiesleben holds a B.A. and M.A. in Political History from the University of Copenhagen, where he specialized in contemporary political affairs. From 2003 to 2004, he attended the University of California, Berkeley as a Fulbright Fellow in Communications. He has extensive research experience in issues ranging from international affairs and UN Studies, in particular the Security Council, to the situation in the Middle East and terrorism. His previous professional experience include positions as Assistant Attache at the Danish Mission to the UN in New York, Research Assistant at Amnesty International in Copenhagen as well as internships at the UN Departments for Disarmament Affairs and Political Affairs. Jonas von Freiesleben is fluent in Danish, his native language, Swedish and English, and has a working knowledge of French and German.

Nicolas Christiansen
Research Assistant

Nicolas Christiansen received a B.A. in Political History from the University of Copenhagen in 2007. He has extensive research experience in political philosophy as well as Middle Eastern politics, in particular Turkey, and has worked with several Danish NGOs, including GAM3 and IBIS. Mr. Christiansen is currently working towards an M.A. in International Development Studies and Political History at Roskilde University in Denmark. He is fluent in Danish, his native language, and English, and has a working knowledge of French and German.

Nana Yeboah
Research Assistant

Nana Yeboah holds an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and prior to that obtained a BSc in Natural Resources Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. She has extensive research experience; particularly on issues related to Policy, Environmental Governance, Energy and Sustainable Development, Climate Change Management and Mitigation Strategies, and Natural Resources Management. Her previous professional experiences include positions as Natural Resources Management Advisor for SNV-Netherlands Development Organization Ghana and internship for United Nations Association of USA. She is fluent in English and two languages from her native Ghana - Twi and Fante - and has a working knowledge of French.

Irene Martinetti
Consultant

Irene Martinetti is currently employed as a Geneva-based consultant for the Center for UN Reform Education. She holds a B.A. and M.A in East Asian Studies from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and a M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, where she gained extensive research experience in issues ranging from international security, East Asian politics and foreign policy, in particular China, to UN studies and human rights. Her previous experiences include employment as Assistant Manager for Panalpina China Ltd. and internships for BBC Beijing, UNDP Yemen and Human Rights in China. She is fluent in Italian, her native language, English, Mandarin, French and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Russian.