Mark Simmons's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

Personal, academic and professional interest; engagement in peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Sudan

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Mark Simmons has been Country Director of FAR (formerly Fellowship for African Relief) in Sudan since July 2007, where he is responsible for the overall management of some two hundred staff and twenty rural community development projects across eight field offices. He is a member and recent chair of the INGO Steering Committee for Northern Sudan and an advisor to the Stanhope Center’s Darfur research project.
Prior to taking up his current role, Mark worked for Concordis International, a UK-based charity, where he was involved in researching, designing and implementing a range of track-two diplomacy projects which supported official peace processes by examining the root causes of conflict, exploring policy options and encouraging dialogue between warring parties and within wider society. He is co-editor with Peter Dixon of Peace by Piece (Conciliation Resources, London: 2006), a journal on Sudanese peace processes.
Mark has spent three years as an internal and external auditor, particularly for CSV (Community Service Volunteers) and the British Council. He has also worked for the European Commission and European Parliament on a range of development projects in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia and spent a number of years working jointly for a number of European universities to improve cross-cultural awareness and harmonise education policy.

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

Sudan (all regions)

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

Sudan

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Country Director

How many years professional experience do you have ?

15+

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://www.farsudan.org

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Conflict Resolution, Conflict Mainstreaming, Development, Internally Displaced, Humanitarian Relief

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Advocacy, Budgeting, Capacity Building, Program Administration, Program Design, Program Implemenation

If appropriate feel free to list several of your (or your organization's) publications

Peace by Piece (London, 2006: Conciliation Resources)