Juha Christensen

Last updated
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]

Contents

Life

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

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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martti Ahtisaari</span> President of Finland from 1994 to 2000

Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari was a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland, from 1994 to 2000, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediator noted for his international peace work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aceh</span> Province of Indonesia

Aceh, officially the Province of Aceh, is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west, Strait of Malacca to the northeast, as well bordering the province of North Sumatra to the east, its sole land border, and shares maritime borders with Malaysia and Thailand to the east, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India to the north. Granted a special autonomous status, Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing Sharia law officially. There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 70% of the region's population of about 5.5 million people in mid-2023. Its area is comparable to Croatia or Togo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Aceh Movement</span> 1976–2005 Acehnese separatist group in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

The Free Aceh Movement was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra, Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh insurgency from 1976 to 2005. Estimates of the death toll total over 15,000 people killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aceh War</span> 1873–1904 Dutch colonial war in Indonesia

The Aceh War, also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1904), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh and the United States in Singapore during early 1873. The war was part of a series of conflicts in the late 19th century that consolidated Dutch rule over modern-day Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banda Aceh</span> City and capital of Aceh, Indonesia

Banda Aceh is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of 35 meters. The city covers an area of 61.36 square kilometers (23.69 sq mi) and had a population of 223,446 people at the 2010 Census, rising to 252,899 at the 2020 Census. The official estimate as at mid 2023 was 261,969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crisis Management Initiative</span> Finnish conflict resolution organization

CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation sr is an independent Finnish non-governmental organisation that works to prevent and resolve conflict through informal dialogue and mediation. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari founded CMI in 2000. CMI has offices in Helsinki and Brussels as well as a presence in selected countries. CMI transformed from an association to a foundation on 1 May 2021.

The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) was deployed by the European Union after the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement" had been signed on 15 August 2005 in Helsinki, Finland. The AMM is one of many missions under the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aceh Sultanate</span> Historic state based in northern Sumatra, Indonesia (1496–1903)

The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major regional power in the 16th and 17th centuries, before experiencing a long period of decline. Its capital was Kutaraja, the present-day Banda Aceh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iskandar Muda</span> Sultan of Aceh

Iskandar Muda was the twelfth Sultan of Acèh Darussalam, under whom the sultanate achieved its greatest territorial extent, holding sway as the strongest power and wealthiest state in the western Indonesian archipelago and the Strait of Malacca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Aceh</span> 1976–2005 conflict in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia

The insurgency in Aceh, officially designated the Rebellion in Aceh by the Indonesian government, was a conflict fought by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) between 1976 and 2005, with the goal of making the province of Aceh independent from Indonesia. The aftermath of a military offensive in 2003 and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami brought an peace agreement and an eventual end to the insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aceh Party</span> Political party in Indonesia

The Aceh Party is a regional political party in Indonesia. It contested the 2009 elections in the province of Aceh, and is the largest party in the Aceh provincial legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acehnese people</span> Ethnic group in Indonesia

The Acehnese, also written as Atjehnese and Achinese, are an indigenous ethnic group native to Aceh, Indonesia on the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra. The area has a history of political struggle against the Dutch colonial rule. The vast majority of Acehnese people are Muslims. The Acehnese people are also referred to by other names such as Lam Muri, Lambri, Akhir, Achin, Asji, A-tse and Atse. Their language, Acehnese, belongs to the Aceh–Chamic group of Malayo-Polynesian of the Austronesian language family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finland–Indonesia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Finland and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 1954. Finland has an embassy in Jakarta, while Indonesia has an embassy in Helsinki.

Shadia Marhaban is an international mediator, capacity builder and activist from Aceh, Indonesia.

Timo Antero Kivimäki is a professor of International Relations and Director of Research at University of Bath, United Kingdom who in 2012 was convicted and sentenced to 5 months in prison for spying against Denmark on behalf of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zaini Abdullah</span> Indonesian politician (born 1940)

Zaini Abdullah is an Indonesian politician and former separatist activist of the Free Aceh Movement in Indonesia who was elected as the governor of the province of Aceh in the 2012 election for a five-year period from 2012 to 2017. Elected with 56% of the vote, Zaini Abdullah is the second governor directly chosen by the electors of Aceh since the granting of restricted autonomy to the area by the Indonesian government in 2005. His predecessor Irwandi Yusuf, who was elected in 2006 for the period from 2007 to 2012, was the first governor chosen in the province by direct elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Königstedt Manor</span> Manor house in Vantaa, Finland

Königstedt Manor is a historic manor house in Riipilä in the municipality of Vantaa, Finland, close to Helsinki. The mansion is located at the bank of the Vantaa river. Currently, it is used as a state guest house by the Finnish Government. It regularly serves as a venue for various meetings, negotiations and receptions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd al-Rauf al-Fansuri</span>

Abd al-Rauf ibn Ali al-Fansuri al-Sinkili was a renowned Islamic scholar, spiritual leader of the Shattariyya tariqa and mufti of the Aceh Sultanate. He was a confidant of Sultana Safiat al-Din and first to spread the Shattari Sufi order in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Many of his students became disseminators of Islam. He is commonly known as Sheikh Abd al-Rauf al-Sinkili and posthumously as Teungku Syiah Kuala.

Nurdin bin Ismail Amat, better known as Din Minimi, is a former militant of Free Aceh Movement who led an armed band based in Aceh during the 2010s.

Events from the year 2005 in Finland

References

  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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Malin Akebo (10 November 2016). Ceasefire Agreements and Peace Processes: A Comparative Study. Taylor & Francis. pp. 118–. ISBN   978-1-317-20412-1.
  9. 1 2 Katri Merikallio; Tapani Ruokanen (15 October 2015). The Mediator: A Biography of Martti Ahtisaari. Hurst. pp. 295–. ISBN   978-0-19-061313-6.
  10. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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".
  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".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.