Marc Scheuer is director of the Secretariat of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), a political initiative under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, which aims to improve understanding and cooperation across cultures and religions and, in the process, to help counter forces that fuel polarization. The Secretariat supports the action of the High Representative of the UNSG for the Alliance, Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal.
Most of his previous activity has been with the Council of Europe, a Europe wide international organization based in Strasbourg (France). He has notably been in charge of conflict prevention programs and post-conflict reconstruction initiatives. He coordinated the Council of Europe’s early response to 9/11, including addressing the roots of terrorism. He also contributed to the development of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. He previously worked as a lawyer in the European Court (then: Commission) of Human Rights and, until August 2008, was the director of the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg.
A Belgian national, he is doctor at law from the University of Louvain and a holds a diploma of European studies of the College of Europe (Bruges). He has been a long-standing member of the Board of the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) and a lecturer at various French and US universities.
Interview on Voice of America, Press Conference USA, aired on September 24-25, 2011
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