Spotlight: Donata Garrasi

Welcome to the first interview in our Spotlight series where we sit down to learn more about those who are making an impact for peace at scale.

Today, we’re joined by our own Vice President and Head of Multilateral Engagement and Peacebuilding, Donata Garrasi. In our conversation, Donata shares how she came to work in peace finance after nearly thirty years of experience in conflict prevention.

Q. What were your first impressions at Peaceinvest?

My first impression was how unique Peaceinvest is: as a young company it has a deep understanding of what’s needed to make a positive difference in the peacebuilding and finance communities by drawing on decades of experience and expertise in both. I also admire how Peaceinvest brings these sectors closer together as well as its dedication to innovating. This is a company that is willing to take the risks required to break new ground in addressing complex contemporary challenges. I definitely found what I was looking for at Peaceinvest.

Q. What inspired you to work in peace finance?

You must invest in peace to make it sustainable, just as you need peace to make investments successful. Peace is a public good in much the same way as the environment is, and I am a strong believer that we need a new approach to attract finance to start investing in it. Even in conflict affected areas, people expect that they’ll be able to access dignified jobs which provide them with opportunities to help their families and communities prosper.  This is only possible through peace finance which helps build peaceful economies.

Q. What unique insights do you bring to the team?

For almost three decades I have lived and worked in a wide range of conflict affected countries, designing, negotiating, and implementing conflict prevention and peace strategies.   My experience of these processes on the ground and the struggle that governments and individuals go through when transitioning out of conflict is what makes me so valuable for what Peaceinvest is trying to do. I have also had the privilege of working with several international organisations, learning how they work, their strengths and their weaknesses. This knowledge helps us, at Peaceinvest, to navigate the complex architecture of international development finance.

Q. Can you share any fun facts about your personal interests?

I am passionate about tennis and sailing. However, despite taking tennis lessons for half of my life, and spending the other half of it learning to sail, I am pretty poor at both. Luckily, I was also interested in Peace!

Q. What is your favourite book?

At the moment, my favourite book is one I read recently from Colombian author, Armando Caicedo, called “El niño que me perdono’ la vida.” It’s about a child, who has been forced into joining the guerrillas and ends up meeting a young man from the Colombian Defence forces during a military operation; together they build a strong bond. It is an extraordinary, well written, intense account of what life is like for all too many children and adults who find themselves trapped in violent histories.

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