Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development

Resident and Visiting Professors

Kifah Sasa Marin

Costa Rica / Jordan

Kifah Sasa es el Oficial de Programa de Desarrollo Sostenible y Resiliencia del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo en Costa Rica. Desde el año 2009 funge como asesor senior del Programa Green Commodities, asesorando gobiernos y socios clave de cadenas productivas alrededor del mundo sobre cómo mejorar desempeño ambiental de materias primas. Kifah ha trabajado por el desarrollo social y el medio ambiente desde hace 17 años en diferentes facetas. Desde liderar y crear organizaciones parar apoyar grupos de base y comunitarios de manera voluntaria; hasta asesorar ministros centroamericanos de Integración Social, Vivienda y Salud en temas el manejo de proyectos regionales. Desde hace una década está vinculado al Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarollo en temas de biodiversidad, conservación marina, economía ambiental; cadenas productivas sostenibles de commodities agrícolas. Desde hace 5 años es también responsable de la cartera de Desarrollo Sostenible de esa agencia en Costa Rica. Se formó en el Reino Unido (Middlesex, BA, MA), Holanda (ISS, Post Dip) y Costa Rica. Kifah Sasa is Sustainable Development Program Officer for the United Nations Development Programme in Costa Rica. Since 2009 he works as senior advisor for the Green Commodities Programme, advising governments and supply chain stakeholders on how to improve the environmental and social performance of commodity supply chains. Kifah has worked for social development and the environment for 17 years in different roles. From setting up and leading NGOs to support community organizations on a voluntary basis; to advising Central American Ministers of Social Integration, Housing and Health on the management of regional projects, as part of the Central American Integration System. For the past decade he has worked for the United Nations Development Programme, managing projects related to biodiversity conservation, marine protected areas, environmental economics; sustainable production of agricultural commodities and democratic dialogue. For the last 5 years he is responsible for UNDPs Sustainable Development portfolio in Costa Rica. He was trained in the United Kingdom (Middlesex, B.A, MA) and The Netherlands (ISS, Post Dip), Costa Rica.

Mihir Kanade

India

Dr. Mihir Kanade (India) is the Academic Coordinator of UPEACE, the Head of its Department of International Law, and the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre. He is also the academic co-coordinator of the LLM programme in Transnational Crime and Justice offered jointly by UPEACE and UNICRI in Turin, Italy. He holds an LL.B. from Nagpur University (India) and a Master degree and Doctorate from UPEACE. He is an adjunct/visiting faculty at Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (Spain), Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal), Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia) and Long Island University (United States). His principal area of academic research and study is International Law, Human Rights and Globalization, covering several themes within that interface including armed conflicts, trade and investment, sustainable development, forced migration, indigenous peoples’ rights, public health, amongst others. He currently serves as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council's Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development in representation of the Asia-Pacific region. He also chairs the group of international experts mandated to elaborate the draft convention on the right to development. He has previously served on the International Advisory Board of the International Bar Association on the topic of Business and Human Rights. He leads an e-learning project of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting the Right to Development. Prior to his pursuit in academia, Mihir practiced as a lawyer at the Bombay High Court and at the Supreme Court of India.

Alonso Muñoz

Costa Rica

Alonso Muñoz is Instructor in the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace, where he coordinates the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development (RMSED). He holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica and a Msc. in Business Administration. He has worked in the private sector as a consultant and as an entrepreneur, and has volunteered on various national and international projects regarding peace education, migration, environmental impact of systems and Social Enterprises. His most recent work revolves around Circular Economy, a field that he feels passionate about, and for which he has high expectations. He is a novelist, a blogger, a peace advocate, an entrepreneur and passionate about social and environmental development.

Alonso Muñoz

Costa Rica

Alonso Muñoz is Instructor in the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace, where he coordinates the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development (RMSED). He holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica and a Msc. in Business Administration. He has worked in the private sector as a consultant and as an entrepreneur, and has volunteered on various national and international projects regarding peace education, migration, environmental impact of systems and Social Enterprises. His most recent work revolves around Circular Economy, a field that he feels passionate about, and for which he has high expectations. He is a novelist, a blogger, a peace advocate, an entrepreneur and passionate about social and environmental development.

Koen Voorend

The Netherlands

 

.Sc. in International Economics Studies from the Maastricht University, The Netherlands, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies with a specialization in Economics of Development from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague. From 2012 he is a Ph.D. candidate at the ISS. 

He has experience in the study of trade and its social and economic impact in developing countries, specifically in Southern Africa and in Central America. He has also worked on rural development issues in transition countries, notably in the Caucasus and Central Asia. He holds experience in urban development studies, particularly focusing on informal settlement development, and labour market studies, specifically paid domestic work.

Currently, in his position as a researcher at the Institute of Social Research of the University of Costa Rica, he is specializing in the study of welfare regimes, gender, labour markets and the formation and impact of social and economic policies on the one hand, and trade on the other. Also, he is a lecturer at the School of Communication at the University of Costa Rica.

 

Andre Nijhof

Netherlands

 

André Nijhof (1969) has a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Twente. He started his working life as a researcher of organisational change in multinational companies like Akzo Nobel, Asito, Shell Pernis, Stegeman Sara Lee and Vredestein. Based on his research he finished his PhD at the University of Twente just before the turn of the century (1999). Next he became a senior consultant at Q-Consult, where he specialized in corporate social responsibility and the implementation of management systems. Andre is former chairman of the Dutch Network on Business Ethics. Since 2007 he has been associate professor at the European Institute for Business Ethics, part of Nyenrode Business Universiteit.

 

Alonso Muñoz

Costa Rica

Alonso Muñoz is Instructor in the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace, where he coordinates the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development (RMSED). He holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica and a Msc. in Business Administration. He has worked in the private sector as a consultant and as an entrepreneur, and has volunteered on various national and international projects regarding peace education, migration, environmental impact of systems and Social Enterprises. His most recent work revolves around Circular Economy, a field that he feels passionate about, and for which he has high expectations. He is a novelist, a blogger, a peace advocate, an entrepreneur and passionate about social and environmental development.

Nika Salvetti

Italy

Former Coordinator of the RMSED Programme at the University for Peace, Costa Rica from 2009 to July 2011. She Owns a Msc in Post-war reconstruction, graduated with distinction in 1999, University of York (UK). Bsc in Economics, graduated Cum Laude, 1992, University La Sapienza of Rome (Italy). Technical Diploma in accounting and foreign Languages, graduated in 1986, (Italy).

She has been working since 18 years in developing countries and war-torn societies in Africa (Uganda and Egypt), Asia (Indonesia), Middle East (Jordan, WBG, Lebanon, Yemen), Central America (Guatemala, Costa Rica) and the Balkans (BiH, Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia) heading and managing emergency, rehabilitation and development projects for the European Commission (several years), SNV-Dutch Cooperation (1999-2001), CARE Nederland (2001-2008), MOVIMONDO (Consortium of Italian NGOs- 1995-1998).  She was also research fellow of the Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama (INCAP); University of York (UK) for research projects in Indonesia/Aceh and Lebanon/Beiruth; and of the University of Rome.  

Alonso Muñoz

Costa Rica

Alonso Muñoz is Instructor in the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace, where he coordinates the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development (RMSED). He holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica and a Msc. in Business Administration. He has worked in the private sector as a consultant and as an entrepreneur, and has volunteered on various national and international projects regarding peace education, migration, environmental impact of systems and Social Enterprises. His most recent work revolves around Circular Economy, a field that he feels passionate about, and for which he has high expectations. He is a novelist, a blogger, a peace advocate, an entrepreneur and passionate about social and environmental development.

Juan José Vasquez Pacheco

Costa Rica

 Juan José es mediador certificado por el Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica. Estudió Derecho y Psicología en la Universidad de Costa Rica, en donde laboró como Asistente Administrativo en Consultorios Jurídicos. Ha trabajado como Asistente del Secretario en la Corte Centroamericana de Justicia, en Managua, Nicaragua y ha prestado servicios como mediador en las Casas de Justicia que tiene el Ministerio de Justicia y Paz de Costa Rica a lo largo del país. Realizó su maestría en Resolución de Conflictos, Paz y Desarrollo en la Universidad para la Paz, en donde actualmente se desarrolla como Asesor Legal y como profesor en temas de resolución de conflictos, paz y mediación.

Juan Jose is a certified mediator by the Costa Rican Bar Association. He studied Law and Psychology at the University of Costa Rica, where he worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Legal Clinic. He has worked as an intern at the Central American Court of Justice, in Managua, Nicaragua and has served as a mediator in the Houses of Justice held by the Ministry of Justice and Peace of Costa Rica throughout the country. He completed his master's degree in Conflict Resolution, Peace and Development at the University for Peace, where he currently works as a Legal Advisor and as a professor on conflict resolution, peace, negotiation and mediation issues. He is deeply interested in peace, conflict and mediation.