PDI Staff

Staff

Email: abunimer@american.edu
Telephone: (202) 885-1656

Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Professor at the American University's School of
International Service in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, is the faculty director

Email: saji@american.edu
Telephone: (202) 885-2014

Lakshitha Saji Prelis serves as the Associate Director of the Institute. He is currently involved in several peacebuilding, conflict resolution and coexistence initiatives both in the United States and abroad.

of the Peacebuilding & Development Institute. He is also Co-founder and Executive Director of the Salam Institute.

As a recognized expert on conflict resolution, dialogue, peacebuilding and development, Dr. Abu-Nimer has worked for over a decade on Arab-Israeli dialogue and peacebuilding efforts, the application of conflict resolution models in Muslim communities; inter-religious conflict resolution training; interfaith dialogue; and evaluation of conflict resolution programs. As a practitioner, he has been intervening and conducting over a hundred training workshops and courses all over the world on themes of conflict resolution; community development, peacebuilding, reconciliation and development, training for trainers; interfaith and interethnic dialogue; culture, religion, intercultural training; conflict resolution and human rights in relief and development projects, and problem-solving workshops in such conflict zones as Sri Lanka, Mindanao- Philippines, Palestine, Israel, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, and Guatemala, as well as other areas including Egypt and the United States.

Dr Abu-Nimer has published extensively on these subjects, from edited books to articles in established and refereed peace and conflict resolution journals. Dr. Abu-Nimer is also the co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development. He has appeared on numerous television news programs, radio shows, and has been interviewed for newspaper articles on topics as diverse as U.S. Foreign Policy in Iraq to Islamic perspectives on peace, social justice and violence. These interviews have appeared on Al Arabia, Washington Post, MBC, World T.V. News Show, NPR, BBC World News, Arabic Radio (Israel), Christian Science Monitor, Al Itihad, and Voice of America.

Mr. Prelis has over 15 years experience working with youth in various conflict affected environments. Some of the experiences include addressing alternatives to gang life in Los Angeles, working with street children from Northern Uganda, and enhancing youth capacities in Nepal to programming for marginalized and conflict affected youth in Sri Lanka, assessing Thai-Burma border issues for youth, training in youth leadership in the Republic of Georgia and Abkhazia, and strengthening youth-led organizational capacity in Cambodia. He has over seven years of experience in designing conflict sensitive training programs (in the US ) and country programs and projects (in Sri Lanka , Nepal , Thai-Burma Border, Georgia-Abkhazia, and Cambodia ). He has over 18 years of combined developing country experience from countries like Sri Lanka , Nigeria , Philippines , and Nepal . Mr. Prelis has dedicated his academic and professional career to strengthening youth capacities for peace, and providing technical expertise in inter-generational peacebuilding and conflict-sensitive development practice in conflict and disaster-affected settings. His more than seven years of experience at American University have resulted in the development of curriculum programs in conflict and post-conflict areas targeting human rights, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Outside of his work at the university, Mr. Prelis has served as an advisor to governments and governmental agencies from countries such as Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Uganda, developing training programs, drafting policy frameworks, and designing community participation programs. He also has over 10 years experience working with donor and non-profit organizations—including with UNICEF and USAID—to focus on coordination, beneficiary accountability, conflict sensitive humanitarian practice, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Mr. Prelis obtained his Mater's Degree in International Peace & Conflict Resolution with a Concentration in International Law from the School of International Service at American University.

Saji also serves as the Executive Director for the Center for Peace Building International.