1. What does CMI do?
CMI's strategy focuses on building sustainable peace and resolving conflicts. CMI contributes to conflict resolution through mediation, facilitating confidence-building dialogue and strengthening local capacities to implement peace. We also have the capacity to support international peace missions as requested.
2. When was CMI founded?
CMI was founded in 2000. The starting point when founding the association was that the international community needed an actor which was independent from governments; one which could, for its part, assist in mitigating international crises and in strengthening the international community’s operational capacity.
3. What is the relationship between CMI and the Office of President Ahtisaari?
President Ahtisaari is CMI’s founding member and currently acts as the chairperson of CMI’s board. President Ahtisaari’s office is located in CMI’s premises and CMI offers expert assistance to its chairperson in his activities. In matters concerning President Ahtisaari, please contact Personal Assistant Tuula Tanskanen (tuula.tanskanen(a)cmi.fi).
4. Is CMI an association, a company or a foundation?
CMI is a Finnish organisation of citizens – a registered association – although its functions focus on the international community. CMI’s membership consists of private persons, who share an interest in security and development politics and who want to support the international community’s organisational capacity through CMI. The members direct CMI’s activities. CMI is a non-profit making organisation and does not carry out a business.
5. Who are CMI’s partners?
CMI cooperates with governments, international organisations, NGOs, research institutes and companies that want to promote sustainable security.
6. Who funds CMI’s activities?
CMI is a project organisation. Most of its funding comes from governments, but European and American foundations, organisations, companies and private donors also fund CMI’s projects.
7. How are CMI’s projects created?
Projects are started in many ways. Sometimes new projects continue previous ones and advance their results. Some the projects are created in CMI after analysing needs in the fields of, for example, crisis management and development cooperation, while others are started at the instigation or request of outside actors.
8. How does CMI choose the projects that it wants to become involved with?
Central criteria for all the projects that CMI gets involved with are that they are in line with CMI’s mission statement and objectives, and that they produce concrete added value for the beneficiaries. CMI’s board decides on the organisation’s annual work plan and the priorities of work.
9. What is the work division between the Helsinki and Brussels offices?
CMI’s head office is in Helsinki, where most of the organisation's administration is located. Both offices carry out programmatic activities. One of the Brussels office’s essential tasks is to take care of CMI’s European relationships and cooperation with the European Union and several Brussels-located operators that work in the same area as CMI.
10. How can one become a member of CMI?
The bylaws state that prospective members of the association require the recommendation of two members of the association. CMI’s Board of Directors approves new members. The members include security and development policy professionals, people interested in CMI’s field of work, researchers and decision makers.
11. What role do CMI’s members play?
CMI's aim is that the expertise and know-how of its members could be utilized in developing the organisation’s own work. The members can, for their part, receive up-to-date and analytical information on CMI’s function and on the political questions that CMI works with.
12. Can one visit CMI?
Student groups or members of other organisations can visit CMI if agreed upon in advance.
13. Does CMI offer work or internships?
CMI’s personnel needs vary according to ongoing projects. CMI will only offer internships to persons having access to an internship allowance/grant. Work and internship positions are announced in the Vacancies section of CMI’s web pages.
You can also send an open application/CV to applications(a)cmi.fi. CMI staff does not have the possibility to answer open enquiries related to recruiting.
