Celebrating Jo Berry as Plan for Peace’s Head of Peacebuilding
After a successful year supporting our Changemakers in Turbulent Times programme, we are delighted to share that Jo Berry will be guiding Plan for Peace forward as our new Head of Peacebuilding. Jo is a globally renowned speaker and facilitator with an impressive track record of facilitating transformative dialogue and bringing communities together around the world.
About Jo Berry:
Jo Berry is a unique figure within the peacebuilding community – and one that we are proud to have on our team.
Jo’s devotion to promoting understanding and reconciliation began with her own life. In 1984, she lost her father, Sir Anthony Berry, in the Brighton bombing. In 2000, she met with Pat Magee, a former IRA activist responsible for her father’s death, and thus they began a journey of understanding together to explore the impact of violence on both their lives. Since then, Jo and Pat have shared their story of understanding and empathy in many countries and across the UK as they navigate their own path of healing.
Starting at Plan for Peace as the Changemakers in Turbulent’s Times Community Lead, Jo brings years of expertise to her role as well as our organisation. She and Pat Magee recently led an inspiring evening in Kosovo, filmed and broadcast by a leading local TV channel. Jo also facilitated a rich workshop with Kosovar peacebuilders and experts in conflict transformation. You can get a taster of the workshop by watching our video here and see Jo and Pat in action by clicking here.
Jo is also the founder of her own charity, Building Bridges for Peace, and an executive committee member of Uniting For Peace. She is on the Board of the Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace, a founder member of Survivors Against Terror, and now Plan for Peace’s Head of Peacebuilding.
As Plan for Peace focuses on supporting sustainable Infrastructures for Peace, Jo Berry’s wealth of experience brings a unique and invaluable perspective to the organisation. Her inclusive approach to peacebuilding, rooted in understanding and empathy, resonates deeply with our commitment to supporting sustainable and inclusive frameworks for peace.
Welcoming Jo Berry as Head of Peacebuilding:
Plan for Peace’s CEO, Dr Madeleine Mosse, shares her excitement on welcoming Jo to the role with these words: “Jo Berry is a giant in the peacebuilding world, and to have her heading up our strategic peacebuilding interventions around the world is a privilege.
Jo brings to our team her extraordinary journey through conflict and loss and inspires so many people experiencing conflict around the world. We learn from her every day and value her warmth, love, insights, vision, boundless empathy and grit more than she knows.”
Congratulations on your new role, Jo! We can’t wait to see what 2024 brings for us.
