Cristina Petcu

Cristina Petcu is a Research Associate with the Just Security 2020 program at the Stimson Center. She is a native of Romania and received a Master of Arts in International Affairs with concentrations in conflict & security and development from The New School. Cristina also studied at the University of Barcelona on an Erasmus scholarship and holds a B.A. in Philosophy and European Studies from the University of Bucharest. Prior to joining Stimson, she served in various roles at the United Nations, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Guatemala, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (Office for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions) at UN Headquarters, and UN Habitat (Youth and Livelihoods Unit). Her work and research interests focus on global governance reform, strengthening civil society’s role in global governance, the management of armed groups (i.e. Disarmament Demobilizations and Reintegration), and advancing the UN’s youth, peace, and security agenda, among other global policy issues. Cristina is an alumna of AIESEC and One Young World, and currently co-chairs the UN2020 coalition’s Advocacy Working Group. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Romanian, and has an intermediate knowledge of French.