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 have focused on the role of international organizations in supporting regional, national, and local efforts to prevent and combat cybercrime and internet crimes against children; to prevent crime and violence against women and girls; to prevent violent extremism; to strengthen security institutions by promoting disarmament, demobilization and reintegration; and to advance the UN’s new youth, peace, and security agenda, among other global policy issues.  Cristina has also conducted monitoring and evaluation for the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum at the Social Science Research Council (New York) and Wide Horizons for Children (New York), and she served as a Council of Europe human rights fellow working on combating online hate speech. She is a strong advocate for youth participation in global governance and has previously worked with national and international youth organizations, such as AIESEC. Cristina is an ambassador of One Young World, a global network of thousands of young leaders in 196 countries committed to action on issues ranging from education, global business, and health to human rights, sustainable development, and transparency. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Romanian, and has an intermediate knowledge of French.