Dr. VESNA PESIC, President
President of the Center of Peace and Democracy Development/CPDD
(Formerly, Center for Antiwar Action/CAA)
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. Sociology, Law Faculty, University of Belgrade, 1977
M.A., Sociology, Law Faculty, University of Belgrade, 1971
B.A., Sociology, Philosophy Faculty, University of Belgrade, 1965
1968-1969 Fulbright Scholar, Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia
University, N.Y., New York
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
2001-2005: Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro to Mexico
1991 to 2001: Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and
Social Theory, University of Belgrade.
1978-1991: Professor of Sociology, School of Social Work, Belgrade
1972-1978: Senior Researcher, Institute for Social Policy, Belgrade
PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVITIES:
2005 – to present: President of the Board, Center for Antiwar Action
(CAA)
1991 - to present: Member of Executive Board, CAA
1991 – 1998: Executive Director, CAA
1991: Executive Board and Founding Member, European Movement, Yugoslavia
1990: Independent Commission on Human Rights in Kosovo
1985: Founding Member of the Yugoslav Helsinki Committee
1982-83: Underground University, Belgrade
1980: Founding Member, Association for the Abolition of the Death
Penalty
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES:
1992 – present: Executive Board, Civic Alliance of Serbia
1992 – 1999: President, Civic Alliance of Serbia
1998 – 1999: Founding member and a leader of the Alliance for Change
1996-1997: One of the three leaders of the Coalition ZAJEDNO (Together)
1993-1997: Member in the Serbian Parliament
1992: President, Reform Party
1990-1992: Presidency, Reform Party of Serbia
1989-1991: Executive Board, Association for a Yugoslav Democratic
Initiative
SELECTED AWARDS:
2001: Theodor-Haecker Prize for “Courage and Sincerity,” (Esslingen,
Germany)
1997: Nominee, Nobel Peace Prize (with two other activists from the ex
Yugoslavia)
1997: Sakharov Freedom Prize, The Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the
Sakharov Freedom Fund
1997: W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award, National Democratic
Institute, Washington, D.C.
1994: Fellowship, Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace, US
Institute of Peace, Washington, D.C.
1993: Democracy Award, National Endowment for Democracy, Washington,
D.C.
GRANTS AND PROJECTS:
1992 – 1998: Designed and directed many of the CAA grants and projects
(see: www.caa.org.yu)
For SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS see: www.caa.org.yu