Opening Ceremony Speakers

GrunnMUN 2023 Opening Ceremony Speakers

At our opening ceremonies, we aim to provide our participants with speakers who can provide our delegates with an insight into the theme of the conference, contemporary issues and the importance of the negotiations and diplomacy in international relations and law. 

Koen Schuiling 

Koen Schuiling is the Mayor of Groningen since 2019. He is an alumnus of the University of Groningen, graduating from the Faculty of Law in 1984, and has since held a number of positions in both the private and public sector, with a predominant focus on public administration, legal affairs and management such as an Aldermaan at the Municipality of Groningen, Mayor of Den Helder and Partner positions at private firms. Besides this, he holds secondary positions as the Regional Mayor of the North Netherlands police Region and the Chair of Public Safety for the Groningen Region. We look forward to hearing him speak at our opening ceremony at GrunnMUN 2023!

Caecilia Johanna van Peski

Caecilia Johanna van Peski (1970) holds an MSc Degree in Educational and Cultural Psychology (Tilburg University) and an MA Degree in Civil-Military Interaction from the Helmut-Schmidt- University, University of the German Bundeswehr, in Hamburg. Based on her work for the EU in Georgia and the OSCE in Ukraine’s Donbass, Caecilia van Peski has amassed extensive experience and expertise in cross-border issues, including Borderization. In recent years, she completed a Postgraduate Degree in Integrated Border Management at the OSCE Border Management College in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Caecilia van Peski is a Commander in the Royal Netherlands Navy, a military veteran (NATO Resolute Support Mission Afghanistan, 2020-2021) and an authority in the field of Security & Defence, Civil-Military Cooperation, Democratization and Elections and Rule of Law & Equality. She previously worked for (inter)governmental, national and multilateral organizations including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations (DPKO, UNDP), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EEAS), the European Commission (EIDHR), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) and DCAF-ISSAT Geneva. As of the 1 st of January, 2022, Caecilia van Peski is appointed Chairperson of the DEU/NLD MILITARY MOBILITY OFFICE located at the Wilhelmsburg Barracks in Ulm, Southern Germany. We look forward to hearing her speak at GrunnMUN 2023!

Photography: Dolph CANTRIJN (July 2021)