Etienne De Jonghe was the secretary-general of Pax Christi International for almost 30 years (1978-2007) and currently serves his second term as board member of the IPB. He has engaged in bridgebuilding with various faith communities, including the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church.
De Jonghe also worked on human rights and conflict resolution in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
During his time at Pax Christi – a global network of more than 100 member organizations that deal with conflict transformation, reconciliation, and peace – he was involved with and co-organized campaigns and fact-finding missions. Over the years, de Jonghe has substantially contributed to the development of a global network and a set of strategies for advocacy on both national and international scales.
Under his leadership, Pax Christi International was granted the United Nations status of “Messenger for Peace” (1987) and the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education (1983).
De Jonghe is the founder and developer of the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), an Antwerp-based pluralistic research centre on peace. He has researched and published extensively on peace issues and co-authors the book Roergangers in de mist (“Helmsmen
in the fog”), which analyses the decision-making crisis around Belgian socio-political conflicts.
Etienne De Jonghe is also Board Member and Treasurer of the European Network of Religion and Belief (ENORB) and Council Member of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL).