CITpax - The Toledo International Centre for Peace

The Toledo International Centre for Peace (CITpax) is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to contribute to conflict prevention/resolution and peacebuilding. CITpax assumes that the search for lasting peace involves the implementation of activities for social transformation, development and institutional strengthening. Beyond the activities of a traditional think tank, which are mainly related to diagnosis and research, CITpax’s work is action-orientated: it seeks to change the reality of conflicts in the pursuit and attainment of peace.

Therefore CITpax –as an "action tan/do/tank"-  seeks to find solutions to national or international conflicts through mediation, facilitation and the development of bridging proposals. It uses second track diplomacy – track II-  which involves civil society actors with a capacity to influence decision makers.

Its main areas of activity are the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Latin America, with a permanent office in Colombia. It has also been involved in the South Caucasus region and has extensive experience in supporting the UN Western Sahara process.

CITpax has worked closely with the OSCE, specifically in the following projects:

The Moroccan-Spanish Initiative on Mediation in the Mediterranean: CITpax organised together with the Spanish MFA the first conference in Madrid (2013) and participated actively in the organisation of the following two conferences in Rabat (2013) and in Brdo, Slovenia (2014).

CITpax has organised four training workshops on Mediation and Conflict Resolution from a Gender Perspective, addressed to women from Mediterranean civil society with ability to enter into dialogue with decision-makers. These workshops were held in Rabat, Barcelona, Toledo and Madrid (2014-2017). The OSCE has been involved in these workshops by contributing in the definition of the objectives of the workshop, the content of the program and by providing trainers and training materials.

Retreat for the Mediterranean Contact Group in Madrid (2016): an expert workshop on Track II dialogue, titled “Dialogue in Search for Social Cohesion”. The expert workshop and the related discussions during the MCG Retreat were conceptualized and facilitated by the OSCE Mediation Support Team, together with the Herbert C. Kelman Institute and the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution and with co-facilitation by the CITpax. It was hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Contact:
Centro Internacional de Toledo para la Paz (CITpax)
C/ Fuenterrabía 2, Real Fábrica de Tapices.
28014-Madrid (España)
www.toledopax.org/en

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Ambassador Emilio Cassinello is a Law graduate from both the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He holds a Master in Laws from Harvard Law School.

He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a career diplomat served in numerous functions: Deputy-Director for Africa, Director-General for International Organizations and Conferences, Director-General for Latin-American Affairs and Director of Planning Staff. He has had a number of Embassy postings, including Chargé d'Affaires in Addis Abeba and Dar es Salaam, Cultural Attaché in Mexico, Spanish Ambassador in Angola and Mexico; Consul General in New York and Ambassador at large for North American Affairs.

From 1985 to 1992, was President of the Board of the EXPO'92, S.A. and Commissioner General of the Universal Exposition of Seville, 1992.

Vice-president of the Euroamérica Foundation (Madrid); Founding Member and First Secretary General of the US-Spain Council; Member of the Scientific Council of the Real Instituto Elcano (Madrid); Honorary Fellow at the Foreign Policy Association in New York; Member of the Advisory Council of Casa Árabe (Madrid); member of the Advisory Council the European Institute of Peace (Brussels). Trustee of the Picasso Museum Foundation in Malaga and El Barrio Museum of New York.