A teacher and journalist by training, over the last 25 years Mark Salter has worked in a wide range of professional settings including international NGOs, research institutes and inter-governmental organizations. His work has focused on issues of democracy, conflict, reconciliation and diversity management. From 2000 to 2010 he was a senior staff member of International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization supporting democratic consolidation around the world. Since then he has been an independent consultant focusing on the same areas of professional concern, with a particular focus on South Asia. Most recently he is author of 'To End A Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement in Sri Lanka.'