

Research/Areas of Interest:
Negotiation and mediation in identity-based conflicts; Evaluation of peacebuilding effectiveness; Corruption and effective anti-corruption strategies in fragile and conflict-affected states; Impacts of development, humanitarian assistance on conflict and peace dynamics; Roles and impacts of the private sector on peace and conflict
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School
- MALD, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
- B.A., Yale University
Biography
Diana Chigas is Professor of the Practice of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at The Fletcher School and also services as Senior International Officer and Associate Provost at Tufts University. As Senior International Officer, she is responsible for leading the development and realization of university-wide global strategy.
Prior to joining the Provost’s office, Diana was also director of the Reflecting on Peace Practice program and co-director of collaborative learning at CDA, a non-governmental organization dedicated to working with development, humanitarian and peacebuilding practitioners and the private sector globally to improve the effectiveness of international assistance in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. At CDA, Diana focused on systemic approaches to conflict analysis and planning, reflection and evaluation to improve the impact of peace programming. Diana was a contributor to the 2012 OECD DAC guidelines on evaluation of conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and to guidance for the UK on evaluation of peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity.
Diana has over 30 years of experience as a facilitator and consultant in negotiation and conflict resolution. Her work has included development of strategies, training and advice on preventive diplomacy in the OSCE, training for the United Nations and several regional organizations, “track two” dialogue in El Salvador, in South Africa, Ecuador and Peru and in the Georgia/South Ossetia peace process, and facilitation of inter-ethnic dialogue in Cyprus.
Diana currently co-directs the Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy (CJL) Program at Fletcher’s Leir Institute, a research-to-practice initiative that aims to improve the effectiveness of anti-corruption programming in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Her current research focuses on social norms and corruption, and the intersection of peacebuilding and corruption.
Visit the Corruption in Fragile States Blog
Areas of expertise
Humanitarian Affairs
Negotiations & Conflict Resolution
Professional Activities
- Trustee, Berghof Foundation (Berlin)
- Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School
- Alliance for Peacebuilding
Other Affiliations
- Institute for Human Security
- International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- Office of the Provost
Courses taught
Selected Publications and Presentations
ARTICLES
Understanding Social Norms: A reference guide for policy and practice With C. Scharbatke-Church. Leir Institute, Fletcher School (2019).
Chigas, Diana. "Unofficial Interventions with Official Actors: Parallel Negotiation Training in Violent Intrastate Conflicts." International Negotiation 2, no. 3 (1997): 409-436.
BOOKS
“Using Systems Thinking to Understand and Address Corruption in the Criminal Justice System in Fragile States, with C. Scharbatke-Church, in Seabrook, J. (Ed.) Corruption, Social Sciences and the Law: Explorations across the Disciplines. London: Routledge (2019).
"Adding Up to Peace: The Cumulative Impacts of Peace Initiatives," with P. Woodrow. Cambridge, MA: CDA Collaborative Learning Projects (2018).
"Negotiating Public Health in a Globalized World: Global Health Diplomacy in Action," with D. Fairman, E. McClintock & N. Drager. Springer Briefs in Public Health. Dordrecht: Springer (2012).
"What Difference Has Peacebuilding Made? A Study of Peacebuilding and the March ’04 Riots in Kosovo," Prishtine/Pristina, Kosovo: CARE and CDA (2006).
BOOK CHAPTERS
"The Harvard Study Group on Cyprus: Contributions to an Unfulfilled Peace Process." In Lund, M. (Ed.) Across the Lines of Conflict: Facilitating Cooperation to Build Peace. New York: Woodrow Wilson Center International Center for Scholars and Columbia University Press (2015).
"Systems Thinking in Peacebuilding Evaluations: Applications in Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Kosovo," with Peter Woodrow, in Andersen, O., Bull, B. & Kennedy-Chouane, M. (Eds.) Evaluation Methodologies for Aid in Conflict. London: Routledge Press (2014).
"The Role and Effectiveness of Non-Governmental Third Parties in Peacebuilding," in Fritz, J. (Ed.) Moving Toward a Just Peace: The Mediation Continuum. Dordrecht: Springer (2014).
"Connecting the Dots: Evaluating Whether and How Programmes Address Conflict Systems," with Peter Woodrow, in Ropers, N. et al. (Eds). The Non-Linearity of Peace Processes: Theory and Practice of Systemic Conflict Transformation. Opladen/Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich Verlag (2011).
Chigas, Diana. "La Diplomacia Preventiva y la OSCE." In Negociacion 2000: La Coleccion de Conflict Management, ed. Danny Ertel, McGraw Hill, 1996.