Berlin, January 13, 2026 – Since January 1, 2026, Marieke Behrens from the Andreas Steinberger-Ficiciyan, who left the AHA at the end of 2025 due to a career change. In 2025, the association entered into a strategic partnership with the AHA to intensify dialogue on agriculture and peace in Europe and, in particular, to get young people excited about these important issues.
Marieke Behrens works as International Program Manager at AHA, where she is particularly responsible for the East Africa division. She studied ethnology and political science and focused intensively on holistic sustainability concepts as part of her master’s degree. Her interdisciplinary career has been complemented by several stays abroad in South America and East Africa, as well as practical experience with international non-governmental organizations. Marieke Behrens brings with her a keen interest in the historical and current interrelationships of international relations, as well as in the history of the formation of states, particularly in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
Club chairman Anton Blöth wished the new managing director every success and good luck in managing and developing the FriedensBrot project. The association and board are looking forward to working with the new managing director, who will also be supported in her new role by Anna Schöttmer from AHA, who was also warmly welcomed to the association at the most recent board meeting.
Association chairman Blöth also thanked Dr. Anoush Steinberger-Ficiciyan for her short but successful and sustained commitment to the Peace Bread idea and its further development. She had already supported the association at the anniversary conference of the International Network “Peace and Agriculture” in Berlin in the fall of 2024. At the beginning of 2025, she took over from Dr. Gibfried Schenk as the association’s new full-time managing director, a position newly created through the cooperation with the AHA. Above all, the successful organization of the first youth-focused Sourdough Camp as part of the 11th International Peace Bread Conference in Hungary in 2025 bears her mark.