Matthias Ries is a trained mediator and holds a PhD in political science from the University of Heidelberg on the Middle East conflict. Since his school days, he has been involved in various civil society organisations, primarily in the context of peace and encounter work. As a specialist in the Civil Peace Service (ZFD), he was entrusted with setting up the Willy Brandt Centre in Jerusalem until 2004. Then he coordinated GIZ’s ZFD programme until 2015, after which he was, among other things, GIZ’s portfolio manager in Afghanistan and responsible for the sector projects “Cultural and Creative Industries” and “Religion and Development”. He has been managing FriEnt since March 2023.