Ana Perona-Fjeldstad has made significant contributions to the European Wergeland Centre (EWC). As the Executive Director of the Centre, she has been responsible for its strategic development as well as its day-to-day operations.
Her work at the Centre is aimed at promoting the values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in and through education. This is in line with the Centre’s main aim to strengthen the capacity of individuals, educational institutions, and educational systems to build and sustain a culture of democracy and human rights.
With a background in law and international relations, she has been working in Education for the last 30 years and participates in several expert groups addressing issues on education for democracy and human rights.
Under her leadership, the European Wergeland Centre has made significant achievements in different countries, particularly in the field of education for democracy and human rights. In 2022, the Wergeland Centre had 22 different projects in 22 countries, with 812 young people benefitted directly from their trainings and workshops.
This, and many other achievements, reflect Ana Perona-Fjeldstad and the European Wergeland Centre’s commitment to promoting the values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in and through education, beyond the borders of Norway.
Ana Perona-Fjeldstad is a lawyer (Córdoba State University, Argentina) with an additional MA in International Relations from the Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO). From 1994-2009 she worked at the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), a global NGO gathering Higher Education Institutions active in the field of open, online and distance learning, holding several positions up to Secretary General.
She was engaged in capacity building projects in Asia, Africa and Europe developed under the framework of UNESCO, The World Bank and EU programmes, mostly addressing issues of access to education, equality and teacher training.
Previously she was adviser at the Parliament in Argentina (1988-1992), working also as a researcher on the integration process between Argentina and Brazil at FLACSO-Buenos Aires.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
