Before joining swisspeace in February 2008, Marcel von Arx was Conflict and Governance Adviser in the SDC Cooperation Office in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the main strategic and operational priority consisted of making the development cooperation program conflict sensitive. He often collaborated with the UN system, donors as well as local and international NGOs on human rights, decentrali- zation, constitution making and the role of civil society in Peacebuilding.
From 2001 to 2003, Marcel von Arx was accompanying spouse in Quito, Ecuador, where he supported the local human rights organization Comisión Ecuméncia de Derechos Humanos (CEDHU), and where he wrote a book entitled 'Ein Ehemann in Quito - Der Esposo'.
Between 1992 and 1994, he was ICRC delegate in Peru, the Balkans and Somalia.
Marcel von Arx obtained his law degree from the University of Geneva (1992) and later trained as lawyer and notary. He was admitted to the bar in Solothurn in 1999.
As spouse and father of two children, he is 50% part-time employed a the Centre for Peacebuilding, where he works for Dealing with the Past and Reconciliation, Conflict Sensitivity and Analysis and where he is responsible for the Nepal program. In addition, in 2010 he evaluated a network of local peacebuilding organizations in Rwanda.