Interview with 2022 Awardee VÍCTOR ALEJANDRO RIENOSO

In 2022, VÍCTOR ALEJANDRO RIENOSO was the first recipient of the JRV Prescott Scholarship Award which offers a Scholarship to an individual studying for a postgraduate qualification to attend an IBRU professional training workshop with their fees paid for and a bursary towards their travel costs.

We spoke to Alejandro about what receiving the scholarship and attending the IBRU workshop ‘Boundary Demarcation & Maintenance’ meant to him.

What do you currently do in your career and how does your work relate to international boundaries and border-related issues?

I am an active Peruvian diplomat in the Second Secretary category. My current position is Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Peru in Israel, a diplomatic mission to which I was appointed in 2018 and which I am about to complete. My first profession is Civil Engineering, a consideration that was valued to be appointed in the General Directorate of Sovereignty, Limits and Antarctic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru between 2016 and 2018 (before my coming to Israel). It was a very pleasant period in which, as soon as I started my life in the diplomatic service, I found myself leading the technical commissions for border demarcation, especially on the Peruvian-Colombian and Peruvian-Bolivian borders. We carried out all kinds of work, from measurements never done before, densification of the border line, repair of milestones and production of maps, as well as a hydrographic survey on the Amazon River which led to the production of navigational charts for the use of both states regarding the sovereignty issues of the islands in the river.

What Postgraduate course are you studying and how will this develop your career?

In Israel I had the opportunity to study an MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation (Tel Aviv University) and an MA in Smart Cities and Urban Informatics (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). I also have a postgraduate diploma in New Trends in the Digital World from the Diplomatic Academy of Peru and another in Space Technology from the Peruvian Space Agency in conjunction with the Superior School of War of the Peruvian Air Force. I am currently applying for an M Sc. in Geodesy and Geoinformatics in Berlin, Germany with which I consider completing my training in the field of Geomatics, in which I have been specialising since I finished University, including during my diplomatic work in border demarcation activities.

What made you apply for the Prescott Scholarship Award and how did you feel when you were awarded the Scholarship?

The field of border work is an exciting one and one of the basic elements that provide security and development for States. A clear and visible border allows both sides to interconnect optimally and to integrate socially and economically. Borders are the skin of countries and are the drawings that are made all the time when the shape of a state is drawn. During my work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I remember receiving an invitation to one of the IBRU workshops (not me, but my office), however I was not very clear about what it consisted of, and at that time I was in South America. Later, when I was in Israel and geographically closer, I investigated what it was about and the spectacular work they do in research and doctrine generation, very useful tools for the resolution of territorial conflicts in our still troubled world. When I found out about IBRU I was able to learn about the scholarship (from the website) and the benefits it offered. When I read the requirements, I felt that I fit the profile I was looking for and I decided to apply (being a postgraduate student of the MA Smart Cities and Urban Informatics). When I received the acceptance, I felt excited and satisfied for an achievement that I had not received for a long time, because in the constant day to day, as one advances in the profession and in the responsibilities, it is sometimes difficult to open spaces for academic and professional improvement.

How to you think the IBRU workshop 'Boundary Demarcation & Maintenance, the course paid for by the Scholarship' has helped you in both your studies and your future career?

I had the chance to see first-hand the working experiences of other borders and to become aware of the historical and geographical particularities they present. The topics discussed and presented were within the expectations I had, as I reviewed material from law, history, geography, geoinformatics and how these disciplines are articulated to be able to translate real solutions to issues of priority interest in the field and in cartography. I would like in the future to work in this field but in the United Nations, with international commissions that can find these peaceful solutions thanks to the use of technological tools and the experience of those who have been in the field.

How important was this Scholarship to you?

The importance of the scholarship, on a personal and economic level was a great help to be part of this network of participants who have had the opportunity to be trained, but also on a professional level as a sign of recognition of the work I have done and the potential as a young professional both for my current service and for the options I can envision in the future. Thank you very much IBRU and Durham University for the opportunity.