As Mercator Fellow, Jonas Freist-Held examines the potential of cities as change makers in tackling societal and global conflicts and challenges. He gained professional experience in development cooperation, amongst others working for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and as youth advisor to UN-Habitat, as well as in political campaigning and advocacy. Jonas Freist-Held holds a MA in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris, a MA in International Relations from the Free University Berlin and a BA in Political Science from the Free University Berlin including a year abroad at the University of California, Berkeley.