JAMES KEARNEY
Peace and Security Programme Coordinator

UNA-UK is delighted to announce the appointment of James Kearney as UNA-UK’s new Peace and Security Programme Coordinator. A key focus of this role is to lead our 'Towards Zero' project on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

James has a breadth of experience in the peace and security area, having worked for the Africa Educational Trust in London, Nairobi and Rumbek, southern Sudan; for John Grogan MP as a parliamentary researcher; and in the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict for nearly two years. During his time at the UN he wrote the first report on the feasibility of forming a ‘watchlist for children and armed conflict’, which has now been established. Prior to this, he was a volunteer teacher in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

After studying history at Oxford, James attained a Masters degree in international relations from Cambridge University, where he also worked as a university tutor. He will shortly submit his PhD thesis to Edinburgh University. His M.Phil. dissertation focussed on how best to engage with non-NPT states in the area of nuclear-weapon compliance, and his doctoral studies examined camps in Rwanda as a case study in forging collective identity in post-ethnic-conflict environments. James is currently writing a report for the World Bank on the conclusions of his Rwanda research.

Hailing from Northern Ireland, James is also no stranger to UNA-UK, having been involved with UNA Edinburgh branch’s Middle East Working Group.