UNA-UK is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Martin to the position of Chair of the UNA-UK Board.
On his appointment, Ian Martin said:
“Our United Nations is facing immense challenges - in the purposes for which it was founded, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to promote human rights and international law - and in new areas from climate change to global AI governance. I look forward to working with the excellent UNA-UK team to encourage our government to make its best contribution to the UN in a changing world.”
With a career of distinguished work in the fields of human rights, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, including in a number of senior UN positions, Ian Martin brings a wealth of expertise and leadership skills to UNA-UK.
Educated at the University of Cambridge and Harvard, Martin began his career working in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for the Ford Foundation, an experience which led him to be appointed as Head of the Asia Region in the Research Department of Amnesty International in 1985. From 1986 to 1992, Martin was secretary-general of Amnesty International, during which the organisation became a key voice in persuading governments of the case for creating the new post of High Commissioner for Human Rights, which was established in 1993.
Following his work at Amnesty International, Martin held several senior human rights positions in UN missions, including Haiti (1993) and Rwanda (1995-1996), where he contributed to developing the practice of human rights monitoring in conflict and post-conflict settings. In 1999, Martin served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the East Timor Popular Consultation, where he played a crucial part in the country's transition to independence. In 2001 he published the book "Self-Determination in East Timor: The United Nations, the Ballot and International Intervention".
Martin has also led UN missions as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Nepal (2007-2009) and Libya (2011-2012). His other roles have included Head of the Headquarters Board of Inquiry into certain incidents in the Gaza Strip (2009), member of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (2015) and Executive Director of the Security Council Report (2015-2018). For his distinguished service to the UN, Martin was awarded the Sir Brian Urquhart Award in 2013.
