UNA-UK is honoured to be supported by renowned Patrons who act as ambassadors to the organisation. Their personal credibility, network and passion are crucial in ensuring that the UK plays a role in shaping a more effective UN.
Zeinab Badawi
Zeinab Badawi is a broadcast journalist and economist, who has worked in television and radio for over 25 years. She is currently the presenter of World News Today, one of the BBC World News’ flagship news and analysis programmes. In 2017, she transformed UNESCO’s General History of Africa into a nine-part series for the BBC, a systematic look from prehistory to the modern era of Africa’s history.
She has been awarded honorary doctorates by the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and also by the London College of Communications, University of the Arts London, for her services to international broadcasting. Zeinab was appointed the President of SOAS in 2021. Ms Badawi is founder and Chair of the Africa Medical Partnership Fund, and currently Chair of the Royal African Society. She is a Queen’s appointment to the Board of Historic Royal Palaces, a trustee of BBC Media Action and patron of the BBC World Service Trust.
Tessy Antony De Nassau
Tessy Antony De Nassau is a former officer in the Luxembourg army. In 2004, she was stationed in Kosovo after volunteering to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission. She was the only woman on her team and received the United Nations Medal of Recognition for her work on the mission. She then served at the Luxembourg Embassy in London in 2005 and later took up a post at the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the United Nations in Geneva.
After military service, Tessy attended the American International University in London where she received a BA in International Relations and later went on to obtain a Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy.
She has taken an active interest in charities and NGOs. She joined the Luxembourg Groupe de Support Psychologique (Psychological Support Group) and created her own NGO titled ‘Professors without Borders’.
She became the global advocate for young women and adolescent girls at UNAids, before being nominated as Associate Fellow for the Centre on Global Health Security at Chatham House.
Her work on spreading humanistic ideas globally has been widely recognised. In 2017, she was presented with the “Woman of the Decade Creating A Better World For All” award at the Women’s Economic Forum.
A previous adviser to UNA-UK, Tessy is also Director of UK security firm DS-48.
Read UNA-UK's interview with Princess Tessy
Lord Mark Malloch-Brown
Lord Malloch-Brown is the highest-ranking UK citizen to have served at the UN and has a high-level experience in public policy, politics, development co-operation and communications.
He served as Deputy UN Secretary-General and Chief of Staff under Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and previously held the position of Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP). During his tenure at UNDP, he led on the development of the Millennium Development Goals and oversaw a comprehensive reform effort that has been widely recognised as making the Programme more efficient across the 166 member countries where it operates.
Mark Malloch Brown later served as Minister of State in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, covering Africa and Asia, and member of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s cabinet. He was also Vice-President of external affairs at the World Bank.
Lord Malloch-Brown is on the board of a number of NGOs including the International Crisis Group, the Open Society Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the Centre for Global Development. He is a former chair of the Royal Africa Society. He is also involved in local business development in Africa serving on the boards of a number of start-ups and investment funds.
Mark Malloch Brown has written about development and international issues over many years, most notably in The Unfinished Global Revolution, where he calls for action to accelerate international development and global governance.
He is a member of the House of Lords and was knighted in 2007 for his contribution to international affairs.
