STAFF

Colin Keating, Executive Director
Joanna Weschler, Director of Research
Robert Afriyie, Research Analyst
Anne-Gaëlle Claude, Research Analyst
Fernanda Rafaela Fernandes, Research Analyst
Shamala Kandiah, Research Analyst
Evelyn Leopold, Research Consultant
Amanda Roberts, Programme Coordinator
Paul Romita, Programme Consultant
Brian Lockstone, Communications Consultant
Robbin VanNewkirk, Administrative Assistant

Contact Information

Colin Keating is the founding Executive Director of Security Council Report. He was formerly a New Zealand diplomat. He served as Legal Adviser of the Foreign Ministry and also as Deputy Secretary of the Ministry responsible for management. He was the New Zealand Ambassador to the UN between 1993 and 1996 and served on the Security Council in 1993 and 1994. He was Council president during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and led the Council Mission to Somalia and chaired the Council Committee on Sanctions against Iraq.  Subsequently, he was appointed as the Secretary of Justice of New Zealand.  From 2000-2004 he worked in the private sector as a partner in legal practice. top

Joanna Weschler joined Security Council Report in 2005 as its Director of Research where she is responsible for supervising the production of high-quality and timely material published by the organisation.  From 1994 until 2005 Ms. Weschler was the UN Representative for Human Rights Watch. She also regularly represented Human Rights Watch at the UN Human Rights Commission. She has conducted human rights investigations in countries on five continents and written numerous reports and articles on human rights. A native of Poland, she was previously a reporter for the Solidarity Union press agency, in charge of covering most meetings between Union President Lech Walesa and the communist government, and meetings of the executive leadership of the union. Ms. Weschler holds a master's degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Warsaw and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. She speaks English, Polish and Spanish. top

Robert Afriyie joined Security Council Report in June 2007 as a Research Analyst. Mr. Afriyie is responsible for African issues, the Great Lakes as well as west Africa and Ethiopia/Eritrea. In addition, he is responsible for covering the Peacebuilding Commission and cooperation with regional organisations. Before joining Security Council Report, Mr. Afriyie was the Security Council Political Coordinator for Ghana's Mission to the UN and has worked in various positions for Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1999.  Mr. Afriyie holds an MA in International Affairs from the University of Ghana and he is currently a PhD candidate with Sofia University in Bulgaria specialising in Peace Studies and Conflict Management.  He speaks English, Twi and Ga, and has a working knowledge of French and Hebrew. top

Anne-Gaëlle Claude joined Security Council Report in August 2005 as a Research Analyst. In this role she is responsible for writing reports on issues covered by the Security Council focusing particularly on Middle Eastern issues in addition to Haiti, Cyprus, Western Sahara, and women peace and security. Previously, Ms. Claude worked in the field of policy, human rights and development in various UN agencies (UNDP, UNESCO, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia), NGOs and French embassies in the US, Asia and the Middle East. She also interned at the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General. Ms. Claude has a degree from the Political Science Institute of Strasbourg, France, a Master in International Public Law from the University of Paris-Pantheon Sorbonne, and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a special emphasis on Middle East and security issues. She speaks French, English and has a working knowledge of Arabic. top

Fernanda Rafaela Fernandes joined Security Council Report in August 2005 as a Research Analyst. Ms. Fernandes is responsible for African issues, in particular Sudan, Chad, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. In addition, she is responsible for covering Timor-Leste, general issues in peacekeeping, and protection of civilians in armed conflict. Before joining Security Council Report, Ms. Fernandes worked as a legal officer for the UN Mission of Support in East Timor. Her previous work experience also includes research and analysis on international trade negotiations and private law practice in Brazil. Ms. Fernandes holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, having specialised in African politics and peacekeeping operations. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sao Paulo (where she received an award for best dissertation from the International Law Department in 2001) and a Bachelor of International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo.  She received various teaching assistantship awards during her academic career and was a visiting student at the London School of Economics in 2001/2. She speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish and has a working knowledge of French. top

Shamala Kandiah joined Security Council Report in May 2007 as a Research Analyst after a year of consulting for the organisation.  She is responsible for writing reports on issues covered by the Security Council particularly focusing on Asian issues (such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Nepal and Myanmar), European issues (such as Kosovo and Georgia).  In addition she covers children and armed conflict and the ICTY and ICTR. Ms. Kandiah has fifteen years of experience in media and public policy making. In 2001 Ms. Kandiah set up a communications consulting company based in Singapore marketing, developing and executing communications training programmes. Prior to this she worked with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta covering ASEAN and UN issues. She began her career as television reporter in Singapore and has worked as a foreign correspondent in New York. Ms. Kandiah holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the National University of Singapore and a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She speaks English, Malay and Indonesian. top

Evelyn Leopold, a freelance journalist, is a consultant for Security Council Report and contributes reports on various subjects each month.  A foreign correspondent, editor and news executive for Reuters for more than 25 years, Ms. Leopold has reported political, economic and social news from Europe and Africa as well as from the United Nations. From 1990-2007 she was the bureau chief for Reuters at the United Nations.  She has reported from Germany and Britain, was head of Reuters African bureaux, based in Nairobi, and was General News Editor for Reuters in North America.  Ms. Leopold heads the Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists, run by the UN press corps. She is also co-author of a 1974 book on the former East Germany while on an Alicia Patterson fellowship. Ms. Leopold is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Overseas Press Club. top

Amanda Roberts joined Security Council Report in August 2005 as its Programme Coordinator.  In this role she works on all aspects of the organisation with a particular responsibility for production and quality control of all of the organisation's publications. She also serves as the main point of contact for the organisation's outreach activities, donors, Board of Directors, and International Advisory Group. Before joining Security Council Report, Ms. Roberts gained nine years of non-profit management experience from positions at Columbia University and the World Policy Institute.  Previously, she worked in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as an educator and a human rights advocate. Ms. Roberts holds a BA from Hampshire College and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a concentration in human rights and Middle Eastern history.  She also received an Advanced Certificate from the Middle East Institute at Columbia University. She speaks English and Arabic. top

Paul Romita joined Security Council Report in October 2007 as a full-time Programme Consultant after finishing a summer internship at the organisation as a researcher.  He aides in the production and quality control of the organisation’s publications, in addition to assisting with general management issues and producing high-quality and timely material for publication. Before joining Security Council Report, Mr. Romita worked as a research assistant at Columbia University and also completed an internship at the UN’s Department of Political Affairs.  Mr. Romita has eight years of professional experience in communications within the non-profit sector.  Mr. Romita holds a BA from Trinity College, a Master of Arts in Modern European History from New York University, and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a concentration in international security policy.  He has a working knowledge of Spanish and Russian. top

Brian Lockstone is a communications consultant and he aids the organisation on a part-time basis as a copy-editor and in its outreach activities. He has worked in journalism and government relations in several parts of the world. He has worked for the New Zealand Government and with the Solomon Islands government. He has been an adviser to airlines and private sector companies on government relations and the intersection of foreign and domestic policy. He has served on many government/private sector advisory committees. He is the author and co-author of several books and has written extensively for the technical press and historical journals.  He is a Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (United Kingdom) and the Chartered Institute of Transport & Logistics. top

Robbin VanNewkirk joined Security Council Report in August 2007 as its Administrative Assistant where she is responsible for the day to day operations of the organisation, as well as assisting with various aspects of the publication cycle and maintaining Security Council Report's website.  Before joining Security Council Report, Ms. VanNewkirk was a Research and Office Assistant at a pre-employment screening company in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a writing tutor in the Writing Center and Athletic Learning Lab at Georgia State University.  Ms. VanNewkirk holds an MA in Women's Studies from Georgia State University. top