STAFF

Colin Keating, Executive Director
Joanna Weschler, Deputy Executive Director and Director of Research
Amanda Roberts, Coordinating Editor & Research Analyst
Shamala Kandiah, Senior Research Analyst
Robert Afriyie, Research Analyst
Ikram Hussein, Research Analyst
Nina Pregellio, Research Analyst
Troy Prince, Research Analyst
Astrid Forberg Ryan, Research Analyst
Tim Caughley, Research Consultant
Clare Gatehouse, Research Consultant
Robbin VanNewkirk, Publications Coordinator
Jamaal Young, Programme 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 Deputy Executive Director and Director of Research 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

Amanda Roberts joined Security Council Report in August 2005.  As Coordinating Editor & Research Analyst, 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 donors, Board of Directors, and International Advisory Group. Additionally, she is responsible for covering Middle Eastern issues, including Lebanon, Israel/Palestine and UNDOF. 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

Shamala Kandiah joined Security Council Report in May 2007 after a year of consulting for the organisation. As a Senior Research Analyst she is responsible for writing reports on Nepal, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Fiji, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In addition she covers peacekeeping as well as children and armed conflict. 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

Robert Afriyie joined Security Council Report in June 2007 as a Research Analyst. Mr. Afriyie is responsible for covering the Central African Republic, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Liberia and UNOWA. In addition, he covers the Peacebuilding Commission and conflict prevention/mediation. 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 

Ikram Hussein joined Security Council Report as a Research Analyst in August of 2009. She is responsible for covering Chad/Central African Republic, Congo, Sudan, Northern Uganda and LRA-affected areas and Western Sahara. In addition, she is responsible for thematic issues including women, peace and security and Security Council elections.  Before joining Security Council Report she worked for six years with the United Nations. From 2005-2009, she worked for the United Nations Mission in Sudan as the Human Rights Officer. Prior to that, she worked for the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York as the Humanitarian Affairs Officer. She holds a Master of Arts in International Security Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Also, she holds a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from State University of New York, Buffalo.   She speaks Somali, English and has working knowledge of Arabic. top

Nina Pregellio joined Security Council Report as a Research Analyst in July of 2008. Before joining Security Council Report she worked in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Department of Defence.  Ms.Pregellio holds a post graduate Diploma in International Relations and Asian Politics from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the Queensland University of Technology. top

Troy Prince has worked with Security Council Report since July 2009. As a Research Analyst he currently covers a number of country-specific and thematic issues including DPRK, Haiti, Iran, Iraq and counter-terrorism. Previously, he worked for several years with the US National Academy of Sciences / Institute of Medicine supporting research for multiple study projects. He holds a PhD in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford in the UK, where his research included humanitarian intervention and international law, emerging threats to international security and US national security strategy. He received an MA in International Politics and Security Studies from the University of Bradford, and a Bachelor of International Studies from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. top

Astrid Forberg Ryan joined Security Council Report as a Research Analyst in October of 2008. She is responsible for thematic issues such as protection of cilvilians as well as country-specific issues including Somalia, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Djibouti/Eritrea, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo and Georgia. Before joining Security Council Report she worked for eleven years in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Vice Consul for the Norwegian Consulate in San Francisco and more recently as First Secretary for the Mission of Norway to the United Nations in New York. Ms. Ryan holds a Master of Science Degree in Business from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration and a Diplôme International d'Administration Publique from Ecole Nationale d'Administration in Paris and Strasbourg, France. She speaks Norwegian, English and French and has working knowledge of Spanish. top

Tim Caughley is a research consultant on a part-time basis and is responsible for covering human rights developments for the organisation. Mr. Caughley served as Director of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs in Geneva overseeing all Geneva-based disarmament issues. He was also the Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament. Immediately prior to this, Mr. Caughley was New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, in which capacity he presented New Zealand's periodic reports to all the Geneva-based human rights treaty bodies. As his country's Ambassador for Disarmament he served as President of the Conference on Disarmament in February 2005, and chaired the 2005 NPT Review Conference’s Subsidiary Body on Nuclear Disarmament. From 1998 to 2002, he was New Zealand's International Legal Adviser. During his earlier diplomatic career, Mr. Caughley headed New Zealand's mission in the Cook Islands and served in Malaysia and the UK. top

Clare Gatehouse joined Security Council Report as a research consultant in July 2010.  She is responsible for the thematic issue of Women, Peace and Security.  Before joining Security Council Report she worked for ten years in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  During this time she was posted as a policy officer to the Australian Embassies in Manila and Dili and most recently as First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Australia to the UN in New York.  Ms Gatehouse holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.  She has a working knowledge of French and Spanish. top

Robbin VanNewkirk joined Security Council Report in August of 2007. As Publications Coordinator she is responsible for the quality control and distribution of all SCR publications, both in print and electronic format. She also manages the website. She works closely with the Coordinating Editor and maintains current knowledge and understanding of UN current events, as well as international issues. Ms. VanNewkirk holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies from Appalachian State University in North Carolina and a master's degree in Women's Studies from Georgia State University. top

Jamaal Young joined Security Council Report in November 2008 as the Programme Assistant. He is responsible for managing the day to day functions of the organisation, providing support during the publishing process and serves as the assistant to both the Executive Director and the Director of Research. Before joining SCR, Mr. Young spent many years as a political consultant on education and civil rights and has worked for a number of prominent non-profit organizations, including the Clinton Global Initiative.  He also writes a political column for the New York Press.  Mr. Young holds a bachelor of science degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and is fluent in both English and Spanish. top