IPI organized the latest event its “SRSG Series” which featured Mr. Ian Martin, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Nepal and Head of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). Mr. Martin spoke about the challenges of the rapidly evolving peace process in Nepal and the role of United Nations.

Ian Martin has had a long, distinguished career in and out of the United Nations before his appointment on February 8, 2007, as the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Nepal and Head of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). He had earlier served in Nepal as the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General in support of the peace process (August 2006 until his appointment as SRSG) and as the Representative in Nepal of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (May 2005-August 2006). His previous posts include Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste (2006), Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the East Timor Popular Consultation (1999), Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (2000-01), Special Adviser to the High Commissioner for Human Rights (1998), Chief of the UN Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda (1995-96), and Director for Human Rights of the International Civilian Mission in Haiti (1993 and 1994-95). He also served in the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina as Deputy High Representative for Human Rights (1998-99). Mr. Martin was Secretary General of Amnesty International (1986-92) and Vice President of the International Center for Transitional Justice (2002-05). His writings include Self-Determination in East Timor: the United Nations, the Ballot, and International Intervention.

Our panelists included Michael Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and Brigadier General Feroz Khan, Visiting Professor at the Department of National Security Affairs of the Naval Postgraduate School.

The meeting was chaired by IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen.