Leading landmine clearance organisation MAG (Mines Advisory Group) has appointed former UN Under-Secretary General, Lord Williams of Baglan as its new Chair of Trustees.
Lord Williams, currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), and a former Special Advisor to Foreign Secretaries Robin Cook and Jack Straw, will take up the role at MAG on the 15 November.
The appointment heralds a significant anniversary for MAG, as the NGO prepares to commemorate 25 years of life-saving work in some of the world’s most conflict-affected countries.
Says Lord Williams: “For more than 20 years I have worked in countries like Cambodia, Bosnia, Lebanon and Myanmar whose peoples have lived with the scourge of landmines and unexploded ordnance for far too long. Equally I have seen at first hand the magnificent work that MAG has done working alongside local people in removing the dangers and returning the land to safe and productive use.
“As MAG celebrates its first quarter of a century, I feel a great pride in helping to lead it into its second quarter century.” MAG Chief Executive Nick Roseveare adds: 'We are delighted to welcome Lord Williams as our new Chair. He brings unique knowledge and wide experience of international security and peacekeeping affairs at the highest level, which can help guide MAG’s development in the coming years.
“Every day ordinary families must contend with the terrible effects of landmines and other explosive weapons, be it during a current conflict such as Syria, or decades after the fighting has stopped such as in Angola or Cambodia.
“Lord Williams’ deep understanding of the impact of conflict will be invaluable to our work helping those men, women and children rebuild their lives and livelihoods.”
Outgoing Chair, Revd Professor Michael H. Taylor OBE, has served the organisation for 13 years. Welcoming the appointment, he concludes: “Working with MAG`s pioneers has been a demanding and rewarding experience. I remain proud of an organisation that is full of able and dedicated staff, well-led, respected for the high quality of its work, and influential in its field.
“Through MAG’s campaigning and painstaking work on the ground, it has given back to so many their homes, their land and their way of life. I wish MAG and my successor well.”