Staff and trustees
Our staff and trustees are at the heart of Saferworld’s work. Their skills and expertise ensure that we continue to be a leading conflict prevention and peacebuilding organisation. We have over 200 staff members working across our programme, policy, advocacy and support teams.
Find out more about working for us.
Our trustees help guide Saferworld in all major decisions. Their advice is backed up by years of experience and expertise in a range of areas – from finance, policy research and communications to peacebuilding and management.
Stephanie Blair, Chair
Stephanie runs an independent consultancy specialising in security and justice; peace, stabilisation and intervention; and fragile and conflict-affected states. As a chair, she brings a comprehensive understanding of the challenges for the peace and security community as it addresses the difficulties faced by fragile and conflict-affected countries.
Stephanie also has expertise in strategy development, and her geographical specialities are the Balkans and North Africa. Her consultancy business offers strategy and policy advice, training, facilitation and evaluation. Clients include the UK Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, the Stabilisation Unit, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Canadian Government and NATO.
Stephanie joined Saferworld in 2015 and was elected as chair in 2020.
Golam Morshed, Treasurer
Golam Morshed is the Chief Executive at Charity Accounting Services, a specialised accounting and financial management organisation supporting charities and non-profit organisations. He brings a strong background in financial management to Saferworld's board.
Golam previously worked in various financial management roles for a wide range of global development agencies including Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid, CAFOD, Farm Africa and ACORD. Golam is a qualified accountant with an MBA.
Golam joined Saferworld in 2017.
Georg Frerks, Trustee
Georg is Professor of Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management at the Centre for Conflict Studies at Utrecht University. He brings long-term experience in diplomacy and policy, and his areas of expertise are community economic development, criminal justice system reform and organisational governance.
Georg is also Chair of International Security Studies at the Netherlands Defence Academy. Trained as a sociologist, he specialises in contemporary conflict and emergencies. He has a distinguished record in the evaluation and monitoring of development, conflict and disaster programmes and has published widely on the subject.
Georg became a Saferworld trustee in 2015.
Godfrey Allen, Trustee
Godfrey is the former Chief Executive of the national employment charity, the Apex Trust. With vast experience, he advises the board on organisational governance issues, and he has specialist knowledge of criminal justice sector reform and community economic development.
Godfrey is a former CEO of several other national and regional organisations that specialise in community economic development and crime reduction. He currently serves on the NHS Trust board among others, and is the England and Wales council member of the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates.
Godfrey joined Saferworld as a trustee in 1999.
Ismayil Tahmazov, Trustee
Ismayil Tahmazov is the Global Strategy Manager at Islamic Relief Worldwide. He brings wide-ranging experience in development programming, strategy planning, governance and advocacy.
Before his position at Islamic Relief Worldwide, Ismayil co-founded The Humanitarian Forum and the Muslim Charities Forum. Ismayil has experience of working on projects across a wide geographic stretch, from the Middle East and the Caucasus to Haiti. He has held senior positions at the International Rescue Committee, Cooperative Housing Foundation International and Oxfam, and he has served on other boards including Skillshare International and HealthProm.
Ismayil joined Saferworld as a trustee in 2017.
Lars-Erik Lundin, Trustee
Lars-Erik is a Distinguished Associate Fellow at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). He contributes a wealth of knowledge about the functioning of international organisations in areas such as arms control and conflict prevention in a range of geographical and thematic settings.
Lars-Erik began his career in peace and conflict research in the early 1970s. He has since worked in the Swedish and EU foreign services, and has been EU ambassador to a number of international organisations, including the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. He holds a PhD in political science and has wide-ranging expertise in strategic approaches to security policy in regional multilateral settings, nuclear and conventional arms control negotiations, and regional peace processes.
Lars-Erik joined Saferworld in 2015.
Melanie Ward, Trustee
Melanie is a senior leader at the International Rescue Committee. She brings experience in humanitarian, development and human rights work, including programming, advocacy and organisational leadership.
As well as working in the UK and Europe more widely, Melanie has lived and worked in the Middle East, Africa and the USA. She has also worked for NGOs including ActionAid and Christian Aid. She has a background in politics, as a campaigner and activist, as well as a political adviser in both the Scottish and UK Parliaments.
Melanie joined Saferworld as a Trustee in 2020.
Owen Greene, Trustee
Owen is Professor of International Security and Development at Bradford University. In addition to his deep understanding of Saferworld as an organisation, Owen brings a wealth of expertise on a range of issues including conflict analysis, security sector reform, community security, arms control and international advocacy on conflict prevention.
From Saferworld’s early beginnings, Owen has worked closely with the organisation, serving as chair of the board of trustees for over a decade. He has held many expert and advisory roles for Bradford University as well as for over 20 governments, the European Union, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations and multiple policy networks.
Owen has been an active member of Saferworld’s board since the 1990s.
Teresa Hanley, Trustee
Teresa has over twenty years of experience in the humanitarian and international development sectors. She brings expertise on migration, community-based resilience, conflict, gender, capacity-building, evaluation and communication.
Teresa has worked in over 40 countries, including in long-term roles in the Middle East, Central Asia and also as part of the European migration response. She has worked in a range of field-based, management and consultancy positions with the British and International Red Cross, international organisations, NGOs and governments.
Teresa joined the Saferworld board in 2016.
Gbenga Coker, Director of Finance
Gbenga leads the finance team in London and oversees the financial operations of Saferworld’s country offices in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He has a private sector background, having trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He previously worked with Air France before joining Oxfam GB in 2002, and has since remained in the non-profit sector. A fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, he received his PhD in accounting from King’s College, London, focusing on accountability in the non-governmental sector.
Susana Klien, Director of International Programmes
Susana joined Saferworld in 2015 as Director of International Programmes, where she oversees Saferworld’s country programmes across Africa, Asia, Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East. She brings a wide range of programmatic experience, having worked at a number of women’s rights organisations and on programmes that provide services for refugee and migrant women.
Before moving to the UK, Susana worked in Peru where she conducted research on human rights and provided recommendations to the government, in addition to lecturing on international human rights law.
Paul Murphy, Executive Director
Paul Murphy is the Executive Director at Saferworld, where he oversees the organisation's development and growth as well as operations and programmes. After joining as Head of Europe and Central Asia in 2008, he became Director of Programmes and then Executive Director in 2011. For 20 years, Paul worked across Africa for a range of organisations, including for the United Nations. Most recently, he was director of Pact’s country programme in Sudan.
Paul’s specialty is in conflict prevention and post-conflict recovery, with a focus on the Sudans and the Horn of Africa region.
Read articles and publications from Paul
Robert Parker, Director of Policy and Communications
Rob leads the policy and communications teams based in London, where he manages Saferworld’s global policy and advocacy programmes including our research, analysis, technical support and communications.
With over 20 years’ experience in human rights and peacebuilding and more than a decade at Saferworld in a number of senior management roles he has led the development of policy areas including community security and police reform, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Arms Trade Treaty. He leads our advocacy teams in London, Brussels and Washington DC and is responsible for our work on China and for overseeing Saferworld’s external helpdesk facilities. Before joining Saferworld in 2006 Rob led successful national and international arms campaigns for Amnesty International UK and worked as a consultant for a range of organisations including Oxfam, Landmine Action and the Cluster Munitions Coalition. Rob holds a master’s degree in area studies (Latin America) from the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London and a BA (Hons) in French and Spanish.
Read articles and publications from Rob
Natalia Arkhipova, International HR Adviser
Natalia joined Saferworld in March 2019 as International HR Adviser based in London. Before joining Saferworld, Natalia worked for Oxfam for over 12 years in various HR positions, starting with the Oxfam programme in Russia. Her more recent focus was on the Middle East and North Africa region, though she took part in various global initiatives and cross-regional learning.
Marie Aziz, International HR Adviser and Operations Manager
Marie has been working in the human resources field for a number of years and both at Saferworld and other INGOs and voluntary organisations. She spent the early part of her career living and working in France. Marie joined Saferworld in 2009 and has seen the organisation grow and flourish over the years.
Janna Smith, International Operations Manager
Janna Smith is the International Operations Manager at Saferworld, overseeing operations in all of Saferworld’s country offices. Before moving to the UK, Janna worked in Washington DC and Mozambique for the American International Health Alliance, and established a field office in Ethiopia as Country Director for Yale University. Janna holds a master’s degree in international relations and a post-graduate certificate in global health from the University of Denver.
Diana Trimiño Mora, Head of Programme Support / Senior Gender Adviser
Diana Trimiño Mora began her role as Head of Programme Support and Learning in 2019, having joined Saferworld in 2017 as the Senior Gender, Peace and Security Adviser. She has over 15 years of experience working on issues around women’s and human rights, international law and displacement. Before joining the team, Diana led the International Rescue Committee’s policy work on women’s protection and empowerment in Europe.
She also has substantial experience of refugee protection and displacement issues, having previously worked for the University of London’s Refugee Law Initiative, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and as a Refugee Resettlement Coordinator and Migrants' Rights Adviser at the International Organisation for Migration. Her gender work has brought her to different regions such as Latin America, with organisations such as the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.
Diana holds an LLM in international human rights law from Lund University, Sweden.
Ariana Martini, Head of Programme Support and Learning/Partnerships Adviser
Ariana joined Saferworld in 2009 and brings over 10 years of experience managing and supporting complex programmes in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. She currently leads the Programme Support and Learning team which provides ongoing programme development and advisory support and accompaniment to Saferworld teams and partners across our country and regional-based programmes in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She also leads Saferworld’s efforts to ensure our partners have a greater say in everything we do, and is focused on supporting new ways of working that enable conflict-affected communities to lead their own initiatives to meet immediate needs while initiating longer term transformative processes to tackle root causes of conflict.
Before her role in the Programme Support and Learning team, Ariana managed a multi-country community security and peacebuilding programme for Saferworld in Bangladesh, South Sudan and Yemen, supporting teams, partners and community groups on planning, monitoring and evaluation processes and methodology, which introduced a new process of outcome monitoring and harvesting, and evidence collection. Her team continues to lead an innovative outcome-focused monitoring and harvesting approach, linked to a learning and practice group of programme staff in the organisation, to support adaptive programming and learning in complex environments.
Madeline Church, Head of Strategy and Organisational Development
Madeline leads on institutional strategy, and the organisational processes and systems needed to put strategy into action. She designed and led the development and institutional adoption of our renowned outcome-focused monitoring and harvesting approach, and continues to lead on our external training in this system. She chairs the Knowledge and Learning @ Saferworld Hub, a cross-organisational learning space to link research, programming and policy advocacy, and is on the management committee of the Dutch Knowledge Platform: Security and Rule of Law (KPSRL). She also manages the regional dialogues programme, spanning Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. She holds a PhD from Bath University, she founded the ABColombia Group and is a known innovator in networks, platforms, and monitoring, evaluation and learning. She has been at Saferworld for nine years.
Leena Patel, Advocacy Adviser, International Programmes
Leena joined Saferworld in October 2020. She has over 10 years’ experience in programme design and implementation, with a strong focus on supporting national and community-led legal and policy advocacy. She has previously worked with international organisations including UN Women, UNDP, the Ford Foundation, Girl Effect, Kaleidoscope Trust in the area of women’s and girls’ rights, LGBT+ people’s rights, and minority and indigenous people’s rights. She holds an LLM in International Law.
Shelagh Daley, Advocacy Adviser, International Programmes
Shelagh Daley joined Saferworld in 2012. Prior to her role as Advocacy Adviser to international programmes, she managed Saferworld’s engagement with the African Union and other regional bodies in Africa, and provided advocacy support for Saferworld’s East Africa programmes. She previously managed the global advocacy team and led on organisational engagement with UK government, parliament, and development practitioners. Before joining Saferworld, she worked at Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS UK) on the inclusion of women in peace processes. She also has several years of experience in international marketing and campaigning.
Shelagh brings a range of expertise on issues surrounding the arms trade, aid and conflict, gender, and conflict prevention.
Twitter: @shedales
Read articles and publications from Shelagh
Lucian Harriman, Conflict, Security and Justice Adviser
Lucian Harriman joined Saferworld in November 2018 as Security and Justice Adviser to lead the security and justice work-stream of the Peace Research Partnership. Lucian provides programmatic support to nominated countries and also has a broader thematic focus on security and justice, supporting inclusive transitions to peace and engaging with armed non-state actors. From 2016-18 Lucian worked in Myanmar, initially to enhance public awareness of the peace process and support community-level conflict resolution, later to build cooperation between military and civilian branches of government and increase public participation in safety and security governance in cities. He mediated gang-related violent conflicts in the United Kingdom from 2015-16. From 2012-15 he oversaw armed violence reduction programmes in Somalia and Somaliland. From 2007-12 he worked in support of peace processes in Sudan: arranging unofficial ‘track two’ diplomacy between policymakers, organising cross-border confidence-building between communities and local authorities, and providing support to government negotiators and the international mediation. Lucian holds two mediator accreditations, a BA in international Relations, an MSc in violence, conflict and development, a PgCert in conflict resolution skills and a DipHE in law.
Silke Nebenfuehr-Keith, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Adviser
Silke began her role as Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Adviser at Saferworld in October 2017, having joined as Strategic Grants Manager in May 2017. She leads on outcome harvesting and grant reporting, external evaluations, internal reviews and cross-organisational learning and supports teams in programme design and adaptation.
Silke has over 15 years of experience working on human rights, freedom of expression, peacebuilding and migration issues. Before joining Saferworld, she worked at ARTICLE 19 and for almost six years as Senior Human Rights Adviser and Chief of Property Rights Section the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.
Sara Torrelles, Programme Support and Learning Adviser
Sara joined Saferworld in January 2020 as a Programme Support and Learning Adviser. She works with our country teams to strengthen our partnerships, leads the revision of our programme partnership approaches, tools, and related resources, and supports the development of our organisational strategy on partnerships. Having previously worked for Conciliation Resources and Peace Direct, Sara has a strong peacebuilding background. She has worked in partnership with over 30 civil society organisations and activists across Africa and Asia, recognising partnerships to be a key part of peacebuilding. Over the years, Sara has supported community-led research on engagement with armed groups in the northeast of Nigeria and worked with women-led organisations in Pakistan, the Philippines and Nigeria.
Sara is an advocate of shifting the power and resources towards the people who are most affected by conflict and challenging the practices that reinforce existing unequal power dynamics to ensure our partners have greater influence in everything we do. She brings experience on supporting community-led dialogues, gender transformative peacebuilding programming and conflict prevention.
Twitter: @SaraTorrelles
Alison Gordon, Head of Funding
Alison joined Saferworld in December 2019 as Head of Funding. Alison has had a long career in the international development sector. In addition to spending eight years as Director of Fundraising with HelpAge International, Alison worked as Head of International Funding at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Head of Programme Funding at Practical Action. Her senior fundraising posts have focused on growing and diversifying income streams, from statutory donors to the general public.
Charlene Asamoah, Programme Funding and Development Manager
Charlene is a Programme Funding and Development Manager (Africa). Before joining Saferworld, Charlene worked at WaterAid, managing the fundraising portfolio in Ghana and supporting on strategy development and grant management. Charlene comes to Saferworld with over decade’s worth of experience in business development, resource mobilisation, leadership and grant management, particularly in the water and sanitation and human rights sectors. Charlene volunteers with Boko Asakwa Abinbeere and Asalok Noyine-Gaineerum women's groups (Ghana) and holds a BA in music and an MSc in international business and economic development.
Abdoulie Jawo, Funding and Programme Development Manager
Abdoulie Jawo joined Saferworld as Funding and Programme Development Manager. Abdoulie has three decades of development and humanitarian work experience starting as a frontline community development worker in 1990 with the Government of The Gambia after he left teaching in 1988. Since September 1991, Abdoulie has mainly worked with the INGO sector in several African countries (The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya) as well as in the United Kingdom. Abdoulie is experienced in both fundraising and programme management and has experience with a range of UK, European, Asian and American donors.
David Othieno Opoya, Senior Africa Fundraising and Programme Design Manager
David has specialised in business development for the last ten years of his career in the development sector. He joined Saferworld in November 2014 initially as a Regional Funding Coordinator, then as a Regional Funding Manager from 2017 to date. Before joining Saferworld he worked in fundraising and programme development roles with SOS International (2014) and MIFUMI (2010 until 2013). His has experience in diverse thematic areas including human rights, women's rights, child protection, resilience, gender equality, justice, community security, peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity. David has worked on a range of bilateral and multi-lateral fundraising and grant management including with the European Union, UN agencies, the United States Agency for International Development, the UK Department for International Development, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Irish Aid, the Danish International Development Agency, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Austrian Development Agency. He holds an ACCA and a bachelor’s degree in social work and social administration from Makerere University in Kampala. In his current role, David leads on fundraising and proposal development for Saferworld's East African region.
Sarah Wraight, Funding and Programme Development Manager
Sarah Wraight joined Saferworld in May 2019 as Funding and Programme Development Manager, acting as the funding lead for the Asia and MENA regions. Before joining Saferworld, she worked at Amnesty International UK (AIUK), and was responsible for driving forward the growth of statutory and institutional funding, helping to secure AIUK’s first DfID grant and doubling institutional funding income.
Sarah has extensive experience in managing complex multi-country grants for international projects, and in working closely with local partners to ensure strong project delivery. She is passionate about human rights and international development, and manages a small trust, Guira UK, in her spare time.
Ali Ahmed Hersi, Somalia and Somaliland Country Director
Ali Hersi joined Saferworld in June 2018 as Country Director for Somalia and Somaliland. He has close to 20 years’ experience in leadership, programme design and implementation in various civil society organisations. He has managed diverse programmes in emergency relief and rehabilitation, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, food security and livelihoods, as well as general development in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Ali holds a master’s degree in peace and justice, which he completed on Fulbright and Rotary international ambassadorial scholarships, and another master’s in international relations from Warsaw University, Poland.
Mauro Tadiwe, South Sudan Country Director
Mauro Tadiwe joined Saferworld as South Sudan Country Director in April 2018. Before, he was Concordis International’s Country Director in South Sudan from 2014 to 2017 and from 2009 to 2014 he held three positions at Pact, including Country Director.
Mauro trained as a priest and held several pastoral and ecclesiastical management positions. After moving to the UK, Mauro worked at two inner-London urban regeneration schemes and for nearly three years with Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust. Mauro was also a member and chair of Migrants Resource Centre’s management board in London as well as a board member and chair of Skills for South Sudan Board of Trustees in the UK from 2004 to 2011. Mauro holds a BA in theology from the Urbaniana University in Rome, and a master’s degree in management practice from Middlesex University in London.
George Were, Head of East Africa Programmes
George joined Saferworld in June 2016 as Head of East Africa Programmes based in Kampala, where he oversees country programmes across Kenya, Somalia/Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. He has substantial work experience in the humanitarian and development sector across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Previous employers include government ministries, the UN, and several international NGOs. George holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Nairobi and an MA from Tufts University in Massachusetts, US.
George’s specialities are in community-based initiatives, emergency intervention work, and humanitarian programme managing.
Emmy Auma, Country Manager and Head of Office, Kenya
Emmy is currently the acting County Manager and Head of Office for Saferworld’s Kenya Programme, having worked in the organisation in various capacities since joining in 2014. She has over 13 years’ experience in designing, implementing and managing governance and peacebuilding programmes. Before joining Saferworld, she worked as a conflict adviser with Danish Refugee Council leading the implementation of the five-year Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands – Improving Resilience programme funded by USAID and designed to decrease vulnerabilities, build resilience and stimulate growth in selected arid and semi-arid areas. Before that, she led peacebuilding programming in World Vision Kenya as the National Technical Lead where she designed and oversaw the implementation of numerous programmes across the country.
Emmy has extensive experience in conflict assessments, conflict-sensitive programming, community security, working with cross-cultural teams, capacity building for non-state actors, programme design and project cycle management, context-driven programme adaptation, policy, advocacy, and peacebuilding strategy development including countering violent extremism.
Wilfred Opobo, Uganda Country Manager
Wilfred joined Saferworld in September 2019, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience gained at senior management level with peacebuilding, development and emergency programmes. He has significant programme and financial management experience of bilateral, multilateral, foundations and other donors, and broad experience of working in partnership with government, NGOs, other civil society organisations and networks. Previously, he chaired the steering committee for the Northern Uganda Human Rights Partnership, served as board member of Citizen Watch Information Technology Uganda and coordinated UNLOCK conflict early warning network in Uganda, among others.
Before Saferworld, Wilfred was Head of Programmes for War Child Canada in Uganda. Before that, he served in various capacities with Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD), including as Programme Development Adviser in South Sudan and Director of Programmes in Uganda. Wilfred holds a Master of Science in international development as a commonwealth scholar and a Master of Arts in international relations and diplomatic studies. He is also a trained organisational development facilitator.
Maryam Abdi, ARC Programme Manager, Somalia
Maryam is currently Saferworld's ARC Programme Manager in Somalia. The programme supports the delivery of community security programming in Somalia. She has over ten years’ experience in the Horn of Africa on programmes that focus on good governance, youth empowerment, gender, security sector reform and humanitarian emergencies. Before joining Saferworld, Maryam worked with the International Organization for Migration as a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer to support the sustainable reintegration of youth at risk and to build the capacity of federal and regional member states on youth at risk where she successfully facilitated the skills-building of youth in Somalia, coordinated physio-social support for vulnerable youth, and improved government ministries work on youth engagement.
Maryam also worked with Oxfam as Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Accountability Officer for the Somalia humanitarian programme for five years where she developed monitoring and evaluation approaches in hard-to-reach areas, including working with partners on core humanitarian standards and gender in emergencies. Maryam holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Nairobi.
Eva Mutenga, Partnerships Development Manager, South Sudan
Eva Mutenga joined Saferworld in October 2018 as the Partnerships Development Manager in South Sudan. Before joining Saferworld she worked with Nonviolent Peaceforce in South Sudan as Programme Development Manager. Eva has significant grants management expertise, leading the implementation and administration of multiple grants, ensuring programme quality and operational excellence through effective reporting and compliance, and coordinating relationships with partners. She has experience managing funds for a multitude of donors including DFID, USAID-OFDA, the EU, Humanity United, Netherlands Embassy, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UN Agencies in South Sudan, Uganda, Liberia, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
Galdino Sakondo, Programme Manager, South Sudan
Galdino is Saferworld's South Sudan Programme Manager and is responsible for all of Saferworld’s programme portfolio in South Sudan, providing leadership and management oversight. As a development and peacebuilding practitioner, Galdino joined Saferworld in 2014 as a Project Coordinator based in Yambio, South Sudan, and led the implementation of Saferworld’s community security programme in Western Equatoria State. In 2016, Galdino was appointed Area Project Manager based in Juba, and managed Saferworld’s community security and peacebuilding work in the Equatoria and Jonglei regions, a position he held till 2018 when he was appointed Programme Manager.
Before joining Saferworld, Galdino served as Education Specialist at UNESCO in Juba. He had earlier served as Director of Skills for South Sudan, a UK-based charity established by South Sudanese diaspora (2010-2013); Programme Director for the Catholic Diocese of Tambura-Yambio, South Sudan (2008-2010), and Director at a Training Institute for the Catholic Diocese of Tambura-Yambio (1997-2006).
Abdijalil Tahir, Policy, Advocacy and Communications Manager, Somalia and Somaliland
Abdijalil Tahir is Policy, Advocacy and Communications Manager for Saferworld’s Somalia and Somaliland programme. He joined Saferwold in August 2015 as Democratisation Project Manager/Head of Hargeisa Office for Somaliland managing the elections programme. He later became Participatory Governance and Peacebuilding Programme Manager for Somalia. He oversaw long-term programmes focusing on governance, peacebuilding, elections and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Abdijalil brings 15 years of experience and has worked for a variety of international and local organisations including the International Republican Institute, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Somaliland National Youth Organization and Horn of Africa Aid. Abdijalil has a master’s degree in development studies from Kampala University in Uganda and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hargeisa University in Somaliland.
Twitter: @Afqarshe2
Tamara Duffey-Janser, Head of Asia
Tamara began her role as Head of Central and South East Asia in May 2017, overseeing the Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Myanmar country programmes. She became the Head of Asia in May 2019, adding Nepal and Pakistan to her regional portfolio. Tamara previously worked for Saferworld in East Africa from January 2014 as the Head of the Great Lakes and Sudans region, overseeing the Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan country programmes.
Tamara has over 25 years of research, training, and programming experience in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping and community security and community policing in a number of conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts, including Tajikistan and Kosovo. Before this, Tamara was a research fellow and lecturer in the Department of Peace Studies/Centre for Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford (1993-2000).
Khirad Kargasov, Tajikistan Country Manager
Khirad became Saferworld's Tajikistan Country Manager in June 2019, overseeing the country's strategy and the implementation of projects. Khirad has been with the organisation since 2014 - first as Area Programme Manager in Juba, South Sudan, and then later in Tajikistan where he helped set up the country office and programme.
Before Saferworld, Khirad worked as Program Manager for the United States Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the US Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where he coordinated implementation of the Tajikistan Community Policing programme.
Ilya Jones, Regional Conflict and Security Adviser, Central Asia
Ilya began his role as Regional Conflict and Security Adviser for Central Asia in January 2020, supporting the Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan teams in achieving their goals and advising on programme implementation, research, advocacy, communications and funding. Ilya has been with Saferworld since June 2016, when he joined the communications team in London where he led on digital development and supported on publications and other content – with a particular focus on Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Asia.
Before joining Saferworld, Ilya worked in the communications team in Malaria Consortium. He's also worked in former Soviet countries Russia and Georgia, including for an environmental NGO. Ilya holds an MSc from LSE, a bachelor’s from Skidmore College in the US, and has completed degree programmes at Sophia University in Japan and Smolny College in Russia.
Twitter: @ilyajones11
Sairah Yusuf, South Asia Programme Manager
Sairah joined Saferworld in April 2018, managing Saferworld's work on regional dialogue processes and economic connectivity in South Asia, with a focus on conflict sensitivity, partnership building, and programme design, adaptation, and learning. She has previously worked with Generations For Peace in Jordan, overseeing the design of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes for community-based peacebuilding programmes, in addition to supporting research and policy work for the Government of Punjab, USIP, and the World Bank. She has developed and implemented programme and evaluation functions for partners and donors, including UNICEF, USAID, the EU, and the US Department of State, with experience working across South Asia as well as the Middle East and North Africa. Sairah holds an MPhil in politics from the University of Oxford.
Léonie Northedge, Head of Middle East and North Africa Programmes
Léonie Northedge joined Saferworld in 2014, and has worked on Saferworld’s programmes and research, policy and advocacy on Yemen, Egypt and Tunisia. Before Saferworld, Léonie worked at the think tank Chatham House, where she was a Research Associate on the Middle East and North Africa.
Twitter: @leonieleonie
Awfa al-Naami, Yemen Country Manager
Awfa has expertise on peacebuilding, community programming and women’s inclusion in peacebuilding. She previously worked as a Gender Project Manager for Saferworld in Yemen and as a Gender Advisor for the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response, where she coordinated Food, Security and Livelihoods programming. Awfa has worked on gender-related projects with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and holds an MBA.
Dora Piscoi, Yemen Programme Manager
Dora Piscoi joined Saferworld at the end of 2018 as Programme Manager in the Yemen team. Her experience over the past eight years has been mainly in the humanitarian sector, including providing programming support in an advisory capacity from London as well as working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Jordan, Haiti, Iraq and Syria.
Bilal Sukkar, Middle East and North Africa Programme Coordinator
Bilal joined Saferworld in 2018. His previous experience includes working on food security and education projects in Syria, and on advocacy and policy responses to the Syrian crisis. He has an MA in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies from King’s College London.
Twitter: @ElshamiHilal
Homam Kuzlbash, Middle East and North Africa Finance Manager
Homam has over 12 years of experience in business development and financial management, both in the private and non-profit sector, and extensive experience in conflict-related humanitarian response.
Ahmed Ziat, Middle East and North Africa Grants Manager
Ahmed has extensive experience in grants and programme management in the MENA region. Before joining Saferworld, Ahmed worked at Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Hoping Foundation. He has an MSc in Violence, Conflict, and Development and a BA in International Politics.
Wisam Elhamoui, Middle East and North Africa Civil Society Advisor
Wisam's work focuses on supporting the exchange of knowledge and learning with civil society organisations, ensuring their input and views are at the centre of our programmatic work and strategy. Wisam has extensive experience in civil society empowerment and solidarity. His previous work includes peacebuilding, governance, gender equality, and advocacy. He holds an MA in Development and Emergency Practice and a post-graduate degree in Humanities and Islamic Studies.
Larry Attree, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy
Larry Attree is Head of Global Policy and Advocacy at Saferworld. With over 16 years’ experience, he is a globally recognised expert on conflict issues. He is author and editor of numerous studies on counter-terrorism (CT), countering/preventing violent extremism (C/PVE), stabilisation, statebuilding, peace and development. He input extensively into global negotiations on peace and development issues including the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, the Busan Partnership and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
His experience includes project management, advocacy, policy development, advisory and capacity building support, evaluation and extensive research. His expertise covers aid and conflict, stabilisation, CT, C/PVE, governance and statebuilding, arms control and armed violence reduction, reintegration, community security, security and justice sector development and conflict sensitivity (including conflict analysis, programme design, monitoring and evaluation). Larry has worked for a variety of UN and international agencies, NGOs and the corporate sector with several years’ field experience in conflict-affected parts of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.
Twitter: @LarryAttree
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Bernardo Mariani, Head of China Programme
Bernardo is the Head of Saferworld’s China Programme. With 25 years’ experience in human rights and conflict prevention and two decades at Saferworld in a number of management roles, he now manages projects on arms export controls, conflict sensitive business practices and China’s engagement in UN peacekeeping operations.
Previously Bernardo worked on advocacy, research and training on conflict prevention and peacebuilding across Europe and Russia. He also worked as Researcher at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International and as Consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Commission, researching and advising on trans-regional security threats and developing guidelines to combat arms trafficking.
Bernardo holds a master's degree in political science and international relations. He’s fluent in English, French, German and Italian and has basic knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Spanish.
Twitter: @bernardoinchina
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Jason S Calder, Saferworld USA Head of Office
Jason joined Saferworld as the Saferworld USA Head of Office in Washington, D.C. where he manages Saferworld’s policy and advocacy work. He brings over 20 years’ experience in peacebuilding, governance and development with work in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Before joining Saferworld, Jason was The Carter Center’s Office Director and Country Representative in Guyana where he worked on elections, constitutional reform and transparency. He brings a range of expertise on multi-stakeholder dialogue, inclusive governance, social cohesion, community-driven peacebuilding and aid effectiveness. He spent over 14 years in roles with The Carter Center and supported several of former President Jimmy Carter’s mediation and dialogue initiatives. In addition, he worked with Future Generations, consulted with USIP and UNDP, and managed partnerships with the World Bank, UN and OECD. His experience includes advisory support, policy change, research and programme management.
Lucia Montanaro, Head of EU Office and EU Advocacy Manager
Lucia is Head of the EU Office at Saferworld. She has over 25 years’ experience working on peace, security and conflict issues, including peacebuilding, mediation and reconciliation, governance, security, armed groups, organised crime, early warning, risk assessment, resilience and recovery. She has worked for the UN, EU and other organisations in numerous fragile and conflict-affected contexts across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe.
Her previous positions include working as a Peace and Development Adviser for the United Nations in Mauritania; Team Leader for the UNDP on peacebuilding and stabilisation in Jonglei, South Sudan; Senior Adviser on early warning in Mali for SHAPE; Coordinator of the National Plan for Peacebuilding and Recovery for the Central African Republic; Expert for European Resources of Mediation Support for the European Union; Team Leader for International Alert, managing the ‘Initiative for Peacebuilding’; and as a Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre.
Ivan Campbell, Head of Research and Learning
Ivan Campbell joined Saferworld in 2005 as the Head of Africa Programme, following over a decade of working in conflict-affected states including Burundi and Rwanda, and managing International Alert’s Great Lakes programme. In 2009, he took up the role of Senior Conflict and Security Adviser, in which he led Saferworld’s policy dialogue with rising powers and managed work on the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as providing technical support to a range of country programmes, including Myanmar.
As Head of Research and Learning, Ivan oversees the Peace Research Partnership (a consortium with International Alert and Conciliation Resources) while leading the development of Saferworld’s broader research strategy.
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Tim Midgley, Head of Conflict Advisory Unit
Tim joined Saferworld in September 2013 as Senior Conflict and Security Adviser with a focus on aid and conflict, conflict sensitivity, and security and justice. Before joining the team, Tim was the fragile states adviser for World Vision UK, as well as having worked for DfiD’s South Asia Department focusing on Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and engaging in consultancy projects with donors such as GTZ and UNDP.
Tim’s expertise lies in integrating conflict-sensitive approaches into programming and disaster risk management across South/South East Asia and East Africa.
Twitter: @TimSaferworld
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Elizabeth Bourne, Head of Communications
Elizabeth is Head of Communications, overseeing Saferworld’s communications, marketing and external profile. She joined Saferworld in 2012 as Communications Coordinator and has since led on delivering the Saferworld’s first organisational communications strategy, redeveloping Saferworld’s website and building and managing Saferworld’s communications team to support Saferworld’s funding, programme and policy objectives.
Elizabeth brings over 15 years’ experience working at non-governmental organisations, including at Oxfam International as Brand and Communications Officer where she supported on media, communications strategy and the organisation’s first global brand project. Elizabeth also worked in a range of non-communications roles, including in funding at Oxfam International and in humanitarian programmes for Oxfam Australia and the Australian government. She has an MA in International Relations (Peacebuilding) from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Twitter: @bourneshort
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Claire Devlin, Senior Conflict and Security Adviser
Claire Devlin is the Senior Conflict and Security Adviser in the Conflict Advisory Unit. She has 15 years’ experience in the humanitarian and development sectors and before joining Saferworld in February 2020 she worked with Christian Aid, DfID, GIZ, and UNICEF in Africa and Asia. Her focus is on conflict sensitivity and security and justice. She works with a range of humanitarian and multi-mandate actors, organisations and institutions to promote both conflict sensitivity and progress on the localisation agenda in conflict-affected contexts. This work involves supporting internal reform processes aimed at improving effectiveness of agencies operating in conflict-affected contexts. She also supports research, analysis and dissemination of learning and experience on how actors can operate in more locally-led and conflict sensitive ways, especially to influence global policy discussions.
Twitter: @ClaireAustine
Leila Fazal, Peace Research Partnership (PRP) Consortium Manager
Leila Fazal joined Saferworld in July 2016 as the Head of Funding before becoming the Peace Research Partnership Consortium Manager. Before joining Saferworld, she worked as Head of Grants (trust and statutory funding) at Global Witness. Her funding achievements include the successful tendering for a contract with the Department of Health for two years to administer grants of £60 million to the hospice sector.
Leila has extensive experience in developing funding strategies, raising funds for campaigning, and fundraising in environmental, youth and anti-corruption work.
Roy Isbister, Team Leader – Arms Unit
Roy leads Saferworld's work on conventional arms. He has over 15 years’ experience in developing and implementing strategies to promote the adoption of responsible arms transfer control strategies nationally, regionally and internationally. He has edited and authored research papers, reports, policy briefings and articles on arms transfer control policies. Roy regularly contributes to international media on arms issues. He is currently Co-chair of the global Control Arms Coalition and the Coordinator of the UK NGO Working Group on Arms. Roy holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Kent.
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Elizabeth Kirkham, Arms Unit Adviser
Elizabeth has worked on arms and security issues at Saferworld since 1993. Elizabeth's areas of interest include national, regional and international arms transfer control policies and practices and global and regional efforts to stem the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. Elizabeth has produced numerous publications for Saferworld on a wide range of related issues such as: how an international Arms Trade Treaty could be monitored and verified; and priorities for strengthened controls on small arms transfers in order to prevent their diversion.
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"Leon" Yu Liang, Beijing Operations Manager
“Leon” Yu Liang is the Operations Manager of Saferworld's new Beijing office. He has over 20 years of experience working in media and NGOs. Leon started his career in 2000 as a journalist with China Daily and other media outlets. Later in 2009 he joined the Internews China programme and worked for 9 years as the Operations Manager and Acting Country Director, overseeing a variety of programmes that aimed to foster greater information flow and media development in China. More recently, he worked as a China Adviser for Global Witness, responsible for advocacy, communications and legal compliance of its China programme. Leon holds a master's degree in journalism, communication and development studies from the Ohio University and another in linguistics from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Ojaswi Shah, Conflict and Security Adviser
Ojaswi joined Saferworld in 2010 primarily focused on shaping the Nepal programme’s gender and peacebuilding, and security sector reform work. She led Saferworld’s first participatory research on notions of masculinities and violence in Nepal, worked on gender, disarmament and rehabilitation of ex-combatants in Nepal. She also contributed to Saferworld’s programming on community security supporting its set up in Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Somalia and Yemen. She has been working on conflict sensitivity, providing trainings and coordinating conflict assessments to various donors, security providers and civil society actors since 2013 before taking up the Conflict and Security Adviser role in London in 2017. She now works as an adviser within the Conflict Advisory Unit with a focus on gender and conflict-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding and crisis response.
Ojaswi has 10 years of peacebuilding experience and a master's degree in conflict, peace and development studies.
Jordan Street, Policy and Advocacy Adviser
Jordan joined Saferworld in April 2017 as a Policy and Advocacy Adviser with particular focus on the United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals, youth, peace and security, and promoting peacebuilding responses to terrorism and migration. He has 7 years’ experience working with international peacebuilding and conflict prevention organisations, including at the Quaker United Nations Office in New York, the World Federation of United Nations Associations, and Caritas in northern Kenya. He has written a number of studies on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16, and the effects of counter-terrorism and countering/preventing violent extremism agendas.
Jordan holds an MSci in international relations and global issues from the University of Nottingham and spent a year studying abroad at Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po - Paris).
Twitter: @jordan_street07
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Jessica Summers, Communications Manager
Jessica oversees Saferworld's external communications including media and publications. She joined Saferworld in 2016 as the publications and editorial coordinator and has since contributed to publications, comment pieces, media, photo stories and events. She’s worked closely with the South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya programmes and partners to deliver training and communications, for example about land rights and gender in Uganda, elections in Somalia and Kenya, and community-led peacebuilding in South Sudan. Jessica's background is in writing, editing and publishing in international development for organisations including Spore Magazine, the UNDP global environment facility, International Development Research Centre and the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems. She has written about topics including farming and climate change in southern Ethiopia, crime and urbanisation in Ghana, among other rural development and environmental issues. Jessica has an MSc in gender research from LSE and studied gender at the University of California, Berkeley.
Twitter: @Jessa_Summers
Charlotte Watson, Conflict and Security Adviser
Charlotte joined Saferworld as a Conflict and Security Adviser in January 2016. She has over 15 years’ experience working on conflict and peacebuilding with a specific focus on security and justice and conflict-sensitive development. She was a co-author of Saferworld’s gender analysis of conflict toolkit.
Before joining Saferworld, Charlotte spent five years as an independent consultant based in Uganda and South Africa. She worked for USAID, Danish Demining Group, Department for International Development, PwC and the Institute for Security Studies and led research and field work in Karamoja, Uganda and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan. She also worked as a Technical Conflict Adviser for the Ugandan Office of the Prime Minister. Charlotte spent eight years at International Alert, leading their security and peacebuilding work and developing their community security work in Nepal.
Charlotte holds an MA in politics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in violence, conflict and development from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Louisa Waugh, Senior Conflict Policy Adviser
Louisa Waugh is a Senior Conflict Policy Adviser with the Saferworld EU team: she has extensive overseas experience of managing complex peacebuilding programmes in Africa and the Middle East, including in the Central African Republic, Mali and Senegal. She previously worked as an international human rights programme manager monitoring civilian protection programmes for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, and with asylum seekers in a refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos.
Louisa specialises in security governance, civil-military dialogue, community protection programming and migration and forced displacement. She has expertise in negotiating access to areas of live conflict, and working with traumatised, divided communities. Louisa speaks French and Arabic, is a trained mediator and trauma counsellor, and has written award-winning non-fiction books.
Zahbia Yousuf, Senior Research Adviser
Zahbia Yousuf is Senior Research Adviser at Saferworld, where she supports research design and delivery for practical programming and policy advocacy. Before this she was at Conciliation Resources from 2012-2018, where she was editor of the Accord Insight publication, and managed the DFID-funded Political Settlements Research Project, supporting staff and learning with partner organisations how to develop practice based-research activities. She has also taught at SOAS University and Kings College London, and completed a PhD in comparative peace processes in 2010, with a focus on northern Ireland, Palestine, and Kashmir, from Kings College London.