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Expert Speakers - Democratic Republic of Congo
The ten UK based expert speakers on the Democratic Republic of Congo are Alex Ntung, Emilie Venables, David Seddon, Karen O’Reilly, Dr. Joseph Mullen, Mario Aguilar, David Nabarro, Jordan Anderson, Jeremy Farrar, and Ben Shepherd.
Alex Ntung
He is an author, speaker, country expert, and a vetted expert witness in social, cultural, religious, linguistic, and ethnic issues in the countries of DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. Alex is also an international speaker for issues of war and human security, cultural insensitivity, and conflict resolution. He has authored over 250 witness research papers and a book 'Not My Worst Day,' which describes the biographical account, and analytical papers on DRC security and conflict situations. Alex is a professional member of the Expert Witness Institute (UK), and the Mind Professional and the Institute of Migration Research.
Emilie Venables
Dr. Venables is an anthropologist and researcher with expertise in public health. She has published over 30 academic papers and has 15 years of research experience in African countries on subjects including HIV, Ebola, malaria, migration, torture, mental health, conflict, and health access. Dr. Venables holds a PhD. and MSc in African Studies from the University of Edinburgh. She has worked for international NGOs and academic institutions, including Médecins Sans Frontières, Doctors Without Borders and has also held senior academic and consultant research positions.
David Seddon
David is a specialist in politics and human rights for the region of Africa and the Middle East. He is the Director of Critical Faculty, and a research associate at the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Studies, University of Exeter. Seddon has produced over 10 expert reports on various countries in the region of Africa and the Middle East. David's expertise revolves around the subjects of social/ethnic/political groups at risk of persecution, brutal and degrading treatment, and torture.
Karen O’Reilly
Karen is a writer and refugee resettlement expert at UNHCR. She has worked in the countries of DRC, Uganda, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Senegal, Guinea, and Jordan. Karen has interviewed and reviewed several thousand cases of refugees and asylum seekers in West and East Africa and the Middle East about their experiences in their countries of origin and asylum. Karen has also researched on more than a thousand country of origin information reports.
Dr. Joseph Mullen
Dr. Mullen holds a Ph.D. in African Politics and is an academic development specialist with a specific interest in nationality, ethnicity, governance, religion, and risk of persecution. He has presented expert evidence to over 400 First and Upper Tier Tribunals, as well as Family Court and Court of Appeal. Dr. Mullen has also submitted expert evidence to the European Parliament, European Court of Justice, Supreme Court of Finland, and to immigration jurisdictions in the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, US, and Australia. He has worked with national or international organizations like the United Nations, World Bank, African Development Bank, European Parliament, Govts'. Of Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, and Australia, UK FCO, and Commonwealth Secretariat.
Mario I Aguilar
Professor at School of Divinity, Mario has expertise on religion and politics in several African, Asian and Latin American countries. His current research includes China (Tibet), Chile, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Libya, and Syria. Aguilar is an expert adviser to the British Courts on Asylum Cases from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Chile.
David Nabarro
David Nabarro is a medical doctor and an international diplomat. He has served as special adviser to the UN Secretary-General and has led the UN's special envoy on Ebola. Dr. Nabarro has over 40 years of experience and has worked in over 50 countries. In 2017, he was nominated by the British government for the position of the Director-General at the World Health Organization. The Helen Keller Humanitarian Award felicitated Dr. Nabarro for his work on fighting Ebola.
Jordan Anderson
Jordan works as a country risk analyst at IHS Markit. His work focuses around forecasting the political, security, and business environment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Jordan holds an MA degree in Intelligence and International Security from King's College London, and a BA in Social Anthropology and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Jordan has provided commentary on African affairs in a variety of media, including Sky News, Al Jazeera, RFI Radio France Internationale (RFI), Agence France-Presse (AFP), CNBC Africa, Deutsche Welle, and Le Monde.
Jeremy Farrar
Jeremy Farrar is serving as the Director of the Wellcome Group. He was previously working as the Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam for 18 years. Jeremy's research interests are inclined toward infectious diseases, tropical health, and emerging infections. He has published over 500 peer-reviewed scientific papers and served as Chair on several advisory boards for governments and global organizations, including the World Health Organization for Ebola-affected communities.
Ben Shepherd
Ben is a leading specialist in African politics and conflict, policy formulation, and applied analysis. He has a broad range of experience across West and Central Africa, with a particular focus on the DRC and wider Great Lakes region. He has served as the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) specialist on Central Africa and African conflict (2004-2011).