I live and work on the unceded land of the Lenape people, Lenapehoking. I acknowledge the Lenape community, their elders past, present and emerging. This acknowledgement is part of my commitment to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism and white supremacy. To learn more about the Lenape people and Lenapehoking, visit https://thelenapecenter.com
My Story
Living as an aid worker in landmine-affected communities – in Bosnia and Iraq in the early 2000s – compelled me to study and resist the humanitarian and environmental effects of weapons. Later experiences in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Fiji, Haiti, Laos, Kenya, Kiribati, Maohi Nui/French Polynesia, Uganda, Vietnam, Sudan and South Sudan, have motivated my participation in global campaigns on landmines, cluster munitions, killer robots, drones, the arms trade and nuclear weapons.
Highlights include working with UNICEF and UNDP programs on landmines and serving on Control Arms' information and analysis team during the 2012-2013 Arms Trade Treaty negotiations. Since 2014, I've worked on UN and New York City advocacy of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. During negotiations of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, I joined ICAN's team that ensured inclusion of strong provisions on victim assistance and environmental remediation.
I am Professor of Political Science at Pace University, New York City. My PhD in Government and Master's in Development Studies are from the London School of Economics; I'm currently enrolled in a Master's at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry. My spouse, Emily Welty, and I live in Rockaway Beach NYC, where I am an avid, though unimpressive, surfer. I use he/him/his pronouns.
Photo by Frode Ersfjord for ICAN.
Reviews
Matthew Bolton ... emphasizes the role of civil society to show how when ordinary people work together they can achieve extraordinary impact.
JODY WILLIAMS
1997 Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate