Distinguished Service Awards recognise the hard work and dedication of UNA-UK members. Committees of all UNA nations and regions make nominations for these awards which will be presented at UNA-UK's Annual General Meeting on 29 March.
Those nominated for this year’s Distinguished Service Award are detailed below. Congratulations to them all!
David Barrs
Nominated by UNA Eastern Region.
Throughout his adult life David Barrs has been an enthusiastic campaigner for the United Nations and the work of UNA. A member since 1980, David also served as on the UNA Board of Directors from c. 1984 to 1990. In 1989 he succeeded the late Rob Lloyd as Chairman of Eastern Region Council and held the post with distinction until 2003.
As a teacher, he saw the new national curriculum as an opportunity to bring the work and ideals of the United Nations into the classroom and in 1991 was behind the setting up of UNA-UK’s Education Committee of which he was the first chair. The United Nations teaching kits of which the first was published in 1992, were a product of the work of this Committee. These were translated and published internationally. David was awarded a UN Silver Medal for his contribution to the UN’s 50th anniversary celebrations with the UN Kits.
David also established the Regional “We the Peoples” Newsletter of which he was the first editor. In 1985 David, with his late wife Ann Dodgson, organised their first educational study tour, taking over from Basil and Mary Hembry. Since then he has organised 14 study tours to Geneva and New York. More recently, as Headteacher of the Anglo-European School in Essex, David has been organising study tours for his students and hopes to extend these to students of other schools. David was on the Saffron Walden Branch Committee for 20 years until c. 2000 and is still involved with the organisation of the Annual Saffron Walden Branch Schools Quiz.
Hassan Bin Azad
Nominated by UNA Youth.
Hassan Bin Azad is president of the Lancaster University UNA Youth branch and has led this branch in their commitment to campaigning and MUN activities. In particular, Hassan has been fundamental in creating a new publication - The Research Journal of Young Scholars.
This document features articles from climate change to political instability and is an effort put together entirely by students. It has been widely circulated both in the UK and internationally.
The branch's commitment under Hassan’s leadership has proved to be an inspiration for all other UNA Youth Branches across the UK and his professionalism is highly applauded by the entire Youth Council.
Nigel Dower
Nominated by UNA Scotland.
Dr Nigel Dower has been a key figure in the UNA Aberdeen branch and UNA Scotland since the 1970s. As a philosophy lecturer, he has tirelessly promoted the value of a strong and credible UN, which is intertwined with his work on global citizenship, human rights, sustainable development and justice.
In recent years Nigel has successfully rejuvenated the Aberdeen branch and has been key to building strong relations with the UNA Youth branch at the University of Aberdeen. Nigel strongly supported the Aberdeen Model United Nations (AbeMUN) and in 2013 and opened the event with a discussion on 'the UN through three lenses: cosmopolitanism, internationalism and pluralism'. As well as organising UNA events with speakers such as Alistair Carmichael (Secretary of State for Scotland) and Lord Des Browne, Nigel promotes UNA in everything that he does within the local community.
Nigel is a beacon for UNA among local politicians, business leaders and other community groups. He regularly gives talks as a UNA representative on issues that are at the heart of UNA policy.
Rod Fielding
Nominated by UNA Central Region.
Rod’s contribution to UNA-UK during the past twenty years has been immense. Although he has been a member since the 1960s, it was a series of lectures he gave in the early 1970s at Leamington Spa’s Warwickshire College through which Rod was encouraged to take a more active part in the Association.
Rod’s experience, knowledge and expertise in international relations has, throughout the decades, been put to use by the branches in the Central Region and especially the former Coventry UNA branch. He has delivered talks on varied international issues during at branch meetings, WFUNA sessions, Leamington Peace Festival, faith groups events and after dinner speeches. In recognition of his service he was made President of the Central Region of UNA-UK.
He was co-opted on to the Board of Directores in 2000 as Chairman of the WFUNA Liaison Committee. From there on Rod served as a member of the UNA-UK Board until 2010. He was elected Treasurer of UNA-UK from 2004 until 2010 and was Chairman of the Finance & Management Committee from 2005 until 2010. Also during this period Rod took on Chairmanship of the UNA Trust from 2005 to present. Rod was Chairman of the Charity Working Group which led to the transition of UNA-UK to charitable status.
Sheila Kesby
Nominated by UNA London & SE Region.
Sheila Kesby is a long-standing member of UNA and has contributed much at both branch and regional levels. The hallmark of her work has always been close networking with other local organisations which focuses on the need to build branch activity from the grassroots.
Among many services to the UNA Canterbury Branch and the wider UNA, Sheila was the prime mover in creating a UN road show and docudrama which has brought the UN to life visually and dramatically in several performances before diverse audiences. Building on the idea of UNA as part of a broader movement, she has organised a series of meetings and symposiums on green issues in Canterbury to mark UN Earth Day, and while her own personal focus has often been on international health concerns (following her experience as a health professional in both the NHS and Haiti), these have always been viewed as part of a nexus of wider international issues.
Sheila has also developed and organised of a series of UN ‘Services for World Peace’ in Canterbury Cathedral to mark United Nations Day, with the theme "swords into ploughshares". These started in the crypt, but last year took place in the main cathedral, in the Quire. These events have been notable for their inclusiveness, with uniformed veterans from UN Peacekeepers from the British Legion rubbing shoulders with members of CND, Amnesty, WILPF and other peace groups.
At regional and national level, Sheila has been very active on the committee of London and SE Region in seeking to rejuvenate membership both by pushing for strategic reviews of activity and also by practical information sharing and mutual branch support.
The feeling is strong in London and SE Region that the award would be an honour not just to herself but to her branch and indeed the region, and is thoroughly deserved.
Meic Peterson
Nominated by UNA Wales.
As a student in the 1960s Meic Peterson worked as a volunteer alongside Robert Davies, whose distinguished service was recognised recently by UNA. He was employed as Information Officer for UNA Wales from Oct 1982 to April 1983, during which time he organised the first model Security Council attended by, amongst others, Carwyn Jones, later to become the First Minister.
In the 1980s he took part in a Cardiff UNA-organised teach-in about the Falklands War. As a member of Cor Cochion Caerdydd he has helped publicise events and raise money for the Cardiff UNA Branch.
For two years during the 2000s he served as UNA Cardiff & District Branch Secretary at a difficult time in its history, chaired branch meetings and served on the Welsh National Council UNA. At several of our public meetings, he has ably explained the stances of UN and of UNA and continues to serve as an active member of the Cardiff UNA Executive.
Hilary Sloan
UNA Northern Ireland.
Hilary is an educationalist with a long-standing career which has embraced school-teaching, prison education, teacher-training/university education and policy making in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and India. Her interest in UN affairs began while training teachers in South India and this led to her becoming a member of her local UNA in Belfast in the early 90s.
Hilary has served UNA at local and national levels, both as local Northern Ireland Chairperson and as Northern Ireland Director on UNA-UK's Board of Directors in London. She continues to represent UNA-UK in many ways, especially within the local education sector where she regularly raises awareness of the work of the UN and of UNA-UK. She also continues to serve on the local UNA committee. One of the highlights of her term as Chairperson and Director (NI) was to host and chair in Belfast in 2008 one of UNA-UK’s regional conferences on Climate Change, which proved to be a particularly successful event for UNA-NI.
UNA-Northern Ireland believe that Hilary’s hard work for the UN and in UNA-UK deserves to be noted and valued through the receipt of a UNA-UK Distinguished Service Award.