About the Speaker

Colin Keating is an independent adviser on international affairs. He was the founding Executive Director of Security Council Report in New York (http://www.securitycouncilreport.org) for the past 7 years. He was concurrently a Senior Research Fellow at Columbia University in New York.

Formerly, Ambassador Keating was a senior New Zealand diplomat. From 1993 to 1996, he was the New Zealand Ambassador to the UN and represented New Zealand on the Security Council in 1993 and 1994. He was Security Council president during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and has been widely recognised for leadership and advocacy at that time in trying to secure a timely and effective response. He led the Security Council Mission to Somalia. Also, he chaired the Security Council Committee on Sanctions against Iraq. He was actively involved in UN reform, serving as Co-Chair of the General Assembly working group dealing with reform at that time.

Upon his return to New Zealand, Mr Keating was appointed in 1997 as the Secretary of Justice of New Zealand. From 2000-2004 he worked in the private sector in New Zealand as a partner in legal practice.

Mr Keating has served on the Board of Amnesty International's New Zealand Section. He was also a board member of the Foundation for the United Nations Association of New Zealand and the Governments Legal Aid Commission and the Electoral Commission.

Currently Mr Keating is advising a range of clients on international and other matters.