University of Ulster UNESCO Centre

Professor Alan Smith (contact card)
Director, UNESCO Centre and UNESCO Chair in Pluralism, Human Rights and Democracy

Alan Smith is Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair at the University of Ulster and an Advisory Professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. His work includes research on education and conflict, young people's understanding of human rights and the development of social, civic and political education.

Alan was a UK representative to the Council of Europe and a British Council visiting fellow to Nigeria and Indonesia. He has completed a report on ‘Education, Conflict and International Development’ for DFID and has been a consultant for International Alert, UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank in Bosnia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Alan is currently a member of the ESRC DFID Commissioning Panel for a £13m programme on poverty reduction and a member of the International Interagency Network on Education and Emergencies, Working Group on Education and Fragile States. He has recently completed an expert paper on Children and Transitional Justice for UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, Italy. Alan has also been instrumental in establishing a three-year International Development programme at the University of Ulster funded by DFID.

Mr Neil Alldred (contact card)
Programme Director, International Development Programme

Neil Alldred is Director of the International Development Programme at the UNESCO Centre. He is currently chair of the Climate Change Coalition (CCC) in Northern Ireland and sits on a number of boards of development and educational institutions.

Neil joined the University from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions where he was responsible for a nationwide programme of development education, pioneering new ways of reaching untraditional audiences with the messages of international development. Prior to that, he successfully launched the Environmental Information Centre (EIC) for Northern Ireland, in Ballymena’s Ecos centre.

Neil graduated from Keele University in 1972 in Sociology and Politics and received his masters in Education from Manchester University in 1978. He has spent well over 20 years working in Africa – initially in teaching, lecturing and research, at secondary, further and higher levels. He then worked in a number of non-governmental organisations managing development programmes for agencies such as Oxfam, ActionAid and indigenous African organisations. His main work has been in capacity-building and the development of human resources to address development issues.

Mr Nigel Glenny (contact details)
Programme Director of the 'Northern Ireland: Democracy and Social Change' HECUA programme and Lecturer in International Education and Development

Nigel Glenny is Programme Director of the ‘Northern Ireland: Democracy and Social Change’ HECUA programme. He is also a Lecturer in International Education and Development. Both programmes are organized from the UNESCO Centre.

Prior to joining the UNESCO Centre, Nigel worked at Co-operation Ireland, a leading non-governmental organization engaged in peace and capacity-building initiatives throughout the island of Ireland and internationally. There, he developed a Citizenship Action Project, training and supporting teachers and youth workers throughout Ireland and the United States in methods of facilitating student engagement. Nigel is a graduate of Stranmillis University College with a First Class Honours degree in Education. He began his career as a history teacher, then moved into local government as an education officer, where he designed and taught a wide range of experiential learning programs for schools, colleges, youth and community groups..

Mrs Roisin McEvoy (contact card)
Lecturer, International Development Programme

Roisin McEvoy is currently a Lecturer (International Development) based in the UNESCO Centre, School of Education, working on the University’s new International Development Programme funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). Her work includes Course Directorship and teaching on the new undergraduate Minor in International Development and contributing to the teaching of the Minor in Education. As part of her role Roisin also organises public seminars and lectures related to the work of the project; works collaboratively with various stakeholders throughout the university to profile good practice related to the international development agenda and coordinates community outreach and partnerships with local non-governmental development organisations and the broader education community to support the delivery of the programme.

Prior to taking on this role, Roisin was a Lecturer (International Exchanges) in the UNESCO Centre where she managed the US-based HECUA education partnership and delivered an exchange programme for US undergraduate students on Northern Ireland: Democracy and Social Change. She has also taught modules at postgraduate level in Human Rights and Educational Practice and Education for Sustainable Development.

Mrs Barbara Rosborough (contact card)
Secretary

Barbara Rosborough is responsible for the administrative support to the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights, Pluralism and Democracy and the UNESCO Centre. Her career as a Secretary/Administrator has spanned 39 years, 20 of which have been working within Educational Research.

Mr Niall McHugh (contact card)
Placement Student

Niall McHugh is currently on internship with the UNESCO Centre and his work mainly involves updating of the current UNESCO Centre website and production of a proposed new website for the Centre. He is currently studying Interactive Multimedia Design at the Jordanstown campus and in his 3rd year of study.