Gareth Evans was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 10:00 a.m. Convocation ceremony on Sunday, November 13, “in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the service of international peace and security.”
Since January 2000, Gareth Evans has been President and Chief Executive of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), an independent multinational nongovernmental organization that works to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. ICG is currently monitoring intense situations in Sudan, Kosovo, Algeria, and Haiti, among other countries.
Before joining ICG, Evans was a member of the Australian Parliament for 21 years. He was one of Australia’s longest serving Foreign Ministers and is best known in international circles for his roles in helping to develop the United Nations peace plan for Cambodia and for bringing to a conclusion the International Chemical Weapons Convention. He also is noted for founding the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and initiating the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Over the years, Evans has received numerous awards for his humanitarian work, including the Australian Humanist of the Year in 1990 and the ANZAC Peace Prize in 1994 for his work on Cambodia. He was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University in 2003 and received the Chilean Order of Merit (Grand Cross) in 1999 primarily for his work in initiating APEC. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2001.
Evans has written or edited eight books and has published more than 80 chapters in books and journal articles on foreign relations, politics, human rights and legal reform.