Douglas Roche

The Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., is an author, parliamentarian and diplomat who has specialized in peace and human security issues throughout his 34-year public career.

Mr. Roche was a Senator, Member of Parliament, Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament and Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee at the 43rd General Assembly in 1988.

The author of 18 books, his latest is Beyond Hiroshima (Novalis 2005). His previous book, The Human Right to Peace (Novalis 2003), was the Canadian Book Review Annual Editor's Choice scholarly selection for July-August 2005.

Mr. Roche holds six honourary doctorates from Canadian and American universities and has received numerous awards for his work for peace and non-violence, including the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace Award (Canada) and the United Nations Association's Medal of Honour. In 1995, Pope John Paul II presented him with the Papal Medal for his service as Special Adviser on disarmament and security matters, and in 1998 the Holy See named him a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. He received the 2003 Peace Award of the Canadian Islamic Congress and the 2005 Luminosa Award for Unity from the Focolare Movement, North America. In 2005, he was given lifetime achievement awards from both the Canadian Pugwash Group and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Mr. Roche is Chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative, an international network of eight non-governmental organizations specializing in nuclear disarmament issues. He is a member of the Pugwash Council, which won the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for its work for nuclear disarmament.

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