Podcast appearances and mentions of ian smillie

In this episode of Face2Face, David Peck sits down with development expert and author Ian Smillie to explore his latest memoir, Under Development: A Journey Without Maps. With wit, wisdom, and decades of global experience, Smillie reflects on what he's learned—and unlearned—about international aid, poverty, and the complexity of change. From Sierra Leone to Bangladesh, from the frontlines of the blood diamond trade to the halls of global policy, this thoughtful conversation challenges conventional thinking and offers honest, hopeful insights about what it really means to make a difference.Get a copy of Under Development here.Bio:Ian Smillie is a leading Canadian voice in international development, humanitarian aid, and ethical resource extraction. With over five decades of experience, his work has taken him from teaching in Sierra Leone to advising governments and international organizations on poverty reduction, conflict prevention, and sustainable development. He played a central role in creating the Kimberley Process, an international certification scheme to halt the trade in conflict diamonds, and later chaired the Diamond Development Initiative, promoting fair labor practices for artisanal miners.A gifted storyteller and respected policy thinker, Ian has written extensively on the challenges and contradictions of foreign aid and global development. His books include Blood on the Stone, Freedom From Want, The Alms Bazaar, and Mastering the Machine. His latest memoir, Under Development: A Journey Without Maps, is a deeply personal reflection on the promise and pitfalls of a life spent working for change.Recognized as a Member of the Order of Canada, Ian has served on expert panels for the UN Security Council and taught at leading universities. His sharp insight, global experience, and unwavering moral compass continue to shape conversations about justice, equity, and the role of compassion in international affairs.F2F Music and Image Copyright: David Peck and Face2Face. Used with permission.For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here.With thanks to Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Victoria Gomelsky and Rob Bates talk with veteran human rights activist and author Ian Smillie, one of the architects of the Kimberley Process. Ian's unlikely career began when he volunteered to teach high school in Sierra Leone more than 50 years ago and led him to become one of the leading advocates for ending the blood diamond trade. Ian discusses his quest to improve life for artisanal miners, the threats they face from the rise of lab-grown stones, and his new memoir on a life dedicated to combatting global poverty. Sponsored by Tracr: tracr.com

We seem to have an almost insatiable appetite for the glitter and sparkle of diamonds. Yet transforming these stones into jewels fit for princesses and film stars involves a long chain of production and distribution. And the diamond industry has long been bound up with a much darker side: the exploitation of workers, environmental damage, all-powerful monopolies and violent mafias, not to mention the so-called Blood Diamonds used to finance armed conflict. So how is the industry trying to clean up its image and regulate the trade? Joining Bridget Kendall to discuss the history of the diamond trade are: Dr. Lansana Gberie, former coordinator for the UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Liberia. He is the author of A Dirty War in West Africa: The RUF and the Destruction of Sierra Leone. He's also Sierra Leone's current Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to Switzerland - though his contributions to this programme are in a personal capacity. Ian Smillie, founder of the Diamond Development Initiative, now DDI at Resolve, an organisation which works to improve conditions for small-scale miners. He is the author of several books, including Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade. He is based in Canada. Dr. Tijl Vanneste, researcher at the Portuguese Institute of International Relations at Nova University in Lisbon. He is the author of Blood, Sweat and Earth: The Struggle for Control over the World's Diamonds Throughout History. [Image: Examining a gem diamond in Antwerp, Belgium; Credit: Paul O'Driscoll/Getty Images]

Don’t miss this episode as Ian speaks to development issues of all kinds, sustainability, how to lie with statistics and the future of development.Ian Smillie has been an international development practitioner, consultant, teacher and writer for many years. He has lived and worked in Asia and Africa, was a founder of Inter Pares and was Executive Director of CUSO. He is the author of several books, including The Charity of Nations: Humanitarian Action in a Calculating World (with Larry Minear, 2004) Freedom from Want (2008) and Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade (2010). He served on a UN Security Council Expert Panel examining the relationship between diamonds and weapons in West Africa, and he helped develop the 70-government ‘Kimberley Process,’ a global certification system to halt the traffic in conflict diamonds. He chairs the Board of the Diamond Development Initiative, he Co-chairs the Advisory Panel of the Office of Canada’s Extractive Sector CSR Counsellor and he is a member of the McLeod Group.His Ottawa Citizen blogs on international development can be found at http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/author/ismillie/He received the Order of Canada in 2003. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Historian Howard Zinn once said that dissent is the highest form of patriotism.  In this episode we will hear from a number of dissenters.  First, sign of the times. We'll hear how a placard holding woman near parliament hill drew an unwelcome visit from the RCMP.  And, a group of folks in Regina, Saskatchewan are resisting private control over their water.  Then, an announcement of a different kind of labour union, whose leaders say that their dissenting voices will be heard. And Inter Pares founder Ian Smillie about whether development work is working. In our democracy holding a protest sign is a pretty basic right of freedom of expression.  Or is it?  Redeye host Jane Williams gets the story from one woman who was stopped by the RCMP for doing just that – holding a sign. Hear the whole interview here. Citizen advocacy group Regina Water Watch has forced a referendum to keep their wastewater facility public.  Scott Neigh spoke with activist Jeremy Campbell about the campaign.  Hear the whole interview here. Over the labour day weekend a new union was formed in Canada.  It is named “Unifor,” and it is made up of the members of Canadian Auto Workers union and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.  UNIFOR is now the largest private sector union in Canada. It represents more than 20 sectors. That's over 300 000 workers.  The leaders of the new union say UNIFOR will do things differently.  Here is Inaugural Unifor President Jerry Dias making the opening statement at his first Unifor press conference. To hear the whole press conference listen here. Does development work? Ian Smilley has some thoughts on the matter. Smiley  has been an international development practitioner, consultant, teacher and writer for many years. He has lived and worked in Asia and Africa, was a founder of Inter Pares and Executive Director of CUSO.  This month, a new podcast called face 2 face, hosted by David Peck joined the network. Here is David Peck talking with Ian Smilley. Hear the whole interview here. Finally, please support our campaign to put Karl Nerenberg back on the on Parliament Hill beat.

Larry Minear discusses his book "Through Veterans' Eyes: The Iraq and Afghanistan Experience," based on interviews culled from the Library of Congress Veterans History Project collection. Speaker Biography: For the past twenty years Larry Minear has worked as a researcher on international and internal armed conflicts, interviewing aid workers, soldiers and local populations in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Director of the Humanitarianism and War Project at Brown and then at Tufts universities, he is the author, co-author or editor of several dozen research monographs and fourteen books, including (with Ian Smillie) "The Charity of Nations: Humanitarian Action in a Calculating World."

Ian Smillie, conflict diamond expert and former executive director of CUSO-VSO, talks to us about the bloody global diamond trade and how his interest in this issue began with his experience as a CUSO volunteer in Sierra Leone in 1967.Volunteer for a better world! Join CUSO-VSO, share skills and volunteer in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Volunteers, donate, share skills.www.cuso-vso.org

Noulan Bowker who also served in Thailand turned in Paul Stinson and now we have both their stories in first voice.It was a pleasure meeting now CAPRA President Paul who remembered people and his time with CUSO very fondly. He taught English in Chombung, a small rural community that had a teachers training college. It is now a University. He remembers the students representing a real cross section of the Thai population. Two students from each province were given a scholarship to study at Chombung.Paul said, "it was the luckiest day of my life when CUSO accepted me"He had studied Political Science and History at Western. He came from Sarnia, Ontario.He describes his experience with CUSO as life changing making him a citizen of the world.He has worked with IDRC and many other international companies and organizations since. Today he still parlays his business contacts in China with companies in North America.We can expect Paul at our reunion in Ottawa and in Vancouver. he was really happy to see Ian Smillie's book, The Land of Lost Content and recognized many people in it.Paul, I am expecting you to turn in other long lost RV's.Thanks for a wonderful interview! Volunteer for a better world! Join CUSO-VSO, share skills and volunteer in 43 countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Volunteers, donate, share skills.www.cuso-vso.org

Michael arrived to meet me with his Professor of History, John Conway, on his bicycle. John too rides a bicycle very often. These two individuals were important in the international development scene that started at UBC in 1960. Keith Spicer was working at the same time at U of T. CUSO officially formed in 1961 at a meeting of Universities at McGill.Michael reads the letter he and Brian Marson wrote to the then President McKenzie of UBC. He dropped the letter off at President McKenzie's home. He wasn't home and Mrs. McKenzie put the letter of the President's pillow.His response was to call a meeting and the ball began to roll. 2011 will mark CUSO's 50th anniversay. 12,000 volunteers later, over 25 million volunteer hours, many staff, the support of CIDA and many donors. Thank you all ! These days I meet youth that tell me that their parents served with CUSO and they want to join CUSO-VSO.What a legacy!Cyril Belshaw, Lewis Perinbaum and so many more participated. The Vancouver Sun supported their first fund raising efforts.Michael has gone on to continue to make a difference in the world and recently was awarded the order of Canada. He thanks Professor Conway for inspiring him. It was simply wonderful having tea with them. Thank you gentlemen for all your work.Read: The Land of Lost Content- A History of CUSO by Ian Smillie for more informationCUSO-VSOVolunteer for a better world! Share Skills volunteers in 43 Countries-Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, El Salvador,Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guatemala ,Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Maldives, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal , Nigeria, Pakistan, Paua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra, Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Support our workwww.cuso-vso.org

Michael Clague and Brian Marson wrote to President of UBC McKenzie and initiated the first meeting of "CUSO west"Professor Cryril Belshaw and many more were to participate in sending the first 2 volunteers from BC. The two home economists who were posted to Ghana were from UBC. In June 1961 Jocelyn King and Judy Foote left on assignment.Recipient of the Order of Canada- Michael Clague is described as compassionate, innovative and committed, Michael Clague has been tireless in his efforts to improve the lives of society's most disadvantaged members. For decades, he worked in community development at the local, provincial and national levels. He is perhaps best known as the driving force behind Vancouver's Britannia Community Service Centre, and as the creative, resourceful former head of the Carnegie Community Centre, in the troubled Downtown Eastside. Bringing diverse interests together, particularly through arts programming, he supported the efforts of residents to strengthen their sense of community and possibility.Read: The Land of Lost Content- A History of CUSO by Ian Smillie and learn more CUSO-VSOVolunteer for a better world! Share Skills volunteers in 43 Countries-Bangladesh ,Bolivia, Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, El Salvador,Eritrea, Ethiopia,Gambia, Guatemala ,Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Maldives, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal ,Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra, Leone,South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Support our workwww.cuso-vso.org