John Hilary

John Hilary is the Executive Director of War on Want. John has worked for the past 20 years in the international development and human rights sector, and is a recognised expert in many fields across the global justice agenda. He has published widely on issues of international politics and globalisation, trade and investment, privatisation, conflict, aid conditionality, Palestine and Iraq, and became one of the first external columnists for the Guardian’s Comment is Free website on its launch in 2006.

During the last four years John has directed War on Want’s hard-hitting campaigns on ethical fashion, trade, corporate accountability, privatisation, mercenaries, Iraq, Palestine and Western Sahara, building the organisation’s impact and profile both in the UK and internationally. John has also been an important figure in the Trade Justice Movement since its inception, and led War on Want’s participation in the Make Poverty History coalition during 2005.

Before joining War on Want, John was employed as a policy and campaigns specialist for a number of other leading development and human rights organisations, including ActionAid, Amnesty International and Save the Children. He worked as a teacher in Pakistan and China during the 1980s, taking an MA in Chinese politics from London University?s School of Oriental and African Studies before joining the BBC World Service as a specialist in East Asian affairs.