Scilla Elworthy

Scilla Elworthy (born June 3, 1943 in Galashiels, Scotland) is a founder and leader of numerous organizations and has written and co-written articles and books. She founded a think tank called the Oxford Research Group.

Education

She attended Berkhamsted School for Girls on a Herts County Scholarship before moving to Ireland in 1962 to study social sciences at Trinity College, Dublin. During her vacations she worked in refugee camps in France and Algiers. After graduating she travelled round West Africa to South Africa and between 1966 and 1969 became involved in marketing for various boutiques, most notably introducing the Mary Quant range. A little known fact is that she also obtained her private pilots licence in 1969. In 1993, she also gained her PhD in political science from Bradford University.

Personal life

In 1970 she married Murray McLean, who became a well known South African entrepreneur. In 1974 her daughter, Polly Jess, was born.

Organizations and foundings

From 1970-1976 she chaired KUPUGANI, a South African nutrition education organisation, where she set up an initiative which involved the sale of nutritious Christmas hampers to industrial employees thereby providing annual self-financing for the charity of R6million.

In 1976 she helped organise the building and launch of the Market Theatre [http://www.markettheatre.co.za/] , South Africa’s first multiracial theatre. Then in 1977 she established the Minority Rights Group in France and in 1978 she researched and delivered their report on female genital mutilation [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0946690901] (this link leads to a revised version if the report), leading to the World Health Organisation campaign to eradicate the practice. From 1979-81 she became a consultant on women’s issues to UNESCO [http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html] and it was during this time she researched and wrote UNESCO’s contribution to the 1980 United Nations Mid-decade Conference on Women: “The role of women in peace research, peace education and the improvement of relations between nations.”

In 1982 she founded the Oxford Research Group [http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/] (ORG), an NGO which independently researches decision-making on security in the five major nuclear nations and brings together policy-makers, academics, the military and civil society to engage in dialogue. Dr. Elworthy has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with ORG and in 2003 she was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1523/is_200305/ai_n7552617] for her work with them. She remained the executive director of ORG until 2003 and continues to be on their board of trustees.

In 2003 Dr. Elworthy stepped down as executive director of ORG in order to found a new charity, Peace Direct [http://www.peacedirect.org/] , which supports local peace-builders in conflict areas. Peace Direct was named ‘Best New Charity’ at the London Charity Awards 2005 and although she is not involved in the day to day running Dr. Elworthy remains on the board of trustees.

In 2002 she launched a production at the Royal Opera House theatre in London entitled “Transforming September 11th”; in 2004 provided the basic material for Max Stafford Clark’s acclaimed production of “Talking to Terrorists” at the Royal Court Theatre in London; and in 2007 her case study on the siege of Fallujah in Iraq was used as the basis for Jonathan Holmes production of “Fallujah” at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane.

The Elders

Although she has lectured extensively around the world and appeared on television and radio throughout the last 20 years, her work has been less in the public eye recently as she has been advising Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela and Peter Gabriel on the creation of ‘The Elders’ [http://www.theelders.org/?gclid=COTigJrq8JACFQ_nlAodewnbqQ] an organisation created to address the current lack of independent moral global leaders. These men and women are coming together to think about the current problems facing the world, their solutions and then working both in the private and public sphere in order to take what action must be taken. (see Sunday Telegraph Article [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=KRQR2S5KNM4WRQFIQMGSFGGAVCBQWIV0?xml=/arts/2007/07/21/sm_globalelders21.xml] )

Today

Dr. Elworthy lives in England and is a Councillor on the World Future Council [http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/home.html] an independent international organisation, launched in 2004 and focussing on the key challenges facing global society today. They have a broad mandate and look to all the issues currently facing humanity and promote successful policies for a sustainable future.

In autumn of 2007 she also joined the EastWest Institute’s International Taskforce on Preventative Diplomacy. [http://www.iews.org/announcements/news/index.cfm?title=EWI%20News&view=detail&id=616&aid=5500&areavar=activities&activityID=1] .

Her portrait is also one of Bryan Adam’s Modern Muses [http://www.blackberrywomentechnologyawards.com/modernmuses.html] on exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from March – June 2008.

Publications

A prolific writer, Dr. Elworthy has written, edited and contributed to myriad reports, articles and books including:

1986 Editor: "How Nuclear Weapons Decisions Are Made" [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0312395302] (Macmillan, London)
1987 Author: "Who Decides? Accountability and Nuclear Weapons Decision-Making in Britain", (Oxford Research Group).
1988 Producer: "The Nuclear Weapons World: Who How and Where" [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0313265909] , (Pinter Publishers, London).
1989 Author: "Parliament, the Public and NATO’s Nuclear Weapons", (Oxford Research Group).
1990 Co-author: "New Threats and New Responses: proposals for future security decision-making in Europe", (Oxford Research Group).
1991 Co-author: "Defence and Security in the New Europe: Who will decide?" (Oxford Research Group).
1992 Editor: "International control of the Arms Trade" (Oxford Research Group).
1996 Editor and contributor: "Re-thinking Defence and Foreign Policy", (Spokesman Press, London).
1996 Author: ‘"Power & Sex"’ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1852309563] (Element Books)
1997 Editor: "Proposals for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World – a meeting between China and the West" (Oxford Research Group).
2001 Co-author: "The United States, Europe and the Majority World after 11 September" (Oxford Research Group).
2001 Producer:" War Prevention Works: 51 case studies of people resolving conflict" [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/095113616X] (Oxford Research Group, Oxford).
2002 Co-author: "A Never-Ending War? Consequences of 11 September" (Oxford Research Group).
2002 Co-author: "The ‘War on Terrorism’: 12-month audit and future strategy options" (Oxford Research Group).
2001 Co-author: "9/11: What Should We Do Now?" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/782] (Open Democracy).
2001 Author: "Widening Atlantic" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/207] (Open Democracy).
2002 Author: "The Road Not Taken" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/551] (Open Democracy).
2003 Author: "The crisis over Iraq: the non-military solution" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/888] (Open Democracy).
2003 Author: "Waiting For The Dawn: A Bagdad Diary" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/885] (Open Democracy).
2003: Author:" Iraq: A Way Out?" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-iraqwarquestions/article_929.jsp] (Open Democracy).
2004 Author: "Cutting the Costs of War: non-military prevention and resolution of conflict" (Oxford Research Group).
2004 Author: "Peacemaking At The Sharp End: Iraq Before & After War" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-iraqi_war/article_1793.jsp] (Open Democracy).
2005 Author: "Learning from Fallujah’s Agony" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-iraq/fallujah_2999.jsp] (Open Democracy).
2005: Author: "Tackling Terror By Winning Hearts & Minds" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-terrorism/solution_2690.jsp] (Open Democracy).
2005 Co-author: "Hearts and Minds: human security approaches to political violence" [http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/heartsandminds] (Demos, London).
2006: Author: "If Diplomacy Fails" [http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-iran_war/iran_crisis_3528.jsp] (Open Democracy).
2006 Co-author: "Making Terrorism History" [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1846040477] (Random House, London).

The reports produced by the Oxford Research Group are available from their website or, for the older reports, by contacting them directly.

External links

* [http://www.markettheatre.co.za/ Market Theatre]
* [http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html UNESCO]
* [http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/ Oxford Research Group]
* [http://www.peacedirect.org/ Peace Direct]
* [http://www.theelders.org/?gclid=COTigJrq8JACFQ_nlAodewnbqQ The Elders]
* [http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/home.html World Future Council]
* [http://www.ewi.info/ Eastwest Institute]
* [http://www.blackberry-events.com/modernmuses/ Bryan Adams Modern Muses]