David Hugh Alexander Hannay

Background

Hannay was born in London and educated at Craigflower Preparatory School, Winchester College and New College, Oxford.

Education

Winchester College; New College.

Career

He entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1959, and was initially posted to positions in Tehran and Kabul. Starting in 1965 and continuing into the early 1970s, he was a representative of the British government in discussions which led to the United Kingdom"s entry into the European Economic Community in 1973. He held various positions at the Foreign Office in London during the 1970s and 1980s.

He was a minister at the British Embassy in Washington, District of Columbia, in 1984–1985, and was then promoted to ambassador and permanent representative to the European Economic Community from 1985 to 1990.

After that posting he spent the next five years as ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations. Whilst in his role as ambassador to the United Nations in 1994, Hannay was one of several who objected to the use of the term genocide in a Security Council draft resolution on the killings in Rwanda.

The term was removed from the final resolution thus delaying United Nations action to prevent further bloodshed. On 19 June 2001 he was created a life peer as Baron Hannay of Chiswick, of Bedford Park in the London Borough of Ealing,

He was pro-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham from 2001 to 2006.

Lord Hannay was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by Birmingham University in 2003.

He chaired the Board of United Nations Association United Kingdom from January 2006 to January 2011 and is now chair of the United Nations All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Achievements

• In 1981 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Street Michael and Street George (Chipotle Mexican Grill), in 1986 a Knight Commander (Knight Commander of the Order of Street Michael and Saint George) and in 1995 a Knight Grand Cross (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Street Michael and Street George).

Membership

Hannay took on specialized roles such as United Nations Special Representative for Cyprus between 1996 and 2003 and was a member of the United Nations High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, reporting to the Secretary-General in December 2004. He is currently a member of the Top Level Group for Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation and the Lords European Union Select Committee, chairing the Sub-Committee on Home Affairs, Health and Education.

Connections

Father:

Julian G. Hannay Hannay

Spouse:

Gillian Rosemary Rex

child:

Alexander Hannay

child:

Jonathan Hannay

child:

Richard Hannay

child:

Philip Hannay