Professor Al Gillespie

University of Waikato Faculty of Law

Professor Alexander Gillespie obtained his LLB and LLM degrees with Honours from The University of Auckland. He did his PhD at Nottingham and post-doctoral studies at Colombia University in New York City.

 

Professor Alexander Gillespie is the first New Zealander to be named Rapporteur for the World Heritage Convention, involving international environmental diplomacy. Professor Gillespie is also the legal and policy advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Department of Conservation and provides commissioned work for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and commercial and non-governmental organisations in New Zealand, Australia, United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland.

 

He has written over thirty articles that have been published in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Al has published eight books; the latest book is "The Illusion of Progress; Unsustainable Development in International Law".He has been awarded a Rotary International Scholarship, Fulbright Fellowship, Rockerfeller Fellowship and a number of smaller domestic awards. In 2004 Al was awarded the New Zealand Law Foundation International Research Fellowship. Al is also the New Zealand lawyer/expert on a number of international delegations.

Te Piringa - Faculty of Law Professor Alexander Gillespie was at the forefront of the New Zealand effort at the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee in Christchurch, in June/July. The conference, was one of the biggest events of its type ever hosted in New Zealand, drawing over 700 people who discussed, among other issues, the conservation of Jerusalem, the Sydney Opera house, the Galapagos and the Tower of London. About 50 countries were represented. Professor Alexander Gillespie's involvement was related to his appointment as Rapporteur for the World Heritage Convention, involving international environmental diplomacy. Visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/185/