Permanent Staff
Yasemin Balci
Associate Legal Officer
yasemin.balci [at] vertic.org
As the Associate Legal Officer of the National Implementation Measures (NIM) Programme, Yasemin provides legal research and administrative support to the Programme. She has a BA degree from University College Utrecht (Utrecht University), an LLB degree from the University of Amsterdam and an LLM degree in Public International Law from the University of Cambridge, where she studied on a Huygens Scholarship.
Before joining VERTIC, Yasemin worked as a policy officer at Cordaid, an international development NGO in The Hague, and was a Lantos/Humanity in Action Fellow at the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives. Yasemin holds joint Dutch/Turkish nationality and speaks Dutch, Turkish and English.
David Cliff
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Hassan Elbahtimy
Researcher
hassan.elbahtimy [at] vertic.org
Hassan contributes to VERTIC’s Arms Control and Disarmament Programme. This includes work on verification of nuclear disarmament and researching nuclear confidence-building measures between States with a focus on the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
Hassan is currently a PhD candidate in War Studies, Kings College London. He holds an M.B.B.Ch from Cairo University, an International Relations Graduate Diploma from American University in Cairo and an MA in Science and Security from War Studies Department, Kings College London. In 2006, he was awarded the United Nations Disarmament Fellowship upon successful conclusion of the program. Hassan is fluent in Arabic, English and French.
Rocío Escauriaza Leal
Legal Officer
rocio.escauriaza [at] vertic.org
Rocío is researching the status and effectiveness of national implementation measures adopted for the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) for VERTIC's National Implementation Measures Programme. She is directly involved in providing legislative assistance to States Parties to implement the BWC and CWC, on the development of assistance tools to that end and on the ratification and accession of those Treaties to achieve their universalization. Rocío participates in the organization of VERTIC workshops and meetings on national implementation issues. Rocío is also an Expert for the UNICRI/JRC CBRN Centres of Excellence.
Rocío has a Law degree from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid and an LLM in International Law from the University of Westminster where she researched the International Protection of Children's Rights. She has previously worked within the private sector as a lawyer. Rocío is fluent in Spanish, French and English.
Rocío is a non-resident staff member based in Madrid, Spain.
Dr. David Keir
Senior Researcher
david.keir [at] vertic.org
Originally a research chemist in academia, David Keir joined the nuclear industry in the 1980s, as part of a UKAEA team, analysing nuclear reactor accidents and their environmental consequences worldwide.
Subsequently he headed a group looking at chemical and biological risks, and developing assessment methods for release of genetically modified organisms. He provided technical reportage for the European Union on member state implementation of GMO directives, as well as developing risk assessments for legacy anthrax and other biohazards.
Returning to nuclear issues in the late nineties, he then acted as a safety consultant in the UK nuclear weapons field, specialising in nuclear safety cases and environmental management systems. From 2001 to September 2011 he was a key member of the Arms Control Verification Research programme, based at Aldermaston. David joined VERTIC in September 2011.
Scott Spence
Senior Legal Officer
scott.spence [at] vertic.org
Scott is the Senior Legal Officer at VERTIC, where he co-ordinates the strategic vision and technical implementation of the National Implementation Measures (NIM) Programme. The NIM Programme works with interested governments on comprehensive national implementation of the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions as well as UN Security Council Resolution 1540. This includes awareness-raising activities, promoting universal membership in the conventions and legislative drafting assistance. Scott is currently laying the groundwork for the expansion of the NIM Programme to encompass the legislative response to the illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials.
Scott is also a Key Legal Expert for the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence.
Scott previously worked at Interpol and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He also worked as an attorney in the New York office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
In addition to co-developing the 'Sample Act' for national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention, he prepared VERTIC's 'Regulatory Guidelines' for implementation of the BWC and the OPCW's 'National Legislation Implementation Kit' for the Chemical Weapons Convention. He is also an Assistant Editor and contributor to the forthcoming revised 'Commentary on the Chemical Weapons Convention' (Oxford University Press). His other publications can be found here.
Scott earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also has an LL.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University and undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia (with high distinction) and Harvard University.
Scott is a registered attorney with the New York State Unified Court System, a member of the International Law Association and a member of the International Working Group (Global Partnership).
He speaks French and Spanish and is based in Geneva.
Larry MacFaul
Senior Researcher
larry.macfaul [at] vertic.org
Larry MacFaul manages the Environment Programme and works on Arms Control & Disarmament Programme projects. Larry carries out analysis, and provides advice and capacity building on the UN climate change regime to a range of stakeholders. He focuses on options for developing climate change institutions and procedures at the international and national level, and engages closely with groups working on these issues, including governments, international organizations, civil society, research bodies and the private sector. Larry also works on identifying ways to track and improve REDD policy development and implementation. He has acted as a facilitator for in-country capacity building workshops for governments in Africa and Europe, in partnership with international agencies.
Larry also assesses progress in developing best practice in natural resource use and trade. He collaborated with Chatham House on their major project evaluating progress by governments and the private sector on tackling illegal logging worldwide. The initiative has involved developing an innovative set of indicators, a forest governance assessment framework, expert surveys and trend evaluation methodologies. Chatham House and VERTIC worked with in-country partners around the world to collect and evaluate data. The project resulted in the most thorough assessment to date in this field, along with recommendations on pathways for improvements.
His work on arms control & disarmament includes acting as facilitator during on-site activities for VERTIC’s UK-Norway project on verified dismantlement of nuclear warheads, as well as editing and assisting authors preparing ACD and NIM papers. He has also researched and published on verification issues in the arms trade, and provided lessons from environmental treaties to governments involved in initiatives to develop the Arms Trade Treaty.
Larry has a Master's degree in Environmental Assessment and Evaluation from the London School of Economics and a BA Hons in Classics from Oxford University.
Unini Tobun
Administrator
unini.tobun [at] vertic.org
Unini Tobun currently works as VERTIC's Administrator. She is responsible for VERTIC's financial accounts and payroll, IT network, website technical management, publication sales administration and general office management. She helps with the logistics for VERTIC events and travel, and also coordinates VERTIC's intern programme. She holds a BA (Combined Honours) in Business Administration and Property Management from the University College Northampton, and gained her MA in Information Systems Management at Bournemouth University in 2004. Her MA thesis focused on the Evaluation of CRM Implementation and Performance Measurement in the Public Sector.