In Memoriam - Phil Esmonde
In Memoriam
Phil Esmonde, who served from 2007 to 2010 as NP’s Capacity Building Director, died on the 27th of December, 2011, following a long and courageous struggle with cancer. Phil was known and loved by many in NP, having lived in Sri Lanka for many years and overseen the recruitment and training of field staff for all NP’s projects.
Phil served in the US Air Force before renouncing his military background and becoming a Quaker pacifist. He joined NP after more than 16 years of service to the people of Sri Lanka, as Country Representative for Oxfam GB, advisor to the Canadian High Commission in Colombo and Representative of British Quakers to Sri Lanka. During some of the worst fighting in Sri Lanka prior to the 2002 ceasefire, Phil used nothing other than his international credentials to safely escort humanitarian convoys through the warzone, which earned him huge respect among ordinary Sri Lankans trapped by the fighting. It also drew his interest to Nonviolent Peaceforce, which was just being set up at that time and promised to provide a similar service to civilians affected by war around the world.
As Capacity Building Director of NP, Phil screened and interviewed hundreds of applicants from all over the world for possible service with NP. He set up and oversaw several international trainings to ensure that selected staff were properly prepared for the realities on the ground and he played a key role in developing a more professional and rigorous approach to NP’s staff selection process. Phil also built collaborative relations with UNITAR and a number of key training institutions around the world to help strengthen NP’s own training and give it more recognition.
While working full-time for NP, Phil was also engaged in a major peacemaking role in Nagaland, in the northeast of India. Phil acted as facilitator to a number of decisive meetings held in Thailand to bring together different Naga political groups, local organizations and tribes to help them achieve reconciliation with each other. Phil’s presence was – and still is – hugely appreciated by those involved in the Naga reconciliation process:
“Phil was a man who was passionately committed to nonviolence, justice and peace. He was courageous, energetic and a persistent and skilful peacebuilder. His involvement in people’s peace initiatives in different parts of the world is an inspiration to all,” says the Forum for Naga Reconciliation.
On behalf of Nonviolent Peaceforce, I would like to express our sincere condolences to Phil’s wife, Kaushaliya, and to all Phil’s closest family and friends. His presence and wisdom will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Tim Wallis, Executive Director, NP
