The former president of Centretown-based International Development Research Centre is now leading policy and research projects on the world stage as the head of the UN’s own university.
Ottawa-born David Malone has just begun working from headquarters in Tokyo as the rector of United Nations University, a confederation of think-tanks with 15 different campuses and numerous affiliates around the world.
He took up the position on March 1, also assuming the title of undersecretary-general of the UN. Although UNU does offer some academic courses, it functions more as an international research institution than a conventional university.
Responding to questions via email, the 59-year-old Malone said part of his challenge will be finding the scarce funding dollars necessary to advance the UNU’s research, as it’s only the institution’s base operations that have a stable source of revenue – investment income from an endowment fund.
Malone says he enters the organization with several goals in mind.
“My focus will be – relentlessly – on research and teaching quality,” said the career diplomat, “and our role in contributing to UN policy debates and decisions through evidence-based research.”
He says he believes his five-year term as president of the government-funded IDRC has prepared him well for this position. The IDRC’s mandate is to support and conduct research in the developing world to aid economic and social development.
“Managing the exciting team involved, and constantly focusing on how to make the most of our resources, has been excellent preparation for UNU,” Malone said.
The UNU’s new rector says he’ll bring a personal approach to directing research – by continuing to conduct it himself.
“I hope this places me closer to those toiling in the research and policy advocacy trenches. High-quality research is not easy, and seeking to engage with it makes one more empathetic towards others who do,” he said.
Balancing research and administration carry some advantages for Malone, says Bruce Currie-Alder, Malone’s former chief of staff at the IDRC.
“If you have experience – and continuing ongoing experience – in the substance of what the organization is about, that inevitably raises your credibility,” Currie-Alder says.
Malone said he applied for the job after seeing a notice in The Economist. He’s the first Canadian to take the position. Malone has an extensive history in international relations beyond his term at the IDRC, more recently having worked as Canada’s high commissioner to India and non-resident ambassador to Bhutan and Nepal.
News of his appointment in October received little play in the Canadian media.
“I think it’s a fairly big deal, but it’s hard to communicate,” says Currie-Alder, adding that the UN is so large it’s hard to emphasize the importance of specific positions.
“We lost a Security Council seat,” says Nipa Banerjee, an international development professor at the University of Ottawa. “This position is equivalent to the undersecretary-general’s position at the UN. So that’s great for Canada.”
Yet Malone didn’t secure the position because he was Canadian, says Currie-Alder. “This was based on merit. It wasn’t based on flags,” he says.
Banerjee says Malone is “quite well-known” in diplomatic circles. “He’s worked in many positions that require a high level of knowledge,” she says.
Despite his new international position, Malone says that he still identifies as Canadian. During his time at the IDRC he lived in the Golden Triangle area of Centretown.
“I was born in Ottawa, and always felt comfortable there, even though I grew up abroad in the Netherlands, Iran and France.”
Having moved with his parents while his father worked for then-Department of External Affairs, Malone was introduced to international affairs at an early age.
“To live abroad a lot is to know how exceptionally blessed Canada is in so many ways, not least its well-functioning and inclusive society.“