Nick Kotch

Nick Kotch is a freelance journalist, media consultant and trainer who has lived and worked in Africa for more than 30 years. He has reported from all but six of the African Union’s 53 member states and written or broadcast about all of them. Nick moved back to his native London in 2015.

Nick Kotch was a correspondent and editor for Reuters for 27 years, working mostly in Africa ­ with postings in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, where he was Africa Bureau Chief. He was also assigned to France, Iran, Italy, Mexico and Romania.

After a chapter as a freelancer and media trainer, while he was also Africa consultant for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Nick joined Business Day, South Africa’s leading business newspaper, as its first Africa Editor, in 2012.

He has conducted media and journalism training in English and in French for clients including Unicef, UNDP, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and South Africa’s Institute for the Advancement of Journalism.

In all, Nick has conducted more than 80 workshops for African and other journalists and communications officials in a score of countries on topics ranging from economics, business, elections, sports, HIV-AIDs and natural disasters. He has trained staff of many U.N. agencies and other organisations (including the African Development Bank) to work effectively with media. He advised the Thomson Reuters Foundation during pan-African consultations which led to the creation of the African Media Initiative in 2010.

As a freelance radio correspondent he has reported for BBC, Radio-France Internationale, France 24 and Deutsche Welle among other media.

He was educated at the Lycée Francais de Londres, at St Paul’s School in London and at Wadham College, Oxford University, graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE).

  Thalif Deen

Senior Consulting Editor at Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency, has been covering the United Nations since the late 1970s. Beginning with the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, he has covered virtually every major U.N. conference: on population, human rights, the environment, social and economic development, food security, humanitarian aid, nuclear disarmament, water, energy and education.

As the former UN Bureau Chief for Inter Press Service, he was cited twice for excellence in U.N. reporting at the annual awards presentation of the U.N. Correspondents; Association (UNCA).

In November 2012, he was on the IPS team which won the prestigious gold medal for reporting on the global environment-- and in 2013, he shared the gold, this time with the UN Bureau Chief of Reuters news agency, for his reporting on the humanitarian and development work of the United Nations.

A former information officer at the U.N. Secretariat, he served twice as a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the UN General Assembly sessions. His track record includes a stint as deputy news editor of the Sri Lanka Daily News and senior editorial writer on the Hong Kong Standard.

Thalif is also a former military editor Middle East/Africa at Jane’s Information Group, a columnist for the Sri Lanka Sunday Times and a longtime U.N. correspondent for Asiaweek, Hong Kong and Jane's Defence Weekly, London, he is a Fulbright scholar with a Master’s Degree in journalism from Columbia University, New York.

  Estrella GutiÉrrez

Estrella Gutiérrez is IPS’s Editorial coordinator for the Spanish Service and Latin America editor. She’s been with IPS since the 1970s, holding positions including office director in Caracas, correspondent and editor in Rome, editor at the Latin America desk and head of the Latin America and Spanish services. She has taken part in IPS coverage of global events, led workshops for IPS and edited the Spanish editions of two gender glossaries published by IPS.

Originally from Spain, Estrella has lived abroad since the 1970s and considers herself Latin American. She holds a journalism degree from the Complutense University of Madrid. She lives in Caracas.

  Mario Osava

Mario Osava has been an IPS correspondent since 1978, first from Portugal, then from Brazil starting in 1980, based in Rio de Janeiro. He has covered events and processes all throughout Brazil and has recently been engaged in covering major infrastructural projects that reflect opportunities for development and South American integration. He specialises in news on the environment, economic integration and social issues.

  Mahfuzur Rahman

Mahfuzur Rahman is a senior Bangladeshi journalist with 24 years of experience in English language journalism. As Chief News Editor of the United News of Bangladesh (UNB), he has written on a wide range of subjects. He is also a columnist for the Dhaka Courier and a contributor to The Daily Observer in Bangladesh.

Mahfuzur holds a Master's Degree in mass communication and journalism. He worked his way up to Chief News Editor in a short time; in 1998 the UNB recognized him with the Best Copy Editor Award. He has published a number of books on various social issues and is co-author of "Ethnic Minorities in Bangladesh". Mahfuzur's two upcoming books are compilations of his articles published in The Daily Star and The Daily Observer under the rubric of "Zest and Zeal for Journalism" and "Political Storm in Bangladesh".

Mahfuzur has travelled to the United States to cover the US presidential elections in 2004. He has experience in conducting training programmes such as for the World Bank and has equipped himself by enhancing his skills through practical journalism in training programmes of Bangladesh News Network and the Press Institute of Bangladesh.