Dr. Desmond Molloy is a Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) practitioner/scholar who has contributed to the evolution and operationalisation of innovate approaches to ex-combatants and armed gang member DDR in many recent post-conflict and rule of law strengthening environments.

After twenty years as an officer in the Irish Defence Forces, including various UN missions, Des has been Emergency/Relief Coordinator with IFRC in DRC; with Dutch RC and ICRC in BiH and with various NGOs and UN Agencies in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kosovo and East Timor. From 2002 to 2004, Des was Chief of the UN DDR Section, Sierra Leone and from 2004 to 2007 in Haiti he piloted innovative approaches to Community Violence Reduction (CVR).

Since 2007 he has completed a Masters and a PhD in International Studies/Inter-regional Relations (TUFS, Tokyo), the latter with a comparative analysis of security dilemmas in evolving DDR theory and Counterinsurgency doctrine.

While studying, Des undertook contracts associated with DDR in Niger Delta and with UNDP in Somalia (2008), Sri Lanka (2008), CAR (2009) and Nepal (2010-2012).

Des remains associated with Hiroshima Peacebuilders Center, Japan; Visiting Lecturer at Pannissastra University, Phnom Penh and an advisor to IISA, London. He facilitates at numerous international DDR seminars and publishes on related matters.

“Des’s DDR: Theory and Practice is scheduled to be published by Lynne Rienner, Colorado, in August 2016.”

Des is currently Programme Director with The Nippon Foundation in Myanmar.