The social and public affairs adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury has been appointed as the new Anglican Communion representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva. Jack Palmer-White has worked at Lambeth Palace since 2012, initially as parliamentary assistant and then as a policy adviser focusing on marriage and family life, before taking up his current role two years ago.
Palmer-White has a passion for international affairs, with a first degree in international politics and a master’s degree in social anthropology from the London School of Economics, focusing on religion in the contemporary world.
“Throughout my career, I have seen the transformative impact that the church plays in issues of global significance, whether it be meeting the needs of refugees through Anglican chaplaincies, helping to educate communities about HIV and Ebola, or bringing stories of the impact of climate change to international prominence,” he said. “The Anglican Communion has a central role to play in shaping how global institutions such as the United Nations approach the major issues of our time, and I look forward to helping represent and raise up Anglican voices around the table at the U.N. and other multilateral organizations in Geneva.”
Before his years at Lambeth Palace, Palmer-White worked in international development as a campaigner for Tearfund, and in political polling. During the 2012 U.S. presidential election, he was based in Washington as communications associate for Sojourners. He is married to Rosanne, who is the U.K. director of an international development agency.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
