Kevin P. Clements


Kevin Paul Clements is an Emeritus Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He was formerly Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland. He has also been Secretary General of the International [Peace Research Association] since January 2009. Since 2016 he was appointed Director of the Toda Peace Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

Early life

Kevin Clements is the son of a conscientious objector. At the age of 13, Clements campaigned for nuclear disarmament in New Zealand. He was also an opponent of the Vietnam War.

Academic career

Clements has been a consultant to numerous organisations, and advisor to the New Zealand, Australian, British, Swedish and Dutch governments. He was a member of the New Zealand Government's Defence Committee of Enquiry in 1985.
After retiring as Emeritus Professor from the University of Otago's peace and conflict studies programme, Clements served as director of the Toda Peace Institute in Japan. In March 2022, Clements was awarded the Luxembourg Peace Prize.

Views and positions

Following the 2025 Trump–Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting in late February 2025, Clements urged New Zealand to reconsider its traditional alliance with the United States in light of United States President Donald Trump's America First foreign policy and overtures towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.