The HALO Trust

The page got 700,000 followers before Facebook shut it down.

At the same time, he was doing side work for Halo Trust.

I don't know if you know the Halo

Trust.

It helps others to find this show as well.

Today, it's an absolute pleasure to welcome onto the show James Cowan, Chief Executive Officer of the HALO Trust.

They've been around since 1988, operate in about 32 countries, and have about 10,000 staff.

And what most people know about their work is that they're involved in landmine clearance.

It's great to see you again.

Thank you, Alberto.

You're the Chief Executive Officer of the HALO Trust, also known as simply HALO, and I'd love to start there.

What's the HALO Trust all about?

Let's analyze motive number one, the military-industrial complex.

In the final year of her life, she aligned herself heavily with the international campaign to ban landmines, specifically working with the Halo Trust.

These organizations were trying to clear unexploded ordnance in former war zones like Angola and Bosnia.

These minds were just insidious.

But she didn't just write a check.

She flew to Angola.

She put on a ballistic helmet and a Kevlar vest, and she walked directly through an active minefield being cleared by the Halo Trust.

I remember those images.

All royal duties would continue until, as and when, she remarried.

In January 1997, as patron of the Halo Trust, Diana was famously seen being guided round a minefield in Angola in southern Africa.

This was one of many locations that the Trust aimed to remove explosive ordnances from, which were killing or maiming people every day.

Angola having become the scene of a protracted and bitter civil war and a front in the Cold War from the mid-1970s onwards, as it sought to achieve independence from Portugal.

But you don't do that, do you? You write books on the run, really, don't you? Yeah, I do.

Although, I mean, since 2022, I've been working as a consultant for the Halo Trust.

So I joined the Halo Trust.

Halo is involved in clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance around the world.

I joined in 1998, went off to Cambodia and I served in large numbers of countries, had a really interesting time, left for a while, came back for a while.

Since the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, Incidents involving unexploded ordnance have killed or injured at least 2375 people, including over 850 children, though the actual toll is believed to be much higher.

Organisations like the Halo Trust are working to clear these dangers, which obstruct rebuilding efforts and agricultural recovery.

Turning to Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a significant operational success, the capture of Muin al-Arabid, identified as the head of Hamas's internal security apparatus.

Al-Arabid was apprehended near his home in Gaza City.

Now, we know that he's very happy that he wants to spend time with his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, and now that they're in closer proximity to him in the country, rumour has it they're going to be in the Cotswolds, which isn't too far from Highgrove in Gloucestershire, so they'll probably be in closer proximity to be able to spend more time, very much on a personal level, but I think this could be, if not the king, maybe the palace trying to send a subliminal message about what duty really is and what work really is.

But saying that, of course, Prince Harry wanting to come back to the UK to be closer to his patronages, to his charities, such as Scotty's Little Soldiers, the Halo Trust, and of course, the Invictus Games, which are coming up next year in Birmingham.

And again, very interesting as well.

Invictus Games coming in to Birmingham next year in 2027.