Lyse Doucet and Christina Lamb presented with Chesney Gold Medal by HRH The Duke of Kent
At an awards ceremony held at RUSI, internationally recognised war journalists Lyse Doucet CM OBE and Christina Lamb OBE were presented with their Chesney Gold Medal awards by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, President of RUSI.
Lyse and Christina were presented with their awards in front of their friends and family, colleagues, and an audience of RUSI members in the Institute’s Naim Dangoor Hall.
The duo become the recipients of the 35th Chesney Gold Medal, the highest award in the gift of the Institute’s Trustees. The purpose of the award is to mark a lifetime of distinguished contribution to international defence and security.
The presentation of the award to Lyse and Christina reflects their authoritative contributions to knowledge in these fields – domains historically dominated by men – and their commitment to rigorous and high-quality journalism across their careers.
Following the award ceremony, Lyse and Christina joined a panel discussion – moderated by RUSI’s Director-General, Dr Karin von Hippel – and discussed the importance of raising public awareness around the human impact of conflict.
Commenting on her award, Lyse said:
Being a foreign correspondent is a great privilege and an even greater responsibility. To be recognised and, even more, to be respected for our work matters more than words can say. Receiving this highest of awards from such a distinguished institution is an unexcepted gift. Receiving it alongside one of Britain’s most eminent journalists makes it even more special. It seems to underline that to understand the grievous conflicts of our time, we also need to convey its great costs, and why that should matter to all of us.
Lyse Doucet CM OBE
Commenting on her award, Christina said:
It is an incredible honour to be awarded this medal following in some pretty eminent footsteps – and to be the first female journalist recipient along with Lyse, whose work I so admire. At a time when there is so much conflict and challenge to the rules-based order and more and more women and children paying the price, along with so much disinformation, I believe it has never been more important to spread understanding on the human cost of war which is what we both humbly try to do.
Christina Lamb OBE
Biographies – Lyse Doucet CM OBE and Christina Lamb OBE
Lyse is the BBC's Chief International Correspondent. A household name in the UK, having reported for the BBC since the mid-1980s, she has made a significant contribution to public understanding of conflicts and has specialised in the Middle East, covering the wars in the region since the mid-1990s. She has also reported extensively from Afghanistan, Ukraine and other conflicts, and has made a series of award-winning documentaries highlighting the plight of children caught up in war.
Christina has been a war correspondent for over three decades and is currently the Chief Foreign Correspondent of The Sunday Times. She has added greatly to international understanding of the conflicts in the Pakistan and Afghanistan region through her courageous reporting, from the period when she travelled with the Mujahideen fighting the Soviet occupation to the final US and UK withdrawal from Kabul in 2021. She has also covered wars in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine. Through her books, she has been prominent in the campaign to highlight the scourge of sexual violence against women in conflict areas.