Toronto - Former foreign affairs reporter and senior correspondent for CBC TV News Brian Stewart has joined the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto as Distinguished Senior Fellow.

One of Canada's most respected foreign correspondents, Mr. Stewart reported for The National and hosted CBC News: Our World. He has provided Canadians with a window on the world for more than two decades.

Mr. Stewart has worked extensively in the developing world and in conflict zones. He was the first North American reporter to focus the world's attention on the 1984 East African famine. In the Gulf War, he was the first Canadian reporter to get into the liberated Kuwait City. He has filed award-winning reports from Somalia; from Sudan, where he covered child slavery during their Civil War; and from Rwanda, where he uncovered advanced warnings of the mass murders.

Mr. Stewart received a Gemini Award as "Best Overall Broadcast Journalist" in 1996 and for "Best Information Segment" in 1994 for Rwanda: Autopsy of a Genocide. His documentary The Somalia Affair won top prize for investigative reporting at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards in 1993. He is the 2009 Russ Munroe Media Award Recipient; awarded by the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA), in concert with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, the Russ Munroe Award recognizes
Canadian journalists who have made a significant and extraordinary contribution to increasing public understanding of Canadian defence and security issues.

Mr. Stewart will bring his considerable expertise to a monthly column on global affairs for the Munk Centre, and respond to reader queries. The column may be viewed at http://webapp.mcis.utoronto.ca/StewartBlog.aspx.

The Munk Centre for International Studies is Canada's leading academic centre specializing in international relations and is an internationally recognized leader in interdisciplinary research and teaching on global issues.