United Nations
New York:
- Soon-Young Yoon – main representative
Soon-Young Yoon holds a PhD in anthropology. She has worked with UNICEF in Southeast Asia and the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia in Delhi. She is a board member of the Global Advisory Council at the Harvard AIDS Initiative and of the International Foundation for Ewha Woman’s University. She currently works as a consultant for the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. She is ex-chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York - Natalia Kostus
Natalia Kostus has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. She has 8 years of experience in international diplomatic and United Nations settings with primary focus on policy development, advocacy, and analysis in UN negotiations and decision‐making processes of programmes and funds. She has knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and legal instruments on sustainable development, social and economic rights, environment, and climate change. She is convener of the IAW Commission on Climate Change. - Azadeh Khallili
- Irini Sarlis
Irini Sarlis is an architect and a member of the UN Team
- Judith Gordon
Judith Gordon is a member of the UN Team in New York, Lecturer in Psychiatry Yale University.
Representatives to DPI, New York
- Efua A-H Owusu
- Jessica Pierson
Jessica Pierson holds an M.A. in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Her graduate thesis research explored abortion as a human right in the United States and the role of CEDAW cities in challenging the Hyde Amendment. As a graduate student, Jessica was as a Research Assistant at the Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School where she worked on initiating local advocacy campaigns to combat religious healthcare refusals. She currently works as the Program Administrator of the Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. - Rahima Sajid
Rahima Sajid graduated from the College of Staten Island with her BA in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and Political Science, minoring in International Studies. She went on to the Baruch School of Public and International Affairs where she got her Masters in Public Administration. Currently Rahima is working as a Finance Associate with the Malala Fund. Prior to working at the Malala Fund, Rahima worked as a Development Associate at the United Nations International School. Rahima likes to write poetry in her free time.
- Janice Moynihan
- Lyna Castillo-Javier-
Lyna has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications/Journalism from Florida International University and a Master of Arts in Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University. She co-chairs the Metro New York Chapter’s Film Subcommittee of the U.S. National Committee for UN Women. Her focus is on education, women’s role in peace and security, peace building and humanitarian affairs.
Geneva
- Lyda Verstegen,
Lyda Verstegen is a lawyer by education. She served as President of the IAW 2010–2013. She is a former President of Vrouwenbelangen in the Netherlands and chair of the Appeals Commission for Personnel of the Ministry of Social Affairs of The Netherlands.
She is now convener of the IAW Commission on Human Rights
- Esther Suter
(Rev.) Esther R. Suter, from Switzerland, worked as a trilingual secretary from 1968-1970 in Paris, then studied theology and was ordained pastor in the Reformed Church of Switzerland; 1982 delegated by Women for Peace Switzerland to the 2nd UN-Special Session on Disarmament in New York City; in 1983 she did pastoral volunteer work in New York City “Hell’s Kitchen”. 1984 stay in Chile during military dictatorship, co-initiator of a project for street children with Servicio Paz y Justicia Chile. 1985 delegated for the 3rd UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi as a journalist. 1995 delegated to the 4th UN World Conference on Women in Beijing as a journalist; Vice-President of the International Association of Liberal Religious Women.
- Derya Akinci Briand
Derya Akinci Briand is a law professor living in Switzerland since 2008. She is from Turkey, born in 1984. After her law studies, she followed her career with a master and LL.M degree in International Business Law and European Law at the University of Lausanne. She is a multicultural person and speaks several languages such as Turkish, English, French. Besides her moderate capacity in Italian and German, she is also learning Russian and Chinese. Currently, she is working at a private university in Zurich. She has worked before in several places including United Nations and Swiss Banks as well as a legal consultant in Monaco.She believes women rights are very important due to gender issues and the difficulties women face worldwide. - Kalliope Agapiou
- Eugenia Tsoumani Eugenia Tsoumani is a lawyer, specialized in labour and European law. She is Secretary General of the Foundation of Economic and Industrial Research, Greece, former Member of Parliament – Constituency State, Secretary General (Deputy Minister) on Gender Equality for 6 years. Former President of the Supplementary Social Security Fund.
As Secretary General of Gender Equality, she established legislation on Violence against Women as well as Equal Opportunities in Employment and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Current Vice President of the Political Association of Women and Board Member of the League for Women Rights.
World Health Organization
- Ursula Nakamura – Stoecklin
Ursula Nakamura-Stoecklin is a registered nurse and has received further education in health and administration. She has long experience in specialized health care. She was a general director of a residential home for the elderly.
She is advocating for human rights and was Co-President of the Swiss Association for Women’s Rights ADF-SVF Suisse.
- Seema Uplekar
Seema Uplekar has a bachelor’s degree in economics, is experienced in fund raising and was treasurer of United Nations Women’s Guild in Geneva.
Nairobi -HABITAT
UNESCO, Paris
- Monique Bouziz
French Vice President of Association des femmes de l’Europe Méridionale, member of the French Coordination of the European Women’s Lobby and ‘Dialogue between Cultures’ among other Committees.
- Danielle Levy
Danielle Levy is a teacher by education and has served as the translator for IAW of documents from English into French for the past two triennia. She represents IAW at UNESCO
- Renée Gérard
Renée Gérard is a French citizen who worked for the United Nations on long-term assignments in different countries of Africa and Asia and also on short consultancies for UNFPA and the World Bank in Rwanda Congo. Having been granted a Fulbright scholarship she was able to study at Columbia University and spent three years in New York. Life shaped her as a citizen of the world. As a member of multidisciplinary teams (dominantly male), she became a specialist in education and community development. Her advocacy for gender-sensitive measures called attention to the need to develop specific programmes for women in development. Upon retirement she got involved as an activist in different women’s associations : in the French association where she was the coordinator for international relations, in the French Coordination for the European Women’s Lobby, in the European Women’s Lobby where she was an administrator and cooperated closely with IAW branch in France until she finally joined IAW as a member. In recognition of her achievements for women’s rights the French Government decorated her with Légion d’honneur and the University Women of Europe gave her the Jans Gremmée Award She is also a defender of environment, adept at sustainable development and belongs to Platform launched by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Women’s associations to advise on gender and climate change. - Ida Kurth
Ida Kurth is a biochemist and university lecturer by profession
Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome
- Jessika Kehl-Lauff (main representative)
Introduced at the IAW Congress 1996 in New Delhi as the new main representative to Geneva, Jessika Kehl-Lauff (jkl) built up an IAW-team in Geneva serving Human Rights, ILO, UNCTAD, WTO and ECE. She was twice a board member of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO), a vice-president of the NGO Committee on Human Rights and a friend of the CSW Geneva till 2010. Jkl organized IAWmeetings in 2009 in Heiden/CH and 2014 in Sion/CH. In 2015 she became IAW representative to the international institutions in Rome.
- Valeria Mangani
Valeria Mangani is an Italian best-selling author in Nutrition and Women’s Consciousness sectors. She published 10 books for the “Nature&Health” series, by Tecniche Nuove editor in Milan. She also taught the “Quality of Life” master class for postgraduate students in Occupational Medicine at La Sapienza University of Rome. She founded and directs INNOV8 IN ITALY FUND, an incubator fostering Sustainable Fashion with innovation technologies such as block chain, luxury up-cycling, crispr and brand digitalization; with the mission to create a more sustainable planet, hence disrupting the old polluting systems for the sake of human well-being. - Filomena Cusano
Vienna
- Rosy Weiss – main representative
President of IAW 2004 -2010, Chairperson of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women at the UN in Vienna (2006-10), Austria, retired official of the Ministry for Social Security, Generations and Consumer Protection and the Ministry of the Environment. She is convener of the IAW Commission on Peace
- Shannon von Scheele
- Erica van Engel
Erica van Engel represents IAW at UNIDO
Other International Bodies:
African Union
- Rita Marque Mbatho
Arab League
- Horeya Megahed
Horeya Megahed is a member of the Hoda Charawi Association, Egypt. Dr. of Political Science with a career in academia at Cairo University, appointment to the Supreme Administrative Court of the State Council and author of numerous publications.
Council of Europe
- Heleen Jansen
Heleen Jansen is a Dutch national now living in France. She worked for over 25 years as a professor of French and teacher training in the Netherlands. She was also involved in student care and in health education. The last 15 years she has been active as author and editor-in-chief of new educational methods and materials. Part of these activities always has been the development of materials for European projects, mostly centred on democratic citizenship and human rights education.She is vice-chairman of the Dutch section of the AEDE, the European Teachers Association. As a representative of the AEDE in the ONG conference of the Council of Europe, she has been an active member of the working group ‘Gender Perspectives in Democratic and Political Processes’ chaired by Anje Wiersinga. - Anje Wiersinga
Anje Wiersinga is a medical doctor and has rich and varied international experiences. She is Convener of the Commission on Democracy - Monique Bouchet
- Renée Gérard
Renée Gérard is a French citizen who worked for the United Nations on long-term assignments in different countries of Africa and Asia and also on short consultancies for UNFPA and the World Bank in Rwanda Congo. Having been granted a Fulbright scholarship she was able to study at Columbia University and spent three years in New York. Life shaped her as a citizen of the world. As a member of multidisciplinary teams (dominantly male), she became a specialist in education and community development. Her advocacy for gender-sensitive measures called attention to the need to develop specific programmes for women in development. Upon retirement she got involved as an activist in different women’s associations : in the French association where she was the coordinator for international relations, in the French Coordination for the European Women’s Lobby, in the European Women’s Lobby where she was an administrator and cooperated closely with IAW branch in France until she finally joined IAW as a member.In recognition of her achievements for women’s rights the French Government decorated her with Légion d’honneur and the University Women of Europe gave her the Jans Gremmée Award She is also a defender of environment, adept at sustainable development and belongs to Platform launched by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Women’s associations to advise on gender and climate change.
European Women’s Lobby
- Arina Angerman
Arina Angerman is a great online and offline networker, who loves to be active in policy-making. Since 1980 she has developed extensive expertise as a historian and (project) manager in gender studies, women in decision-making 50/50, gender equality and digital skills. She is a consultant in how to use social media and has her own business: Social Media 4 Baby Boomers - Marion Böker, alternate
Marion Böker is a Member of the Deutscher Frauenring, owner of boeker-consult, a consultancy for Human Rights and Gender Issues. She is alternate representative of IAW to the European Women’s Lobby
International Criminal Court
- Deidre Pirro
EWL Observatory on violence against women
- Jocelynne Scutt
Dr Jocelynne A. Scutt is a barrister and Human Rights Lawyer, County
Councillor for Cambridgeshire, Visiting Professor at the University of
Buckingham and author.
Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court
- Susanne Riveles
Peace Activist, specialist in and lecturer on African affairs.