Catherine Bertini

“Peace talks are nearly always amongst those who fought the war, whereas they should be among those who will build peace, the peacebuilders; and women are an important component of that. Women also need to be represented in post-conflict planning and governance to make sure that women’s issues are addressed.”

Ms. Catherine Bertini was the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002. She served as the UN Under-Secretary for Management from 2003 to 2005. Currently Ms. Bertini is a distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Chair of the Board of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).Ms. Bertini also led efforts to empower poor women through the use of food aid. In recognition of her leadership at WFP in ending famine and decreasing hunger, she received the World Food Prize, known as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture” in 2003. Ms. Bertini served as a Senior Fellow in Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.