Noeleen Heyzer
“There are just three simple messages in the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. First, that inclusive peace is lasting peace. Second, the need to have meaningful women’s participation and leadership, not just for women’s human rights consideration, but in order to build a solid economic, social, and political foundations for a just and fair societies everywhere. And thirdly, that we have to stress the importance of women’s roles as peacekeepers, peacemakers, decision-makers, crisis responders, as well as empowering women and girls as an integral part of any efforts to maintain international peace and security.”
Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (2007-2015), was the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) since its founding in 1947. Responding to the 2008 global financial crisis, she developed ESCAP as the platform for the region to rethink and implement new drivers of inclusive and sustainable development. Before that, she was the first Executive Director outside North America to lead the United Nations Development Fund for Women (1994-2007). She was widely recognized for playing a critical role in the Security Council’s adoption and implementation of landmark Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace, and Security, undertaking numerous missions to conflict-affected areas worldwide. Dr. Heyzer was the UNSG’s Special Adviser for Timor-Leste (2013-2015), working to support peacebuilding, state-building, and sustainable development. She was also a member of the UNSG’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation (2017-2021) and the UNSG’s Special Envoy for Myanmar (2021-2023). She is currently the Rector of the Ridge View Residential College, National University of Singapore.
Dr. Heyzer holds a Bachelor of Arts (Upper Hons.) and a Master of Science from the University of Singapore. She obtained a Doctorate in social sciences from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She has received numerous awards for leadership including the Dag Hammarskjold Medal, the international Aletta Jacobs Prize, and inducted into the Singapore Women Hall of Fame. In 2005, she was one of the women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her struggle and achievements to improve the lives of women, always promoting peace and justice globally.