It is a great pleasure and an honour to support the Women’s International Forum as its Patron.

Throughout my career in the cultural sector, I have enjoyed and benefited from the exchange of views and ideas.

For the past four decades, the Women’s International Forum has provided an opportunity for spouses of international diplomats to engage in just such an exchange, on a broad range of subjects in an informal setting. In this way, spouses can make their own contribution to the multifaceted work of the United Nations and help to build an engaged community around it.

The Women’s International Forum has established itself as an important platform for dialogue not only among women, but the entire international and diplomatic community.

The Forum’s monthly lectures cover a vast array of issues and have become high-profile events in their own right. I look forward to meeting the United Nations staff, members of the diplomatic community and residents of New York City who attend.

I extend my very best wishes to the Women’s International Forum and anticipate many diverse and thought-provoking discussions.