Speaker Gallery

Women’s International Forum

Past Speakers

The Women’s International Forum has welcomed distinguished speakers—from UN officials to global changemakers—who’ve addressed key topics like sustainable development, human rights, and international cooperation. Explore highlights from past events below.

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Ms. Amanda Nguyen

CEO and Founder of Rise
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Ms. Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi

Founder and Executive Director of the Stand to End Rape Initiative (STER)
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Ms. Reem Alsalem

Ms. Reem Alsalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
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Dr J. Lawrence Aber

Paulette Goddard Professor of Psychology and Public Policy, NYU
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Bethany Ellis

Director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict
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Ms. Vanessa Frazier

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict 
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Dr. Aleksandra Dier

Gender Coordinator at the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED)
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Ms. Xiaohong LI

Representative, New York Liaison Office, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
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Ms. Holly Burkhalter

Vice President for Government Relations of International Justice Mission (IJM)
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Ms. Ayaka Suzuki

Inter-regional Adviser on Strategic Foresight and Systems Thinking, UN Department of Economic & Social Affairs
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Dr. Azeema Adam

Inter-regional Adviser on Strategic Foresights and Systems Thinking at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
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Dr. Annika Silva-Leander

Head of North America, International IDEA & Permanent Observer to the UN
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Professor Adela Gondek

Lecturer at Columbia University
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Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

President and Chief Executive Of International Peace Institute (IPI)
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H.E. Mr Guy Ryder

Under Secretary-General for Policy
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Professor Patty Gerstenblith

Distinguished Research Professor of Law at DePaul University and Director of its Center for Art, Museum, and Cultural Heritage Law
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Professor Lynn Meskell

Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor; Professor of Historic Preservation, Weitzman School of Design; Middle East and Asia Sections Curator, Penn Museum
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H.E. Ms. Amina J. Mohammed

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
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Ms Angelica Jacome

Director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Liaison Office to the United Nations in New York
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H.E. Rania Dagash-Kamara

Assistant Executive Director, World Food Program
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H.E. Ambassador Mathu Joyini

Ambassador of South Africa to the United Nations, Chair of the United Nations Commission
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H.E. Mrs Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad

Minister of Social Development and Family of the State of Qatar
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H.E. Robert Keith Rae

Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations
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Dr. Naoko Muramatsu

Professor, Division of Community Health Sciences at the School of Public Health and Fellow at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago
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Dr Comfort Ero

President and CEO of the International Crisis Group
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Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu

UN Under Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
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Ms. Stephanie Rubin

HELP Beneficiary, Systems Analyst, Rochester Institute of Technology
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Mr. Conor Bohan

Founder and Director of Haitian Education and Leadership Program (HELP)
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Ms. Beata Stylianos

Chief Executive Offices of Mission Critical Technologies
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Ms. Catalina Garcia

Global Director of Corporate Affairs, Anheuser Busch (AB InBev) and Board Director of the AB InBev Foundation
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Ms. Lisa Buttenheim

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General
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Diane Von Furstenberg

Designer, Philanthropist, Author
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Ms. Anita Dywaba

UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
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Ms. Harshani Dharmadasa

Senior Director UN Foundation
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Gillian Sorensen

Member of the United Nations Foundation's Global Leadership Council, the Council on Foreign Relations and Board member of the International Rescue Committee
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Ms Maimunah Mohd Sharif

Executive Director, UN Habitat
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Ms. Enid Muthoni Ndiga

Chief Program Officer, Center for Reproductive Rights
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Mona Ali Khalil

Public International Lawyer and Founder and Director, Mak Law International Strategic Consulting Service
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Ms. Ashley Bernard

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Board Member
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Ms. Reyna Pacheco

Professional squash player and US National Team Member
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Ms. Jennifer Cooper

UN Women who works with the IOC and FIFA
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H.E. Ambassador Isabelle Picco

Ambassador of Monaco, Co-Chair of the UN Group of friends of Sport for Development and Peace
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Ms Jayathma Wickramanayake

UN Sec-Gen’s Envoy on Youth
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Colonel Matthew Bogdanos

Chief, Antiquities Trafficking Unit, NY County District Attorney’s Office
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Ms. Maria-Noel Vaeza Baque

Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean
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Adjunct Professor Keiko Honda

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
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Ms. Pramila Patten

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
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Sylvie Kauffmann

Editorial Director and Columnist of Le Monde
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Ms. Melissa Kubvoruno

Civil Society Youth Representative, Zimbabwe
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H.E. Ayanna Webster-Roy

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister – Gender and Child Affairs, Trinidad & Tobago
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H.E. Maria-Alexandra Kefala

Deputy Minister of Social Cohesion & Family, Greece
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H.E. Sun Xueling

Minister of State for Social & Family Development, Singapore
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Dr. Bernice Pan

Designer, Entrepreneur, Advocate and Founder of DEPLOY
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H. E. Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed

Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations
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Ms. Pat Furlong

Founding President and CEO of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD)
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Alya Al -Thani

Sheikha Ambassador: Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN
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Sinead Bovell

Futurist, Strategic Advisor and Founder, WAYE
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Dr Felipe Paullier

UN Assistant-Secretary-General for Youth Affairs
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Mr. Richard Gowan

Director of UN and Multilateral Diplomacy at Crisis Group
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H.E. Mr. Alexander Marschik

Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations and Co-Chair of IGN on Security Council Reform
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H.E. Mr. Tareq Albanai

Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations and Co-Chair of IGN on Security Council Reform
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Ms. Michèle Griffin

Director of the Summit of the Future for UN Secretary-General António Guterres
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H.E. Ms. Anna Karin Eneström

Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations
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H.E. Mr. Neville Melvin Gertze

Permanent Representative of Namibia
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H.E. Mr. Volker Türk

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
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H.E. Mr. Filipo Tarakinikini

Permanent Representative of Fiji to the UN
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H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King

Permanent Representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN
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H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor

Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN
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Dr. Arthur L. Caplan

Founding Head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health, New York City
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Dr. Stewart Simonson

WHO Representative at the United Nations and Head of Office