Inspiring Women June 25

INSPIRING

WOMEN

Women in

the UN and

Multilateral

Diplomacy

June 2025 Volume 9 Issue 2

Contents

June 2025, Volume 9, Issue 2

8

Working with the UN

Pam Perraud, current

president of the US Women’s

Caucus, recounts her

international experiences

from an early age and shares

insights about her years

working with the UN.

20

34

profiles

International

Cooperation is

Not a Luxury

Zefi Dimadama, the first

woman to serve as director

general of the International

Center for Black Sea Studies,

tells us about the importance

of justice and equality to

meeting Economic, Social and

Governance (ESG) objectives.

42

Protecting Advances in

Medical Technology

Maria Louka talks about her

25 years as a medical patent

examiner at the European

Patent Office (EPO) and the

importance of regional

cooperation in medical

technology.

56

A Mother and

Daughter’s Passion

for Advocacy

Karen Castellon, FAWCO

co-UN liaison, has

involved her daughter

Claire in international

volunteer work since childhood. In this twopart

profile, they discuss their own

experiences and how we can all tackle the

challenges and dangers facing women today.

70

The Power of Diplomacy

A former US diplomat who

continues her engagement in

international collaboration,

Connie Phlipot unveils her

diplomatic experiences and

why this difficult global environment

demands greater involvement of women in

29

FAWCO’s Seat at the

Table of History

Alexandra Vo, FAWCO

co-UN liaison, recaps the

latest Commission on

the Status of Women

meetings and tells us how

FAWCO can effect change

during this difficult time

for women’s rights and

gender equality.

international security. 89

15

The FAWCO UN Team –

My Next Chapter

Reflecting on her

involvement in UN issues

following her FAWCO

presidency, Sallie Chaballier

says FAWCO’s ECOSOC status

gives the organization a voice

in international gender issues,

including FAWCO members' robust

participation in the 30-year civil society review

of the Beijing Platform for Action.

49

65

features

UN Office of the

Victim Rights

Advocate: Dignity in

the Wake of Harm

A former intern at the

Office of the Victim Rights

Advocate (OVRA), Chloé

Chandler explains how

OVRA helps victims of sexual

exploitation perpetuated by UN personnel and

praises the leadership of Jane Connors, the

UN's first victim rights advocate.

77

Reflections on a

Career in Global

Policy and Diplomacy

From her early job in the

UN Information Center to

senior positions with the

International Fund for

Agricultural Development,

Vera Weill-Halle pursued the

craft of multilateral development and advanced

the role of women in development.

Extending FAWCO’s

Footprint at COP

Conferences

Sheila Doucet shares her

experiences at the last

three climate change

conferences and recommends books for

further reading about the environment.

82

International

Humanitarian

Service

Nina Dodd discusses the

necessity for organizations

to work together to meet

current global humanitarian

and environmental threats.

A Club Inspires:

Brussels

Brussels is home to EU

and NATO headquarters as

well as many multinational

companies and

organizations, bringing

dynamism to its social,

cultural and economic life.

Inspiring Reads:

Ready for Female

Leadership

Rosemary Amato

co-authored this essay

collection that explains why

women should assume

leadership roles across all

sectors and how they can

achieve it.

2 INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 3

5

6

in every issue

A Note from the Editor

Advertisers Index

92

93

Our Next Issue

Inspiring You

“The structure of world peace cannot

be the work of one man or one party or one

nation. It must be a peace which rests on

the cooperative effort of the whole world.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt,

first US delegate to the UN

a note from

the editor

7 Introducing This Issue 94 More About This Issue

95

Our Partners

That’s Inspired!

Throughout the years, FAWCO has relied on its partners and sponsors to support the

organization. This has allowed FAWCO to improve services and gives it the flexibility

to try the latest innovations and enhance the FAWCO experience. FAWCO’s partners

believe in our mission and support our goals; some directly support our activities

and projects.

We encourage club leadership throughout the FAWCO network to share our

publications with their membership. Our partners' values are closely aligned with

ours, with services that may be of interest to our members. For more information or

if you have any questions, please contact the team: sponsorship@fawco.org.

In 1993, then FAWCO President Barbara Johnson

and 1st Vice President Peggy Rigaud (profiled in

our special 90th anniversary issue) started the

process for FAWCO to receive UN accreditation.

On June 15, 1995, FAWCO was approved for

association with the UN Department of Public

Information, and on August 14, 1997, it was

granted special consultative status with the

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In 1999,

FAWCO 1st VP Paula Daeppen (profiled in our

issue Women Who Persist) started representing

FAWCO on a regular basis at the UN in Geneva.

Together with Pam Perraud in NY, they actively

promoted FAWCO at the UN and set the course

for FAWCO’s work as a UN-accredited NGO.

Since that time, FAWCO members have been

involved with the UN in a variety of ways. I

encourage you to review FAWCO’s extensive

history with the UN: History.

It should not come as a surprise that many of

the women nominated for this issue have

already been profiled in previous Inspiring

Women issues because of their commitment

to improving the lives of women and girls

worldwide and supporting global initiatives

for education, the environment, health and

human rights.

FAWCO and FAUSA members can join the

UN team and apply to attend UN meetings,

conferences and summits such as the climate

negotiations, known as the Conference of the

Parties (COP), and the Commission on the Status

of Women (CSW). There have also been

opportunities offered at the annual FAWCO

conferences for all members to learn about and

experience some of what happens at the UN

and other global institutions.

For example, in 2013, the FAWCO Biennial

Conference was held in Bern, Switzerland. One

of the pre-conference excursions was to Geneva

with a visit to the UN and tour of the US Mission

to the UN. It was a wonderful introduction to

these organizations and FAWCO’s work with the

Geneva 2013 Palais des Nations

UN. This is a photo of me in the Palace of

Nations. In 2018, the FAWCO Interim Meeting

held in The Hague, the Netherlands, offered

conference attendees the opportunity to visit

the International Court of Justice - the world’s

first international criminal court - and learn

more about this critical “last option” for justice.

We even had the opportunity to observe a

portion of a current case before the court.

I am in awe of the FAWCO and FAUSA women

who, over the past 30-plus years, have worked

determinedly and diligently on behalf of women

and children worldwide to make sure their

voices are heard, causes are championed and

change is effected. In this issue, we bring you

just a few of those women. We have also

included some women who, while we profiled

them in earlier issues, had a new story to tell.

You can read about their current activities in

their feature articles. I am sure you will find

these women as inspiring as I do.

Best wishes!

Michele

iw.editor@fawco.org


meet our partners

introducing

this issue

The State Department Federal

Credit Union (SDFCU) p. 13

FAWCO is honored to announce that

SDFCU was a Diamond Sponsor for the

2025 FAWCO Biennial Conference. SDFCU

has members worldwide, with over $2.4

billion in assets. FAWCO is part of the

special field of membership, and

members can apply to take advantage of

their services.

Torino Accounting Group p. 19

FAWCO is pleased to introduce our latest

partner, Torino Accounting Group. The firm

specializes in tax planning, financial audits,

CFO services and accounting solutions for

individuals and businesses. Torino’s

expertise in cross-border taxation and

personalized strategies empowers

clients to navigate financial complexities

with clarity.

American Groceries Europe p. 27

Thank you American Groceries Europe for

being a Silver Sponsor for the 2025 FAWCO

Biennial Conference! CEO Kristen Crosson,

AWC Brussels, brings quality American

groceries to expats and now ships to

18 countries!

The Pajama Company p. 27

Ellie Badanes, AW Surrey/FAUSA member

and founder of The Pajama Company,

wants to make sure that your sleep time is

fashionable, comfortable and fun! FAWCO

members receive a discount with the

promo code FAWCO10.

LAUNCH Education Advisors p. 33

LAUNCH Education Advisors are experts who

will thoroughly prepare your student for

university. Sara Bittner, co-founder, is a

member of AWC Amsterdam. LAUNCH

Education Advisors is a FAWCO Target

Program sponsor.

Janet Darrow Real Estate p. 41

Contact Janet Darrow, AWA Vienna and

FAUSA member, to find the best properties.

Whether around the corner or a world away,

she can help. Successful FAWCO referrals

earn a donation to the Target Project. Janet

is now a FAWCO Sponsored Resource.

Ponte Travels p. 41

More than a vacation! Discover journeys that

go beyond with FAUSA member Mary Stange.

Choose popular itineraries or have Mary

customize one for you.

London Realty Intl. p. 75

London Realty Intl. is owned by AWC London

member Lonnée Hamilton, who is a

worldwide property consultant. Her firm

works with the best agents across the globe

to fulfill your property needs.

London & Capital p. 81

Thank you London & Capital for being a

FAWCO Sponsored Resource. The laws and

strategies for investing constantly change.

London & Capital was a Bronze Sponsor for

the 2025 FAWCO Biennial Conference. Contact

London & Capital to get answers to your

investment questions!

As a diplomat, I took pretty much on faith that US participation in international organizations,

particularly the UN and NATO, was unquestionably in the US interest. After all, the US was

the primary architect of the international order created after WWII. However, when I found

myself on loan to the Defense Department teaching US army colonels and lieutenant colonels

at the US Army War College about international relations, I was challenged to explain that

belief. These were smart, highly competent and successful officers (otherwise they would not

have been selected to attend the senior military school), but their own experiences shaped

a different approach to solving problems. Take that hill. Do it fast. No questions asked. Why

doesn’t the UN accomplish anything, they would ask me. Why is it so slow?

Diplomacy, especially international diplomacy, doesn’t work fast or decisively. Catherine

Ashton, the first High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, refers

to it as the "drip, drip" of diplomacy. What my students couldn’t seem to understand is that

the UN or NATO is not a separate entity, distinct from us. We are part of it, along with the

other member states, as sovereign countries with our own national interests. Decisions are

only made through the slow, painstaking process of compromise. Certainly, there has to be

another way, my students might have asked. There are problems and issues that can be

approached by an individual country or by a small group of countries, but the big global

issues we deal with today demand a big, global approach. And that is hard.

The women featured in this issue are dedicated individuals, professionals in a wide variety

of fields, from science, economics, finance, medicine to us jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none

diplomats who do this hard work. We can all attest that it can be bang-your-head-against-thewall

frustrating. And then there is a breakthrough. And you have saved lives threatened by

disease, or helped refugees find a better life or maybe kept the peace for another day.

Connie

Inspiring Women

Assistant Editor

We appreciate their support!


profile

Working with the UN

Pam Perraud, AAWE Paris and FAUSA, has long been a FAWCO UN rep

and FAWCO UN director. She is currently president of the US Women’s

Caucus. Pam recounts her international experiences from an early age

and shares insights about her years working with the UN.

Pam Perraud

Adapting Successfully to an

International Life

I

had a quiet, typical midwestern upbringing

in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I studied

government and Asian studies and

minored in Mandarin at Connecticut

College. After graduation, I was awarded the

Coro Foundation Fellowship in Public Affairs in

California and completed an MA at Occidental

College in Los Angeles. For several years, I worked

in human resources at a local public housing and

redevelopment agency in Minneapolis.

My life changed dramatically after I married a

Frenchman whom I had met while hosting

foreign students. I moved to Paris in 1975. While I

had briefly lived in Mexico on a student exchange

program and worked in The Hague on a summer

job, moving to Paris was my first long-term stay

abroad. I found adjustment to life there to be a

stiff learning curve. Adapting to new places soon

became a habit because my husband worked in

the oil service business; we relocated frequently

with assignments in New York, London, Rio de

Janeiro, Switzerland and Houston. With each new

move, my interest in other cultures grew, as did

my involvement with various FAWCO clubs along

the way.

Professionally, I continued to work in the HR field

both in the profit and non-profit sectors at each

relocation. Upon my return to

New York in 1998, I set up my

own consulting company offering

cross cultural training programs

to families moving to and from

the US. It was that same year that

Barbara Johnson, then president

At the

Eleanor Roosevelt

plaque, with

Kathleen Simon

(left) and Paula

Daeppen (right)


of FAWCO, asked me

to become a

representative at

the UN. She

explained that FAWCO

had just been granted

special consultative

status with the United

Nations Economic

and Social Council

(ECOSOC) and

needed someone in

New York to attend

the meetings. At the

time, I had no idea

what that entailed,

but I assured her that

I would do my best.

I was thrilled about

the opportunity and

have ever since been

involved at the UN,

attending meetings

and conferences and participating in programs.

My involvement with FAWCO at the UN led

me to become FAWCO’s representative at the

US Women’s Caucus. FAWCO was a founding

member in 2018. I worked with the Caucus on

developing policy recommendations for several

years and in 2024 took over as president.

My husband and I are now both retired and

divide our time between homes in Paris and

Houston. My daughter Andrea and two

granddaughters live in New York, while my son

Marc lives in New Caledonia, in the South Pacific.

An Early Introduction to International Issues

I credit my mother with getting me interested

in public service and all things international.

She was very active politically; she served on

the Minneapolis City Council for many years

and founded the International Center at the

University of Minnesota. International students

were always invited to our home for the

holidays. Discussing politics and foreign affairs

was integrated into our daily life. I was always

attracted by work at the UN, and my first

summer job during college was actually

working for the local UN Association.

I was delighted to get a chance to work at the

UN on behalf of FAWCO. The United Nations, the

ultimate multinational organization, was for me

the best place to learn how to forge cooperation

and consensus on the world’s most pressing

issues of peace, human rights and climate

change. Nothing compares to it.

How do you feel about the current state of

international cooperation?

The current state of international

cooperation is being severely tested with

unresolved wars in the Middle East and in

Ukraine, as well as civil wars and regional strife

elsewhere in the Mideast and Africa. At the

same time, the political situation in many

countries is volatile, with leaders challenging

the international order established after the

Second World War and questioning participation

in traditional alliances like NATO and the EU.

With polarization rampant and suspicion of

foreign engagement growing, this is not a

favorable atmosphere in which to promote

the ideals of the UN.

Highlights and Rewarding Moments

Over the years, I felt privileged to have been

able to go regularly to the UN Headquarters

in New York and Geneva to hear secretariesgeneral,

heads of state, top diplomats and

world renowned experts discuss key world

issues from world peace to climate change. I’ve

been invited to various embassies and missions

for special receptions and briefings. Last year, I

was honored to be asked to do a presentation

on behalf of the US Women’s Caucus to a

delegates’ briefing session at the Commission

on the Status of Women (CSW). These have

been amazing opportunities. But, in terms of the

most rewarding projects, I would name two that

I enjoyed working on with Paula Daeppen. The

first, in 2008, was to erect a monument at the

UN in Geneva for Eleanor Roosevelt in honor

of her work on the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. The other was on the Malaria

Project which raised over $75,000 for bed nets

in Africa. The bed nets program was the first

time that FAWCO clubs worked together on a

major international project; it served as a

prototype for the subsequent Target Programs.

It is also gratifying to see how the number of

FAWCO members involved with the UN, CSW

and other international activities like the Global

Issues Team have grown exponentially over

the years. I think this has provided many

members unique opportunities that they could

not have found elsewhere.

The UN’s Modus Operandi

The UN’s way is to find consensus – it is the art

of compromise. While decision-making can be

frustratingly slow and bureaucratic, I now

understand so much better that dealing with so

many different languages, cultures and

conflicting interests while trying to find common

ground is certainly neither easy nor speedy. It is

unrealistic to think that it could be otherwise.

This page:

at the UN CSW68

briefing 2024

Previous page:

with husband,

Jean-Marc

The UN is a highly complex organization and

not an easy one to know. Over the years, I have

only been involved in a small part, working

with NGOs in the Economic and Social Council

(ECOSOC) in New York and Geneva. I continue to

be amazed by the number of agencies that the

UN has and how many issues they are involved

in around the world, all the while working on a

shoestring budget.

Challenges for NGOs at the UN Today

Unfortunately, year after year, the access of

NGOs like FAWCO to UN officials, UN delegates

and even the UN buildings continues to shrink.

Part of the problem is the sheer number of

accredited NGOs which has increased

enormously over the past decade. In addition,

while the UN facilities have not expanded,

serious security concerns and precautions have

increased dramatically since 9/11. In past years,

NGOs had room for their meetings in Geneva

and NY, as well as annual conferences specifically

for NGOs. These have disappeared. Reduced

access to buildings also means reduced

interactions with diplomats and other

representatives for substantive discussions.

In addition, the US Mission at the UN used to

have a designated contact person for all NGOs.

Alas, this position has not been filled for several

years. There is hence little possibility of

developing meaningful contacts from one

administration to another.


Do you feel that women’s voices

are heard at the UN?

Women are lucky to have had Antonio

Guterres as secretary-general for the

past few years. He has been a very

good champion of women’s rights

and has worked to increase women

in leadership and influence positions

at the UN. UN Women has also led

the way in pressing women’s issues.

However, much of UN Women’s staff

will be transferred to Nairobi, Kenya,

later this year, supposedly due to

budget cuts. This definitely isn’t good

news as they will be far removed from

major decision-making sites.

In what areas could we do more?

In terms of making recommendations

for improvements, the UN has

plenty of reports, studies and

recommendations on what changes

need to be made to improve women’s

lives. However, what they lack is the

power to enforce the adoption and

implementation of these policies by

member states. This is where more

advocacy is needed at all levels, and

in the current geopolitical climate, it

certainly is not easy.

Top to bottom:

at the UN;

(l to r)

Pam Perraud,

president US

Women's Caucus,

Dr. Greeta Gupta,

ambassador-atlarge

for Global

Women's Issues,

Dr Susan Lee,

former president

US Women's

Caucus


feature

The FAWCO UN Team –

My Next Chapter

by Sallie Chaballier, AAWE Paris

In 2019 as I was finishing my presidency of FAWCO and concluding

seven years on the FAWCO Board, it was an honor to be profiled in

Inspiring Women for the 2018 Highlights issue. At the time, I was

contemplating “retirement” of some sort, although I hoped to remain

involved in FAWCO in some capacity. Six years later, I’ve changed hats, as

it were, and am now writing as a member of the FAWCO UN Team. One of

many things I truly appreciate about FAWCO is how it gives its members

avenues to grow and learn – and to stay involved – at any stage of life.

Sallie at the UN for

CSW67, highlighting

one of her favorite

articles of the

Universal

Declaration of

Human Rights,

14 INSPIRING WOMEN March 2023

INSPIRING WOMEN 15

Ever since my first FAWCO conference in

Lyon in 2007 where I was tremendously

impressed listening to Pam Perraud, the

FAWCO UN director (as the position

was called at the time), FAWCO’s work

in UN circles has always struck me as

compelling. The idea that my local club

was part of a global women’s NGO

accredited by the UN Economic and

Social Council (ECOSOC) was particularly

intriguing to me, as it conferred a certain

“gravitas” upon our member clubs.

FAWCO’s consultative status with

ECOSOC makes it one of only about 6,500

NGOs with that status out of millions of

NGOs worldwide. FAWCO works within

the United Nations and the NGO

community in support of women and

girls, health, human rights, education

and the environment. This provides an

important opportunity for FAWCO

members to have a voice and make an

impact on a global level. Our clubs gain

prestige through their affiliation with a

global women’s NGO.

I finally had a chance to attend my first

UN meeting in November 2014, the

Beijing +20 United Nations Economic

Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional

Review in Geneva. That inspired me

to attend my first Commission on the

Status of Women (CSW) meetings at UN

Headquarters in New York the following

March, and I was firmly hooked. Those

two meetings demonstrated to me where

FAWCO fits into civil society as well as

the importance of civil society as a force

for good.

Geneva committee’s Executive Bureau and

am serving a three-year term as secretary.

Becoming part of FAWCO’s UN Team has given

me more direct insight into how FAWCO can

have input into UN processes, how we work with

other NGOs advocating for women and girls,

and why advocacy matters.

At Paula Daeppen’s suggestion, in mid-2023,

I joined the task force that was formed to

strengthen relations between NGO CSW Geneva

and the UNECE, the entity that conducts the

regional reviews of the Beijing Platform for

Action every five years. NGO CSW Geneva

resolved to conduct a review of the Beijing

Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as

to hold a Civil Society Consultation in October

2024. Beginning over a year in advance, we

formed working groups on the 12 critical areas of

the Beijing Platform for Action across multiple

countries and time zones, bringing women

together from diverse backgrounds, working

together toward a common goal while

overcoming challenges and differences of

opinion. Our sustained effort over many months

culminated in a strong and comprehensive

analysis of the gaps and challenges that remain

to achieve full rights for women and girls in the

12 critical areas of the Beijing Platform for

Action. I am proud to say that FAWCO members

either chaired or participated in most of these

working groups.

With Lopa Banerjee (center), director, Civil Society

Division at UN Women, at the end of the UNECE Beijing

+30 Regional Review meeting with other NGO CSW

Geneva Bureau members and members of the Beijing +30

Civil Society Review working groups

During my years on the FAWCO board, I

strongly believed that FAWCO’s ECOSOC

status was essential to our strength

and sustainability as a global

organization and an integral part of the

“value added” benefits to our member

clubs. It was again Pam Perraud who,

along with FAWCO’s first UN Director

Paula Daeppen, persuaded me to join

the UN Team as a representative to the

NGO Committee on the Status of

Women* in Geneva, and I accepted an

appointment to that position in October

2022. In April 2024, I was elected to the

Top to bottom:

CSW69 in the UN General Assembly chamber with FAWCO

members (l to r): Alexandra Vo, My-Linh Kunst, Sallie, Prachi Shah,

Michelle Gates Roberts, Anna Roberts, March 2025;

at the UN in Geneva for the UNECE Beijing +30 Regional Review

meeting with Paula Daeppen (l) and Mary Adams (r), October 2024;

with (l to r) My-Linh Kunst, Monica Jubayli and the late Kathleen

Simon at the UNECE Beijing +20 Regional Review meeting, Palais

des Nations, Geneva, November 2014


FAWCO delegation members at a UN

Women reception, CSW62, March 2018

(l to r): Laurie Richardson, Christine

Humphreys, Sallie and Erica Higbie.

*Somewhat confusingly, both the UN

Commission on the Status of Women

and the various NGO Committees on the

Status of Women in New York, Geneva

and Vienna are referred to as "CSW."

Despite the goals outlined in the Beijing

Platform for Action, the sad reality 30 years

later is that gender equality has not been

achieved in any country. We’re at a critical

juncture for women and girls (and arguably for

anyone not a cis white male). It is maddening

to think how little has been achieved in the 30

years since Beijing. Women’s rights are eroding

or at risk in too many countries, including the

US. We have to “push back against the

pushback” as UN Secretary-General António

Guterres has said. Civil society gives voice to

the voiceless, and we strive to ensure that the

voices of women and girls are represented

and amplified.

In working closely with other women’s NGOs

as well as within the UN Team, I’ve seen

how we all have made room in our lives for

this advocacy work because it is important

and meaningful. I stand on the shoulders of

the FAWCO women who came before me to set

our course and am grateful for those who have

encouraged me along the way, especially Pam

Perraud, Paula Daeppen and Laurie Richardson.

Part of my “aha!” moment over 10 years ago

was the realization that we are all part of civil

society: every one of us, with each small step,

helps to weave the fabric of civil society. And it

is civil society organizations that come together

to hold governments accountable, reminding

them of their commitments and pushing

for implementation.

An Ohio native, Sallie

Chaballier has lived in

Europe for nearly 42 of the

last 44 years, beginning in

Munich as an analyst of

Soviet politics and then

in Paris, Washington, DC,

and Munich as a research

analyst for Radio Free

Europe/Radio Liberty.

Sallie, with husband

François-Marc, has happily

lived in Paris for the last

33 years. During this time,

she raised two children,

was president (among other

positions) of AAWE Paris

and served as president of

FAWCO from 2017 - 2019.

To read more about Sallie's

early life, career and

FAWCO work, click HERE!


profile

International Cooperation

is Not a Luxury

Zefi Dimadama, AWO Greece, is an academic and the first woman to serve

as director general of the International Centre for Black Sea Studies. She

explains the challenges facing ESG goals, why women are needed at the

negotiation table and her commitment to justice and equality.

Zefi Dimadama

Growing up in a Small Town

I

grew up in Ymittos, a small town just

outside Athens with quiet streets,

bitter orange trees and family homes with

gardens. A place filled with character and

community spirit. Ymittos has always attracted

people with artistic and democratic ideals,

fostering creativity, participation and solidarity.

This atmosphere deeply shaped me.

A key symbol in the area was the historic PYRKAL

factory, once the heart of Greece’s defense

industry. Living next to it made me reflect early

on the meaning of war and the value of peace.

It gave me a profound sense of responsibility,

not only toward my country but also toward the

values that sustain it: democracy, peace, solidarity

and shared prosperity. This neighborhood and its

people played a formative role in the person and

professional that I became.

Higher Education in Greece, Europe and the US

Through national exams, I succeeded in entering

the university of my dreams, Panteion University

in Athens. This allowed me to live at home

during my studies, a critical concern for my

family. My parents, Dimitra (born in the

mountain village of Arachova in Nafpaktia)

and Michalis (from Makrochori

near Veria), worked tirelessly to

support my brother and me.

Studying outside of Athens

would have been very

difficult financially.

Secretary-

General for

Gender Equality,

Greece


With son, Dimitris

A few years later, I pursued postgraduate

studies with a scholarship from the State

Scholarships Foundation (IKY), followed by a

PhD that included academic visits to universities

in Germany and the UK. I also attended a

specialized program in the United States focused

on energy security and the environment, an

experience that broadened my perspective.

I feel fortunate to have studied and lived in

different parts of the world, meeting people

with shared values and vision. These

experiences shaped not only my career path

but also my commitment to public life and

social responsibility.

Motherhood - a Paradigm Shift

After completing my studies and returning

to Panteion University, two of the most

meaningful chapters of my life began: building

my family and the birth of my son, Dimitris, who

has been a constant source of inspiration in my

personal life and also in my sense of

responsibility as a citizen.

This responsibility to our own children, and

all children around the world, has become

a core value for me. This realization led me

to align my social and political work with

the defense of human rights, support for

vulnerable groups, especially women, and

the fight against social inequalities.

As deputy spokesperson of the PASOK

party, I shared this vision with the late Fofi

Gennimata, with whom my collaboration

greatly inspired me. I maintained that

vision in academia as a university professor

and later as secretary-general for Gender

Equality at the Ministry of Family and Social

Cohesion. With the same passion to this

day, I remain committed to the fight for

justice and equality.

Why Multilateral Cooperation

is Essential

My engagement with international issues

stems from a strong belief: we live in an

interconnected world and no challenge,

from human rights to climate or

economic development, can be tackled

without cooperation. I deeply believe in

the power of international cooperation.

Despite today’s global challenges – climate

crisis, inequality or geopolitical tensions –

no meaningful solution can be achieved

without collective action, partnerships and

mutual respect.

My academic path in Germany, the UK and

the US shaped my global outlook while my

role as director general at the International

Centre for Black Sea Studies deepened my

understanding of the need for alliances and

shared goals. International cooperation is not

a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether addressing

ocean protection, sustainable mobility or

women’s rights, everything is connected.

That’s why I actively contribute to national

and global networks: AWO Greece (as FAWCO

Rep), the Greek Women’s Union, Leading

Women for Oceans, and the Global Alliance

for Feminist Transport. I believe in a model of

development that promotes inclusion, social

justice and equality.

Challenges

One of the greatest challenges in the fields

of politics, social justice and international

relations is ensuring peace and global security

in an increasingly unstable world. I firmly

believe that building a fair and sustainable

international system requires strong,

institutionalized multilateral cooperation. Within it,

women must play an equal and meaningful role.

Whether in conflict zones or at negotiation tables,

women, as confirmed by UN data, often

contribute to more sustainable, inclusive and

lasting peace agreements. Their presence

strengthens rights-based approaches, violence

prevention and long-term stability.

At the same time, we see how climate change,

resource scarcity, environmental displacement

and extreme weather are increasingly linked to

geopolitical tensions and conflict. These are no

longer just “environmental issues,” they are

matters of security, justice and peace.

As these challenges intensify, international

diplomacy will need to become more complex,

inclusive and responsive than ever before.

Lessons Learned

Working with international and regional

organizations has taught me the value of

empathy and adaptability. Every country, every

society, has its own priorities, sensitivities and

cultural context. To build true cooperation, we

In her village, Arahova, in the mountainous

Nafpaktia area

must listen, not just to respond but to truly

understand. I also learned that a diversity of

voices is not a barrier but a strength. When

people from different backgrounds come

together, the solutions that emerge are often

more inclusive, creative and sustainable,

especially in organizations dealing with human

rights, the environment or social policy. I

realized how important it is to share experiences

and build common ground.

Finally, I’ve learned that change requires

consistency and patience. Institutions may

move slowly, but when there is trust, dialogue

and commitment to shared values, even small

steps can lead us forward.

Career Highlights

I have devoted a significant part of my work to

promoting gender equality and social justice

As a Greek EU

representative


We are facing extreme weather events, human

rights violations, loss of lives, infrastructure

collapse, resource depletion, species extinction

and regional instability.

I firmly believe we need political will, strong civic

engagement and science-based policies to keep

sustainability principles alive and actionable, not

when it’s too late, but now.

Encouraging Youth Involvement

As an academic, I am fortunate to be in daily

contact with young people. I strongly believe that

our role in education and leadership is to open

paths for our youth, to equip them with the

tools and confidence to shape their own journey.

Encouragement is even more critical for young

women. Gender equality and women’s

empowerment have always been priorities in my

work, and I’ve seen how social expectations often

limit young women’s voices.

through my institutional roles and international

engagement. As the first woman to serve as

director general of a regional international

organization, the International Centre for Black

Sea Studies, my presence in such a geopolitically

sensitive area carried not just technical but

symbolic weight. It highlighted the need for

greater equality and more women in leadership.

Another defining moment as secretary-general

for Gender Equality was my initiative to lead

Greece’s first national study on the gendered

impact of the climate crisis. The research

revealed how environmental degradation

disproportionately affects women, especially

those in vulnerable groups. It laid the

foundation for Greece’s participation in EU-level

discussions on climate and gender equality.

Addressing Violence Against Women

Violence against women doesn’t receive the

attention or priority it deserves, neither

nationally nor globally. Despite some progress,

response policies remain fragmented,

underfunded and often ineffective.

What’s even more concerning is our failure to

recognize the full scale and root causes of the

problem. Gender-based violence is present

in school bullying, workplace discrimination,

silent tolerance of harassment and everyday

marginalization; it is a culture that normalizes

violence and that is its most dangerous form.

What’s needed is a radical shift in education,

institutions and political will. Addressing

violence against women must become a top

political and social priority. Support services

must be strengthened, gender equality must be

taught from an early age, binding rules and

accountability must be applied across sectors,

from work to justice.

Above all, we must stop treating gender-based

violence as a “women’s issue.” It harms not just

women, but entire societies.

Challenges to Environmental, Social and

Governance (ESG) Objectives

Current global trends show a clear shift in

political priorities away from the core goals

related to the environment, development and

governance, as defined in the United Nations’

17 Sustainable Development Goals.

This shift directly affects critical areas such as

sustainable development, climate action, the

rapid advancement of artificial intelligence,

social justice and the protection of human

rights. I address these issues extensively in

both of my published books.

But my concern is not only that these goals

may lose political momentum. What worries me

more is that the crises surrounding them are

escalating so rapidly and at so many levels that

we may be forced to respond only when the

damage has become overwhelming.

Previous page:

speaking at the Women Economic Forum, 2024

This page, top to bottom:

presentation of second book, Sustainable Economic Development:

The Integration of the 17 UN Goals (Papazisis Publications, 2021);

receiving an award at Crans Montana, 2019


Through university initiatives, public

engagement and networks like

AWO Greece, FAWCO and the Greek

Women’s Union, I work to amplify

those voices. I organize workshops,

mentoring sessions and open dialogues

that promote leadership and inclusion.

Young people need to feel that they

belong and that their voices matter.

It’s our responsibility to create that

space, with consistency, trust and

genuine respect.

Fostering Goodwill and

Positive Change

I believe in peace, not just as the

absence of war, but as a proactive

state of justice, equality and dialogue

where everyone can live without fear,

with dignity and security.

In a rapidly changing world, artificial

intelligence brings great promise but

also serious risks. We need an

international regulatory framework

with clear rules that places human rights

and ethical safeguards at the center.

Technology must serve social progress,

not undermine it.

Top to bottom:

supporting young girls;

with the unforgettable president of the

Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Fofi Gennimata

On a personal level, I believe each of us

can cultivate kindness, empathy

and respect for diversity. We must

value collaboration, become active

citizens, and never give up on the vision

of a fairer, more humane world.


feature

FAWCO’s Seat at the

Table of History

by Alexandra Vo, FAUSA

We Make History

A

t a time when we are witnessing the backsliding of women’s rights

around the world, the largest annual conference on gender equality

and empowerment, the UN Commission on the Status of Women,

responded with record attendance at its 69th session (CSW69). In total, there

were 13,000 participants from 186 member states, drawing the largest number

of civil society members ever, at 5845. FAWCO, too, rose to the challenge and

set its own delegation record with 24 in-person representatives in NYC. This

is how we do advocacy work. We show strength and solidarity by adding our

voice to the chorus that is “pushing back against the pushback." We learn, we

share, we amplify and we make history.

At the conference, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that over

the past 30 years women have broken barriers and reshaped societies, yet

“the poison of patriarchy is back ... and the masters of misogyny are gaining

strength." Last year, he warned that we are in a situation "in which

grandmothers fear their granddaughters will enjoy fewer rights than

they had." With the rise of fundamentalism and authoritarianism, the

1970s feminist rallying cry that “the personal is political" rings true still.

It was a mantra popularized by Carol Hanisch that meant women must

respond collectively against the social structures that exclude their voices

Alexandra at UN at home, at work, at school, at the doctor’s office, online, at the bank and

Headquarters in New

York City


at the decision-making table. What

affects women personally is political

if it is oppressive. With 193 member

states represented, the UN is the

ultimate political body, influencing

political decisions and outcomes

globally. FAWCO, with its deep

humanitarian history and talented

pool of international and diverse

women, is uniquely qualified to

participate within this space.

Does what we do really matter?

Absolutely, it does. Although we

are not directly involved in any

negotiations with our “observer”

status, it does not mean we are silent.

Far from it. We, as part of civil society,

are probably the most vocal agents of

change in the UN ecosystem. There,

we bear witness to the reality of

women’s lives throughout the world

and participate in shaping global

standards for women. We do this

by networking and supporting other

organizations. We share best

practices. We gather data, write

reports and make statements.

Just as important, we show up and

demand accountability.

Furthermore, this advocacy work

becomes recorded history for future

generations who will strive to do even

better. Goals, once achieved, are

meant to be surpassed; that’s

the incremental nature of advocacy.

Thus, one of the lessons I grew to appreciate

is that we can’t know where to go until we

understand where we’ve been.

In the fight for gender equality, we know

what must be done thanks to the FAWCO

trailblazers who attended the Fourth World

Conference on Women in Beijing 30 years ago.

We can participate in a multitude of UN

conferences from CSWs (NYC) to financing

(Seville) to science and technology (NYC)

to crime prevention (Vienna) to social

development (NYC) to the Human Rights

Council (Geneva), thanks to the FAWCO

leadership who applied for and achieved

ECOSOC status in 1997. We’ve had sustained

representation through Pam Perraud and

Paula Daeppen, among many others. We

can make our voices heard at the UN climate

change conferences (COPs) thanks to my

predecessor, Laurie Richardson, who applied

for accreditation to the UNFCCC, the climate

change treaty. We continue to increase the

number of badges allocated to us for COPs

because representatives like Ayuska Motha

consistently attend and network on our

behalf every year. There are too many people

to name them all, but you can find their blogs

and FAWCO’s history under “UN Advocacy” at

FAWCO.org. We have an amazing legacy to

build on.


(l to r) Sallie Chaballier,

Alex, Pam Perraud &

Prachi Shah at UN

Headquarters, NYC,

CSW69; at COP29 Baku,

Azerbaijan

Next page:

enroute to COP27;

at COP27 Sharm

El-Sheikh, Egypt


With (l to r)

Bianca Garvin,

Ayuska Motha and

Sheila Doucet at

COP29, Baku,

Azerbaijan

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All these collective experiences make us

battle-hardened and polish our advocacy

armor. When there are pushbacks like we are

currently experiencing on gender equality and

inclusiveness, we become the opposite of cowed.

Just as we’ve learned to build on what our

predecessors have done, so too, will we show

those who follow us what is possible. I believe

these setbacks will be righted and further

advancements will be made. Though slow and

frustrating, history has shown that change is

possible through continued advocacy. As Isaac

Newton famously said, "if I have seen further

[than others], it is by standing on the shoulders

of giants."

Solidarity, Joy and a Better Table

I am truly honored to be in a position with so

much history and weight, leading a talented team

along with my passionate and fun Co-UN Liaison

Karen Castellon. It’s great to have a partner who

keeps me sane! We march on with the examples

of those who have come before us to encourage

us forward. The second lesson I learned is that

global sisterhood is a powerful thing where we’re

reminded that joy is a form of resistance. We

have to celebrate every victory together. Next

time, when we demand a seat at the table, we’ll

also demand a "better table."

Alexandra Vo has been serving as

FAWCO’s UN liaison since 2022.

She has attended seven UN

Commission on the Status of

Women conferences and two UN

climate change conferences.

Prior to this position as co-UN

liaison with Karen Castellon, she

was the Target 5 chair for three

months and SDG Awareness team

leader from 2019-22. She was

also an active member of the

Environment Team where she

initiated #FAWCOtrees, the

weekly Facebook posting of trees

by members. Alexandra was

formerly an AWG Paris member

and is now a FAUSA member,

living just north of Manhattan.

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INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 33

profile

Extending FAWCO’s

Footprint at COP

Conferences

Sheila Doucet, AAWE Paris, is the current FAWCO board secretary and

co-chair of the Environment Team. She shares what she learned attending

climate change conferences and her top book picks about the environment.

University Influences

I

was born and raised in Berkeley, California.

We moved to nearby Alameda as I started

high school. In the 1960s, Berkeley was

intellectual, effervescent and inclusive.

I had friends from around the world, so we

absorbed different cultures. I remember

loving school field trips to UC Berkeley, with

two in particular: viewing the moon rock and

learning about Ishi, the last remaining member

of a local indigenous people. Alameda was and

remains a small, close-knit community of

intertwined family connections where I became

active in both school and community activities.

Even today, when I'm out and about back home

and someone waves, I always wave back even

when I don't recognize them because it is

usually someone who went to school with one

of my siblings or me.

At university I felt like a kid in a candy store

when it came time to pick classes for the

quarter. I had always been interested in history

and politics, so International Relations became

the ideal fit. Classes were fantastic, but what

captured my imagination was participating in

study abroad programs, as both an

undergraduate and graduate student,

in Florence and Paris. These

platforms ignited my desire to

live abroad and work in the

Sheila Doucet

international arena for “a couple COP27 with

of years.” Armed with an MBA and Dr. Bullard,

"Father of the

experience in marketing, I found a

US Environmental

Justice"

way to accomplish this through a

movement


young professionals program in

Germany, where I met my future

French husband in a German

language class, and in 1985, found

a French company willing to

sponsor me.

Volunteer Service Leads to FAWCO

My husband and I lived in India for

three years where I actively served

in international women’s

organizations for the first time.

After returning to Paris, we adopted

our two sons (now aged 23 and 27),

who graciously completed our

family. My husband’s job took us

to Germany for 15 years, where I

became active in the parents’

association and the local library’s

outreach programs; this included

establishing workshops for students

interested in studying in the US.

I pivoted to serve as a volunteer

coach and eventually as a board

member with a San Francisco-based

non-profit focused on providing

support for high-achieving, low

income US-based students to get

into and through college. At some

point, I took an online course in

land restoration, which ignited my

interest in agro-ecology and

eventually expanded to a wider

spectrum (wetlands restoration,

climate justice, indigenous land

rights). During COVID-19,

I attended the FAWCO

online conference and

immediately joined the

Environment Team.

FAWCO at the United

Nations Climate Change

Conference (COP)

It has been an honor to

be a FAWCO delegate at

the last three COPs. COP

proceedings are complex,

overwhelming, intellectually

stimulating and intense due

to the nature of the task at

hand. Each country has a

unique – sometimes

inglorious – history about

how it industrialized or why

Top to bottom:

with husband Nicolas, Konark Sun Temple, India, 1996;

in the south of France, 2022

With Alex Vo and Ayuska Motha at COP29

it was prevented from doing so, its political

system, its social contract with its citizens and

its vision for the future. Incorporating these

inputs from 198 countries into an equitable

climate action plan is an arduous task.

In spite of disappointing outcomes, such as the

tabling or watering down of key phrases, I

nevertheless return re-energized from the

COPs, owing to the strength of observers who

refuse to yield. They serve their communities,

overcome daunting challenges and continue to

demand an environment where everyone has

the basic necessities for a decent life. Against

all odds, people on the front lines are making

progress in communities all over the world. It

is our duty to continue to uplift and support

their efforts.

The majority of observer delegations are

composed of career practitioners, yet

FAWCO’s footprint at COP extends further than

what could be expected from an all-volunteer

organization. FAWCO delegates at COP

have built upon former UN Liaison Laurie

Richardson’s vision to join the Women and

Gender Constituency (WGC) and the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) capitalizing on Representative

Ayuska Motha’s institutional knowledge.

Ayuska’s extensive work within the WGC

“Gender Just Climate Solutions Awards”

committee has helped FAWCO weave a

network within the WGC and with leaders from

the Global South.

Alexandra Vo (co-UN liaison), Ayuska and I

have attended two or three COPs together.

In a concerted effort, we have used FAWCO’s

platform as an opportunity to provide badges

for “boots on the ground” leaders who, most

likely, would not have had the opportunity to

attend, network, exchange and plead their

causes at COP. In Azerbaijan, FAWCO’s reach

extended to a total of eight in-person youth

attendees, our largest number.


Challenges

Scientists tell us that the nine planetary

boundaries that regulate Earth’s systems are

spinning out of balance due to activities

associated with modern-era lifestyle choices

(industrial production, food cultivation,

transportation of goods and people).

In the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries

acknowledged that certain countries bear a

heavier responsibility than others for causing

the damage. The greatest challenges, therefore,

evolve around the historic polluters’ "reluctance"

to pay the full cost of the damages they’ve

caused, to reduce current domestic

consumption trajectories and to recognize

that Global South countries have a right to

industrialize on their own terms. These four

words are significant. Is it just that a scheme

created in the Global North results in displacing

populations in the Global South – communities

whose contributions to global emissions are

negligible and whose traditional activities

preserve a higher percentage of global

biodiversity - by designating

enormous tracks of their land

as "conservatories," yet refusing

to alter their own behavior? The

question arises in discussions: why

doesn’t the Global North focus its

attention on cleaning up its own

backyard and stop imposing its will

on others?

Therefore, we must reach a

consensus for a just transition. It

must be an equitable system for

all of Earth’s inhabitants – humans,

flora and fauna – and reflect a

value system based on cooperation

rather than dominance.

Time is of the essence. May the

myriad voices of the underserved

be heard. May the concrete actions

of “The Just” continue. May our

leaders lead us down the path to a

more equitable world. We are

the environment.

With Puyr Tembé at COP29,

Baku, 2024

Memorable Moments at COP

COP is a mingling of the minds. A cacophony of

declarations. Casual and consequential

conversations occur everywhere: while following

a particularly interesting panel, at the various

pavilions, in line at the airport gate or in line for

lunch. Exchanging and hearing first hand

testimonies is ubiquitous and powerful.

A range of conversations savored include

morning WGC status updates that anchor

negotiations, my personal honor meeting Dr.

Robert Bullard, "Father of the US Environmental

Justice" movement, and a South African director

dedicating his film to the grandchildren he may

not have due to the climate crisis.

Climate crises, as opposed to natural disasters

like earthquakes, do not "happen" in a vacuum.

They have been created by historic political

decisions and continue to be compounded by

current policies which can be amended

wherever political will exists.

At COP29 in Azerbaijan, I had a few

minutes between meetings, so I

decided to visit the exhibition area

and stumbled upon a panel where

the “star” of the documentary

We Are Guardians – that we had

recently featured at our

Environment Team’s Movie Night –

was speaking. Puyr Tembé is

an indigenous activist whose

community’s ancestral lands are

located in the Amazon River basin.

The documentary explained both

the conflicts and triumphs of the

Guardians – indigenous

communities and certain land

owners – in the face of their

interactions with illegal loggers and

ranchers: a complex situation of

interconnected interests. After her

panel ended, I was able to share

on behalf of FAWCO our deep

appreciation for having had the

chance to view the movie and our

hope that her perseverance to

protect the Amazon is successful.

We had the good fortune of

enlightening ourselves AND

offering encouragement to a

mighty voice. Being an active citizen

advocate can be as small as

expressing your admiration and

appreciation for those who are out

on the front lines. There are no

small efforts.

You Can Be an Environment

Advocate

You do not need to be an expert

to advocate for the environment!

Environment Team members are

curious and willing to share

perspectives backed by science. All

that we do – articles for FAWCO’s

monthly online Global Issues

Top to bottom:

meet-up with youth delegates, COP29;

post COP29 report to the FAWCO community;

at the FAWCO Interim Meeting with (l to r)

Target Project 5 Chair Amanda Drollinger and

Environment Team Co-chair Jocelyn Fitzgerald,

Porto, March 2024


COP28 surprise! Ayuska and Sheila discover they are reading the same book.

Digest, movie nights, book discussions –

is designed to raise awareness of and to

encourage action on an array of issues

relating to the environment on three levels

of engagement: individual, communal

or international.

You decide your personal scope of action. For

instance, to tackle the need to reduce plastic

consumption, an individual could choose to

reduce purchasing products wrapped in plastic.

As a collective or club, you may approach your

municipality to inquire about how plastic trash

is treated after collection. As an employee, you

may join teams to reconsider the use of plastics

in the corporate supply chain. Finally, as a

delegate or advocate in an international

organization, your job is to speak truth to power.

Sharing information precedes moving mountains,

and each stone lifted counts. Once you’re

involved, you never know where it might lead.

Recommended Books About the Environment

If I had to select a list of inspiring books, those

at the top would include 1491 by Charles Mann.

Although we all learned that “In 1492, Columbus

sailed the ocean blue,” what happened prior to

his arrival is presented in 1491, where Mann

relates the story of how the stewardship of

indigenous peoples crafted the thriving

environment that colonizers upended out of

blindness to what they thought they saw. Another

oeuvre is Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert, which

follows the trajectory of a common plant, cotton,

from being plucked from its respectable existence

to become the unwitting tool of economic and

cultural bulldozers with epic historical

implications. There’s a tie for third place:

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a

marvelous appreciation of indigenous ways and

knowledge, and All We Can Save edited by Ayana

Elisabeth Johnson, an anthology of feminist

voices and insights into plausible solutions to

the climate crisis. Knowledge underlies power.

Happy Reading!


profile

Protecting Advances in

Medical Technology

Maria Louka, AWA Vienna, worked at the European Patent Office (EPO) for

over 25 years as a patent examiner. She explains her job and the importance

of regional cooperation in medical technology.

Growing Up in Greece and Exploring Europe

Igrew up in Athens, Greece, as the only child

of a wonderful, loving family and enjoyed a

stable childhood. After studying physics at

the National University of Athens, I obtained

an MSc in medical physics at the University of

Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK).

Trips I took as a child and adolescent with my

parents throughout Europe opened my horizon.

I was fascinated by the lifestyle differences of

the places I visited. I decided to learn foreign

languages and get in touch with people from

other countries.

From Greece to the European Patent Office

After my postgraduate studies in the UK, I

came back to Athens and tried to find work as

a hospital physicist. A hospital physicist’s role

is to focus on the safe and effective use of

radiation and other physics-based technologies

like ultrasound, MRI and isotopes in the

diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Unfortunately, I could not find employment

in Greece during the mid-80s, so I started

looking for job opportunities abroad.

The European Patent Office (EPO) offered me a

job as a patent examiner in the field of medical

technology. I accepted it without

a second thought and ended up

Maria Louka

living in Munich, Germany, for 25 In Japan,

years and in The Hague, the

visiting Japanese

Netherlands, for three years,

companies and

working for the EPO.

patent

attorneys


As a student I participated in regional and

international research projects. I found working

with people on these projects very fulfilling

and challenging. I enjoyed participating in a

congress or giving a speech in front of

students from various countries. When I applied

for a job at the EPO, I was excited about working

in a multinational environment and using

different languages on a daily basis. Looking

back, I never regretted pursuing this career.

What does a patent examiner do?

A patent examiner is a person with a technical

background responsible for reviewing patent

applications in order to determine whether

they meet the legal requirements for patent

protection. Our primary job is to assess whether

an invention is novel, non-obvious and

technically applicable, based on existing prior

art (previous patents, scientific literature and

other public disclosures). Examiners research

databases, journals and patent records to see if

similar inventions already exist. We then analyze

patent applications (claims, specifications and

drawings) to ensure clarity, completeness and

compliance with patent laws. We communicate

with applicants by sending a number of "office

actions" detailing objections or rejections and

may suggest amendments. Most of the time, it

is a solitary profession, but, as responsibilities

increase, there is enhanced interaction with

people from different fields or occupations,

making the job more fulfilling.

Lessons Learned

I learned to respect different mentalities and

to accept them without judgement or feeling

competitive. I also realized that people,

regardless of their nationality, are very similar

in their thinking and working methods. Once

the challenge of finding common ground is

overcome, cooperation starts. Effective

diplomacy at high levels, mutual benefits and

trust-building are, according to my experience,

key factors in making regional and international

cooperation work.

Challenges in the Patent World

While wealthier countries dominate high-end

medical technology (robotic surgery, gene

therapy, etc.), poorer countries excel in frugal

innovation, creating affordable, life-saving

medical solutions that are often more impactful

for global health. In the field of medical

technology, the challenge is finding a way to

allow more people from poorer countries to

Previous page, top to bottom:

at graduation in Surrey with first English teacher;

with daughter in The Hague, 1996


summer in Greece;

with husband at the Musikverein in Vienna

become inventive and

then protect their

inventions. In poorer

countries, medical

innovations usually

prioritize cost-effective,

scalable and accessible

healthcare solutions.

A few examples are

affordable prosthetics,

mobile health (mHealth)

apps and simple

diagnostic tools.

Intellectual property in

general is a sector often

associated with wealthier

countries due to their

stronger research infrastructure, higher

investments in reseach and development,

well-established intellectual property

systems and the high cost of getting

patents. Good education and freedom

of thought are also a prerequisite for

innovation. This is not obvious in some

parts of the world.

Fostering talent and allowing mistakes

require strong economies and wellthought-out

policies. I feel that we have

a long way to go before international

cooperation facilitates more people from

Africa, South East Asia, South America

or some regions in Southern Europe to

become inventors and patent applicants.

International collaboration should

continue to strengthen and multiply

partnerships between poorer countries

and global organizations, NGOs, as well

as universities from wealthier nations.

Highlights and Rewards

I enjoyed training younger colleagues

tremendously. In order to become an

experienced patent examiner, you need

to get involved with all the aspects of the

examiner's work for about 10 years. You

also need to stay updated on technological

advances and change your specific field

of work according to the patent numbers.

I was very interested in teaching my

colleagues on the job how to analyze

a real application, how to proceed in

written communications with the

applicant, via their representative


attorney, in order to come to a final decision,

which normally takes a couple of years. It was

amazing to see motivated, well-trained scientists

develop their examiner skills and become

independent professionals with their own

personal style of doing an examiner's job.

I also enjoyed participating in and chairing

oral proceedings: formal hearings that allow

applicants, patent examiners and sometimes

third parties (usually competitors) to present

arguments about the patentability of an

invention or resolve disputes regarding a

patent. Cooperating with other examiners

and patent attorneys to evaluate technical

or legal arguments and reach a correct,

binding final decision was a demanding but

rewarding activity.

The European Patent Office vs. the World

Intellectual Property Organization

The World Intellectual Property Organization

(WIPO) in Geneva and the European Patent

Office (EPO) in Munich, with branches in The

Hague and Berlin, are both involved in

intellectual property (IP) and patents, but

they have different scopes, functions and

jurisdictions. The EPO has a regional role

and the WIPO a global one. The WIPO does

not grant patents.

Impressive Patent Applications in the Medical

Technology Field

I was always impressed by patents in medical

technology that were the result of inventors

from different fields cooperating with one

another, like computer engineers, mechanical

engineers and chemical engineers or biologists.

For example, Willem Kolff, a Dutch physician,

developed the first artificial kidney, but its

modern form, the dialysis machine, evolved

through collaboration among engineers,

nephrologists and biomedical companies.

Another example is a custom-made knee, hip

or hand prostheses. There are 3D-printed

customized titanium knee or hip implants made

by electrical and mechanical engineers. They

have coatings developed by chemical experts

to promote better bone integration. Prosthetic

hands can be provided with sensors for

monitoring movement and improving dexterity

and grip control. In the more advanced forms,

they use brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to

enable more natural motion. Emerging research

in biomaterials and self-healing polymers could

lead to prosthetics that repair themselves or

even integrate with biological tissue.

Cooking for the homeless with AWA Vienna members

The challenge remains how to make

these high-quality solutions more

accessible and affordable, especially in

developing regions or war zones.

Retirement in Vienna

When my husband and I retired, we

opted to stay in central Europe. We

liked Vienna very much because of

its cosmopolitan character, rich

culture and high quality of life. We

have been living in this beautiful city

for almost nine years. Our daughter,

who was born when we were living in

The Hague, now lives and studies in

the UK. I'm now catching up with

reading non-technical literature and

enjoying long trips all over the world

that my husband and I have long

wanted to do. I'm also meeting

interesting people in Vienna and

elsewhere. Above all, I enjoy

mixing with the ladies of AWA Vienna,

a source of inspiration for me.

Working place of an EPO examiner

After a teaching visit at the Norwegian Patent Office in Oslo


feature

A Club Inspires:

Brussels

by Florence L. Jeannin

Florence L. Jeannin is the president

of the American Women’s Club of

Brussels and has been a member

since 2014.

Florence L. Jeannin

76 Years of History

The American Women’s Club of Brussels was started in 1949 by

Louise Gregg and Sonia Bruyaux, with the mission “to create a

center for social, cultural and philanthropic activities for its

members, to foster fellowship among the American women

residents in Brussels and to engage in cultural and welfare activities,

which will contribute to closer Belgo-American understanding in building

toward a community of nations.”

We currently have 85 members, the majority American citizens, but

also including Belgians, French, British, Canadians, Danes, Germans,

Ukrainians and Russians. Most of our members are here for the long term.

It’s common to hear, “I moved here for work, meaning to only stay a few

years … now it’s 20 years later!”

Brussels City

Hall and Mont

des Arts area

at sunset

The club is run by a board elected yearly. Statutory positions are

president, treasurer, 1 st VP, 2 nd VP and general directors. Committees

manage events or issues and are a mix of board members and other

club members.


C lub Events

The numerous and varied club events

include charitable support, food/wine,

birthday parties, walks, art, quarterly

meetings with potluck, 4 th of July party,

members’ specific interests, day trips and

special overnight trips. Some of the most

popular are:

Angel Tree

Through Angel Tree, we collect and

wrap about 250 toys for Belgian charities

to provide to the children on December

6 th for St. Nikolas Day.

Relay for Life

This global breast cancer Spring

walk-a-thon raises money for breast

cancer research.

Members’ Quarterly Birthday Parties

Potluck birthday parties are at a

member's home and open to all club

members (and their significant others).

Monthly Bowling

Members get together once a month to bowl.

Monthly Book Club

Together with the American Club of Brussels

(ACB), we discuss books from American and

Canadian authors.

Hearts for Hope

Our volunteers for Hearts for Hope meet

twice a month to sew heart-shaped pillows

for breast cancer patients. Afterward, we

enjoy a potluck lunch.

Day & Overnight Trips

Destinations have included the Keukenhof

tulip gardens in the Netherlands, Christmas

markets and overnight trips to places such as

Normandy and Paris. In 2024, member and

WWII history expert Marianne Huberts led a

special overnight trip to Bastogne, where she

taught us about the Battle of the Bulge and

guided us through key historical sites.

The Relay For

Life team at

an event to

raise money for

breast cancer

The Hearts for Hope pillow group meets every two weeks

Reason to Celebrate

In September 2024, we celebrated our

75 th Anniversary at the US Embassy in

Brussels together with the ACB, which

marked its 100 th Anniversary. Ambassador

and Mrs. Adler hosted this event in the

beautiful Whitlock Hall and the adjoining

atrium of the embassy residence.

Another signature event is our yearly

overnight trip to a special family home,

the Val Richer, in Normandy for three to

four days. Our members are able to stay

together in this residence, walk the grounds

and take several day trips to attractions and

museums in the Normandy region.

We must mention our club’s upcoming hosting

of FAWCO’s Region 4 Conference on November

14 -16, 2025! We have secured the Novotel

adjacent to the La Place Sainte-Catherine in

Brussels. The conference theme is “Renewal”

and will feature inspiring speakers Karen

Northshield, a Belgian-American athlete who

survived the 2016 Brussels bombing at Zavemtem

airport, despite a nearly zero chance of survival,

and whose amazing resilience inspires others,

and Clarie Oppert, a cellist and art therapist

who has used her music for over 20 years to

help children with autism, people with

neurodegenerative diseases and palliative care

patients, among others. We welcome all FAWCO

club members; stay tuned for registration!

US Ambassador Adler and Mrs. Adler

(center) with AWC Brussels board

members at Whitlock Hall for the

club's 75 th Anniversary Celebration


Philanthropic Causes

The AWCB meets its mission to build a

community of nations by being open and

welcoming to all nationalities, both women and

men! Our members are resilient, inspiring and

dedicated to the continuing philanthropy, social

activities and longevity of the AWCB.

City Snaps

Our club has several future goals which relate

to the above topics. These include fostering

partnerships with FAWCO clubs and other

international clubs in Belgium and nearby

regions. Additionally, our club is dedicated

to providing a stable, long-term source of

financial philanthropy for the charitable

organizations supported by our club.

The club’s HOPE – Humanitarian Outreach

Program and Events – division manages a

number of philanthropic activities, including

the aforementioned Angel Tree and Relay for

Life, as well as:

Lina’s Project

Named after Lina, the daughter of AWCB

member Nancy Evans, who passed away

suddenly in 2016. Lina's Project raises money

to support summer activities for the children

of Lina’s cherished charity, Nativitas, which

serves as a house of conviviality and offers

various services to disadvantaged people,

regardless of their age, origin, culture or

religion. It is open to anyone struggling with

poverty or isolation. Club members also

collect food and personal care items for

Nativitas at the daytime reception center in

Brussels’ Marolles district.

Members on the beach at Normandy during a club trip

Red Cross Center for Refugees in

Alsemberg, Belgium

Our club supports the children at the center

through our Angel Tree project and also

organizes an Easter egg hunt with snacks

and refreshments.

La Cité Joyeuse

La Cité Joyeuse is an orphanage dedicated to

improving the quality of life and the social and

academic integration of the children entrusted

to them. In addition to the Angel Tree project,

AWCB collects other needed items, such as

new socks or underwear.

Oasis

Oasis provides social and financial support

for marginalized women in Belgium. It is a

beneficiary of our Angel Tree project.

BIG for Breast Cancer

Our club organizes fundraisers to raise money

for BIG against Breast Cancer. BIG's mission

is to facilitate and accelerate breast cancer

research at the international level by fostering

collaboration among researchers and other

key players.

Relay for Life

Our club raises money for breast cancer

research by participating in the annual Relay

for Life walk-a-thon.


A City for Everyone

Brussels, as the capital of the

European Union, draws citizens

from across Europe and the rest

of the world. Thirty-two-thousand

people work for the European

Commission, with at least that

many more employed by the other

EU institutions. It’s estimated that

the EU presence generates

hundreds of millions of euros

for the city and region, as well as

tens of thousands of jobs. Another

4000 people work at NATO

headquarters. No wonder Brussels

is multi-ethnic, multi-age and

multi-lingual! All this international

activity creates a vibrant city that's

home to a thriving cultural life,

including (according to The

Washington Post) a “popping”

contemporary art scene, fine food

and much more.

Brussels

Tiny But Mighty

Belgium packs in a lot for a country the

size of Maryland. Its population is about

11.8 million persons – twice that of the

US state. While Brussels is modern and

dynamic, the country has numerous intact

medieval towns, (shout-out to AWCA),

Gent, Brugges, Dinant, Namur and Leuven

– whose university celebrates its 600 th

anniversary this year. Everything is close,

whether by train or car. From Brussels, you

can reach the sea or the Ardennes forest

in just 1.5 hours. And wherever you go in

Belgium, you're never more than 15

minutes from a brasserie serving classic

frites, burgers, waffles ... and delicious

Belgian IPAs or kriek beers!

A typical day in Belgium can include rain,

hail, sun and cloudy skies. Snow is rare

except in the Ardennes region, which

borders France, Germany and

Luxembourg. Yes, it rains more than in

Florida – but our lush forests and beautiful

flowers thrive because of it! The best time

of the year to visit Belgium is from April

to October. That's when many events are

happening all over the country, and the

weather is more hospitable.

The Best of Brussels &

Surrounding Areas

The restaurant not to be missed in Brussels

is Le Roy d'Espagne on the Grand Place.

Built in 1697 and named after Charles II, the

restaurant has a fantastic outside terrace

and three floors of seating inside with views

to the Grand Place. It is often used by the

AWCB and ACB for events. You can enjoy

classic Belgian dishes and Belgian beers in

a truly remarkable building. And just across

the side street is a Neuhaus chocolate shop!

The original Neuhaus shop (originally a

pharmacy) opened in 1857 in the nearby

Galerie de la Reine (historic shopping

gallery). Jean Neuhaus created his

chocolate to cover medicines for his

customers. Now, this delicious chocolate is

definitely prescribed to lift your mood and

delight friends!

The Brussels Flower Carpet

Neuhaus chocolate shop

Two must-see events are the annual Ommegang

Medieval Festival and the biennial Brussels

Flower Carpet:

The Ommegang festival, held early July on

the Brussels Grand Place, features over 1400

costumed participants recreating the 1549 visit

to Brussels of Charles V.

The biennial Brussels Flower Carpet, held

in mid-August, is a fresh flower composition

measuring 70 by 24 meters. It is created by

design and artist volunteers in just a few hours

using mostly begonias.

For driving trips, our members recommend

visiting the medieval city of Bouillon to explore

the Bouillon Castle – a fortress over 1000 years

old – and enjoy its many annual events.

Another historical highlight is the town

of Bastogne, renowned for its defense

by American forces during World War

II. The area boasts excellent museums

both in and around the town.

Ommegang:

https://www.ommegang.be/?lang=en

Flower Carpet:

https://www.flowercarpet.brussels/en

Bouillon: https://www.chateaudebouillon.com/en/agenda

Bastogne War Museum: https://www.

bastognewarmuseum.be/en/home-en/

The Ommegang festival


profile

A Mother and Daughter’s

Passion for Advocacy

Karen Castellon, AWC Berlin and FAUSA, is currently the FAWCO co-UN

liaison. She has taken her daughter Claire to the Commission on the

Status of Women (CSW) meetings since she was 12. In this two-part profile,

they discuss their experience as dedicated volunteers, the challenges facing

women today and how we can all get involved.

I

Part One - Karen’s Story

grew up in Staten Island, New York, and

attended public schools through eighth

grade. My high school experience at the all

girls Catholic St. Joseph Hill Academy was

formative for the social outreach, the nurturing

of my faith and the company of women. We had

a lot of fun together. These were the seeds of my

involvement in women’s clubs while living abroad

at AWC Berlin, FAWCO and FAUSA.

I majored in international business and Spanish

at George Washington University in Washington,

DC, worked on a congressional commission

on immigration and studied abroad in

Salamanca, Spain.

After graduation, I went to live in Puerto La Cruz,

Venezuela, and volunteered with the Iglesia

Anglicana Episcopal church. Upon returning to

the US, I did marketing for a blood pressure

equipment company in Maryland, then went to

the University of Virginia (Darden School) for my

MBA, where I met my husband, Ted.

We moved to Bridgewater, New Jersey, where

we lived for more than 18 years and where our

three children were born: Matthew (27), Andrew

(24), and Claire (19). I worked for Lucent

Technologies for a decade, then

became a certified executive coach.

Karen Castellon

When Ted took an offer to work for

Castellon

Bayer Pharma in Berlin, we set off family, working

for Germany, where we spent with From Houses

five years.

to Homes in

Guatemala, 2014


We repatriated to Virginia, where Andrew was

attending university. Our sons are now on their

own in Massachusetts and Richmond, Virginia,

and our daughter is going to school nearby.

Getting Involved with International Causes

My earliest involvement in international issues

was working on the congressional commission

for the Study of International Migration and

Cooperative Economic Development. My job

was administrative, and as I edited the hearing

transcripts, I could closely follow the debates.

At the time, the US government was working

closely with neighboring governments in Mexico

and Central America to create jobs in the

sending countries. The issues remain today,

but with the added ugliness of gangs, violence

and lack of commitment to education.

In 2009, I began working closely with the diocese

of Santa Rosa in Guatemala as an outreach of

the Catholic church in New Jersey. The volunteer

team counts on me as an interpreter for Zoom

meetings and in-person visits. I also add context

(for both parties, the Americans and the

Guatemalans) from what I have learned over

many years of partnership (and mistakes!).

We support a scholarship program to help

120 families send their children to middle

and high school.

Volunteer Projects

Our whole family got involved in the very

rewarding process of building a simple, oneroom

home for a Guatemalan family through

the organization From Houses to Homes. We

have built three homes in and around Antigua,

Guatemala, over the years. But the real work

is the ongoing support for families, providing

children’s education to help them and their

families work toward a more favorable future.

Currently, I am volunteering with Ascend

Athletics for the third annual "Hike For Her"

in northern Virginia and their "Not So Silent

Auction." Ascend empowers young women

through mountaineering-based leadership

training and community service in Afghanistan

and Pakistan. I find the mission so compelling

that I try to do one small piece. AWC Berlin

hosted a fundraiser for Ascend in September

2019 that included showing a film about the

program, Ascending Afghanistan: Women Rising.

Ascend has received development grants from

both FAWCO and FAUSA. Working with Ascend

Athletics has helped me to be more connected

to women in Afghanistan.

Castellon family with From Houses

to Homes in Guatemala, 2014

With Alexandra Vo and Veronica Ventura at the FAWCO Conference in Annapolis, March 2025

The Path to Becoming FAWCO’s Co-UN Liaison

I first attended the Commission on the Status

of Women (CSW) in 2018. The focus was on

rural women, and I remember looking for rural

Guatemalan women I had been in contact with,

but there were very few Guatemalans present.

I learned that even if a woman has the funds or

sponsorship to attend CSW, it is difficult to get a

visa. This is an annual complaint at CSW.

I have now attended seven CSW sessions in

person or online and became the FAWCO co-UN

liaison in 2024. Alex Vo and I strive to share

the privilege of attending CSW with as many

FAWCO members as possible, including

extending FAWCO’s access to the COP meetings

to young people from around the world and

“friends of FAWCO.”

Challenges Facing our Planet Today

The biggest challenge facing our planet is lack

of gender equity. The world will be stronger and

reach its potential if all our citizens are given

access to education and development. Every

March, for two weeks, the Commission on the

Status of Women reminds us that there are so

many issues that can be improved around the

world. To foster goodwill and positive change

requires each of us to become aware of the

issues, educate ourselves, then take one step

to make a change. This can begin in our home

communities or through an organization.

Supporting Programs for Women and Children

To support programs for women and children,

continue to do your own work locally and, if

possible, provide funds. There are always

opportunities to lobby your local, state and

federal governments, depending on where

you live.

Call your representatives in Congress. If you are

an American, it is more important than ever to

use your voice. Calling is more effective than

email or postcards because staff answer the

phone. It is an opportunity to educate them

and to let them hear the sincerity of your voice

as you advocate for the issues that are most

important to you. If you can show up and

protest, do it. The media and the government

notice when people unite to support a cause.

Addressing Violence Against Women

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based

Violence is an annual international civil society

led campaign. It commences on November 25,


FAWCO Making a Difference

We care about eliminating female genital

mutilation; creating entrepreneurial

opportunities; promoting environmental

stewardship in urban locales; supporting

refugee communities in mind, body and spirit;

improving health conditions with mosquito nets

and access to clean water. We talked about

these projects in a parallel program at the

United Nations in 2019 (at CSW63).

FAWCO sponsored a second parallel program at

CSW68 that featured young women facilitating a

workshop called “Empower Youth: See the Signs

of Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships.” This

workshop was important because we are actively

promoting the involvement of young people (the

United Nations defines youth as up to 35 years

old), as well as the format of an interactive

workshop. Our youth leaders encouraged

everyone in the room to share their perspectives

and to voice their opinions and reflections.

This created an atmosphere of openness and

exchange, which is distinct from the UN’s

usual top-down, talk-at-you-via-a-panel-ofexperts

format.

Do not think for a minute that the world does

not need you. We need educated women with

a voice to speak up for the issues of our time.

Pick an issue – one will do. Do something today,

tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

Part Two - Claire’s Story

I grew up in New Jersey until fourth

grade. At my elementary school,

Milltown, there was a mural called

The Kindness Mural. That always

stuck with me. I helped to paint it,

as students and their families were

invited to participate. It was a

community activity and reflected who

we wanted to be to one another.

When I was 10 years old, I moved

with my family to Berlin, Germany. It

was hard to be the new kid. When I

got comfortable, I focused on being

kind to others.


Karen and Claire;

Claire and her parents


Claire with canine friend;

the whole family at Claire's

graduation, (l to r) Andrew,

Karen, Claire, Ted, Matthew

the International Day for the Elimination

of Violence against Women, and ends on

December 10, Human Rights Day, highlighting

that violence against women is the most

pervasive breach of human rights worldwide.

According to UN Women, 16 Days of Activism

is an opportunity to revitalize commitments

and call for accountability and action from

decision-makers.

FAWCO has been concerned about the issue

of caring for women and girls from its initial

charter in 1931. Every year the FAWCO Human

Rights team offers a 16 Days Calendar

to encourage individuals and member

clubs to participate and raise awareness and

education around issues of eliminating

gender-based violence.


Girl Scouts Silver and Gold Awards

In eighth grade, I earned the Girl Scouts Silver

Award. The Silver Award project was a direct

result of attending the 63rd session of the UN

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63).

I had learned about the 17 Sustainable

Development Goals and wanted a way to

remember them. I invented a song about the

SDGs and added a movement for each one

(similar to how we learned the Girl Scout law,

which has a long list of qualities). My best friend,

Emma, joined me in recording the song and

became the featured actor in the video. We

taught the SDGs on a video call with other Girl

Scouts from around the world. We then formed

a group to paint the SDGs in English and German

that we displayed at our school. The following

year, the SDGs were added to the curriculum

for middle schoolers. We were a bit ahead of

our time with that project, but the SDGs are still

important today as they give all of us goals to

shoot for in our collective work in and out of

the United Nations.

In the spring of 2024, I earned the Gold Award,

the highest honor in Girl Scouts. My project was a

20-page booklet, The Teen Athlete’s Guide to

Shoulder Surgery, which is available on the

website NiceRecovery. I wrote the guide based

on my experience undergoing surgery and with

the input of a group of fellow teen athletes who

had the same surgery. Medical professionals

weighed in with pro tips to help explain the

before, during and after of the surgery in teenfriendly

language. This advocacy on behalf of

teen patients is important for future surgery

candidates, as well as for the Girl Scout

community, which prides itself on educating

and being of service to others. I also distributed

copies of the guide in English and Spanish at

the local sports medicine clinic at the University

of Virginia Orthopedic Center. I am pursuing a

career in nursing so that I can provide the care

and comfort similar to what I received.

The CSW Experience

By attending CSW I learned that there are a lot

of problems in this world. It was very difficult to

learn about female genital mutilation, which was

a featured issue on large boards in the UN lobby

at CSW63.

I enjoyed attending the sessions sponsored by

the Girl Scouts. There were two Girl Scouts from

Troop 6000, the first troop in New York City for

girls who lived in homeless shelters. It was

revealing to hear their stories about leaving

their homes with their mothers and siblings due

to domestic violence. In talking this over with

my mom, we discussed how to get help and,

even more importantly, how to have healthy

relationships so you can exit a relationship

before it becomes unhealthy or even lifethreatening.

That was the basis for exploring the

One Love Foundation (joinonelove.org) and their

awesome videos and materials, which we shared

at CSW68. A highlight for me was facilitating a

workshop at CSW68 because we were with so

many participants from around the world.

At the same time, it is sometimes more

intimidating to present a workshop with

students and teens whom we know from our

own community due to fear of their judgment.

However, it is so important to share these

messages with others. How do we learn to

have healthy relationships? Mostly at home

and from our friends. Can we recognize the

signs of unhealthy relationships? Maybe we

get confused and don’t realize that all that

attention is intense. We may not realize that

we are being manipulated. We may be flattered

by a relationship, but suddenly we are being

isolated from our long-time friends and family

members. Each person needs to hone their

self-listening and heed the feelings that do not

feel right within a situation.

Continuing to Share What

I’ve Learned

I have been mentoring eighth

grade girls at my church for

this school year. This allows

me to create positive

relationships with younger

girls, be an example and be a

good listening partner. I am

continuing to share the One

Love messages about healthy

vs. unhealthy relationships,

including using simpler materials

for younger students (sixth and

seventh graders).

Previous page:

with best friend Emma

Aban, receiving the Girl

Scout Silver Award and

pin. It was a private

ceremony due to

COVID-19.


the Sustainable

Development Goals in

German;

at the Crozet Gazette

with friends


feature

UN Office of the Victim

Rights Advocate: Dignity

in the Wake of Harm

by Chloé Chandler,

AAWE Paris

This stamp was

issued in March 2019

to raise awareness

and address the

stigma victims face.

(Artist: Chris Gash

from unstamps.org)

The Harm Was Coming from Within

When I began my internship with the United Nations Office of

the Victims’ Rights Advocate (OVRA), I thought I had some idea

of what it meant to support survivors of sexual exploitation

and abuse (SEA). I knew the acronyms, the official definitions, the policies.

But what I didn’t yet grasp, and what shocked me most, was the reality

that harm can come from within. I had no idea that UN personnel –

peacekeepers, humanitarian workers and others – were among those

exploiting the very people they were meant to protect and serve.


What The Office Is Really There to Do

Established in 2017, OVRA was created to

uphold the rights and dignity of individuals

who have been harmed by United Nations

staff and related personnel, particularly in

peacekeeping and humanitarian settings.

Since its founding, the UN has recorded over

3700 allegations involving personnel, though

underreporting remains a major issue due to

stigma, fear and systemic silence. In 2024 alone,

the UN recorded 675 new allegations of sexual

exploitation and abuse, with approximately 27%

involving children. These figures, drawn from

the UN Secretary-General’s 2025 report,

highlight both the scope of the issue and the

continued urgency for effective prevention and

response measures.

The OVRA’s mission isn’t to investigate or

discipline – it is victim-centered. That means

ensuring access to medical care, psychosocial

support, legal advocacy and assistance with

paternity and child maintenance claims. In

countries like the Democratic Republic of the

Congo and Haiti, senior victims’ rights officers

provide consistent, trauma-informed

accompaniment, helping to rebuild trust

where it has broken.

Jane Didn’t Flinch

Working under Jane Connors, the UN’s first

victims’ rights advocate, was a privilege. Her

calm, steady leadership was grounded in one

clear priority: the people at the center of the

harm. “I seek to create ways to ensure that

victims know their rights and are empowered to

claim them – and that our staff understand the

impact of any harms they cause.” She meant it.

And the work reflected that.

A Few Countries Stepped Up. Many Didn’t.

Some countries have been more engaged in

this work than others. Nations like Uruguay

and Argentina have shown strong leadership

in responding to SEA allegations and

developing mechanisms to support survivors.

Uruguay has created a Protection from Sexual

Exploitation and Abuse Network, designated

a Victims’ Rights Focal Point and has begun

addressing unresolved paternity claims involving

Uruguayan peacekeepers. Argentina has

worked to support amicable paternity

agreements and improve coordination around

survivor assistance. South Africa has also made

progress, particularly in addressing paternity

claims involving its peacekeepers deployed to

the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The country sent a paternity maintenance

support team to Goma to collect DNA samples

and formed an interdepartmental task force to

support victims and their children.

But these are exceptions. In many countries,

the system is not only failing victims – it’s

effectively out of reach. In places like South

Sudan, survivors of sexual violence face not just

stigma but real danger. Cultural taboos, fear of

retaliation and the threat of being cast out – or

worse – make speaking up almost impossible.

In some cases, if a rape becomes public, the

survivor may face violence or even death, a

reflection of the intense stigma and the danger

women face for simply being seen as “impure”

or having brought shame to their families.

Globally, the numbers speak for themselves:

69% of known paternity claims since 2006

remain unresolved, and most Member States

do not respond when contacted about

accountability or support. Unfortunately,

the global response remains uneven, and

underreporting is still the norm.

Jane Connors, the UN’s first victims’ rights

advocate, on a visit to Haiti


Interviewing Christine, who, at the time, was a senior victims' rights advocate in the field in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Tasked With Creating a Way to Listen

During my time at the OVRA, I worked on

something that felt both sensitive and

necessary: developing a trauma-informed

methodology for gathering feedback from

survivors in some of the countries most

affected by SEA, including Haiti, South Sudan

and the DRC. Survivors are often left out of

conversations about the systems meant to

support them. The methodology I helped

create aimed to change that by offering a safe,

culturally informed process to hear directly

from victims about their experiences and

needs. I then created a step-by-step manual

that outlined how to implement this approach

on the ground.

My goal was to design a process that didn’t just

take from survivors but gave something back. I

built in moments for grounding, reflection and

even healing. The sessions included not just

structured dialogue but also the option for

creative or somatic group activities – such as

dancing, chanting or shared rituals chosen by

participants. The feedback process itself, I

believed, could be an act of care – not just a tool

for the UN, but something meaningful for those

participating. At the time I left, it was set to be

piloted in Haiti.

Steps Toward Justice …

$350,000 Isn’t Nearly Enough

Is it possible to measure impact? In some ways,

yes. How many victims were supported? How

many governments responded to claims? How

much funding was disbursed? But real progress

is harder to quantify. As of 2024, only $350,000

remained in the trust fund that supports victim

services, a sobering figure when viewed against

the scale of need.

Still, hope persists. In 2023, OVRA launched the

Victims’ Rights Statement, outlining 10 key

rights of survivors, including the right to be

heard, respected, informed and protected. The

document was translated into multiple local

languages, helping survivors around the world

claim their place in systems not designed with

them in mind.

Justice Isn’t a Checklist

For me, the experience left a permanent

imprint. It taught me that justice is not a

checklist – it’s a posture, a responsibility and a

daily act of listening. And sometimes, the most

radical form of justice is simply believing

someone when they say, “This happened to me.”

References

United Nations. (2025). Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse:

Report of the Secretary-General (A/79/789). New York: United Nations.

https://conduct.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/report_of_the_secretary-general_on_special_measures_for_protection_from_sexual_exploitation_and_abuse_a79789.pdf

United Nations Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate. (2021). Fact Sheet.

https://www.un.org/preventing-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse/content/office-victims-rights-advocate

United Nations Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate. (2024). Annual Report 2023.

Chloé Chandler is an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and

Reprocessing) trained therapist for expats based in Paris and the

co-founder of Anthéa Healing, a soon-to-launch trauma-informed

initiative designed to support survivors of developmental and relational

trauma through psychoeducation, experiential work and one-on-one

care. A former UN intern with the United Nations’ Office of the Victims’

Rights Advocate, she is passionate about trauma-informed care,

advocacy and creating spaces where survivors are heard and empowered.

Chloé is an active member of AAWE Paris, where she serves as DEIB

chair and curates events and initiatives that celebrate cultural heritage,

amplify underrepresented voices and foster community connection.


profile

The Power of Diplomacy

Connie Phlipot, AWA Vienna, is a former US diplomat who continues her

engagement in international collaboration beyond retirement. She tells us

how her career brought her full circle with her grandparents’ origins, the

wide array of multilateral organizations she has worked with and why the

future of diplomacy is female.

Connie Phlipot

The Influence of Early Experiences

on Career Choice

My birthplace, Cleveland, Ohio, was a

major destination for the huge wave

of Central and East European

immigration in the early 1900s.

Cleveland, it is said, is the largest

Hungarian city after Budapest and the largest

Croatian one after Zagreb. That might be

apocryphal, but the famed Westside Market’s

cornucopia of fresh and prepared food was,

and still is, a testament to that heritage. My

mother’s parents, who originated from what is

now Belarus, were among that East European

immigration wave, but settled in Pittsburgh

and the coal mining towns of West Virginia.

Between my adoration for my grandparents and

growing up in that milieu, it was inevitable that

I’d be drawn to their world and its languages.

The “life-changing” event that sealed my fate

was a summer semester studying Russian in

Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the Soviet

Union. The experience, both terrifying and

exhilarating, gave me the impetus to pursue

a career in international affairs. The next

impulse was an internship at the

State Department during my last

university semester. I liked the

work and its emphasis on

problem solving, as well as

being among people who shared

a passion for foreign travel and

languages. After graduating with a

With Moldovan

Ambassador,

Victoria Rosa,

at WIIS event,

Vienna,

April 2025


degree in Russian Area Studies from Bowling

Green State University in Ohio, I moved to

Washington, DC, passed the Foreign Service

exam and joined the State Department

in 1979.


OSCE Ball, Vienna, 2020;

as a young diplomat in

Rome, 1983

A Wide Range of Multilateral Experiences

I yearned to serve in the Soviet Union, but life

and the Foreign Service being unpredictable,

it took me 20 years to get an assignment

in Moscow. While in Helsinki at my second

overseas posting, I married a fellow Foreign

Service officer, whom I met while studying

consular work. He was then posted to the

US Consulate in Leningrad. Not only did I get

many opportunities to visit the city where I

had studied, but I also accompanied him on

trips to the Baltic republics already in the

throes of reclaiming their national identity

and, eventually, their sovereignty. After

Rangoon, Burma, our first so-called “tandem”

assignment and only posting outside Europe

or the US, we served in the new and very

small embassy in Riga, Latvia, which to this

day remains one of my favorite postings and

cities. Finally, in 2000, we went to Moscow,

and in 2004, I became deputy chief of mission

in my grandparents’ land of Belarus.

The focus of most of my career was heavily

bilateral. I loved getting deep into the politics,

economics and culture of a single country.

That said, the multilateral component was

always important, either through my interactions

with the representatives of international

organizations such as the UN Development

Program (UNDP), International Monetary Fund

(IMF) or the World Bank, always fantastic

sources of information, or in informal coalitions

with other countries’ diplomats. In Burma,

I relied heavily on the local staff of UNDP who

were among the few Burmese who felt relatively

free to talk to Western diplomats. In Belarus, I

became lifelong friends with the IMF director

for the country, resident in Vilnius. Perhaps my

oddest multilateral experience was a joint

démarche in Latvia with an Austrian diplomat,

advocating for the awarding of a contract to a

formerly American company, now owned by

Austria, with production facilities in the US.

New Opportunities for International

Engagement After Retirement

My more active engagement in multilateralism

began at the end of my career. When my

husband retired early from the Foreign Service

to take a job as deputy director of the Office

of Democratic Institutions and Humans Rights,

(ODIHR), the Warsaw-based institution of the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe (OSCE), I managed to persuade the

State Department to send me to Warsaw on

secondment to the newly established secretariat

of the Community of Democracies (CoD). The

CoD was the initiative of Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright in 2000, with her Polish

counterpart Bronislaw Geremek, to bring

together the world’s democracies to pursue

common goals. Beyond that, the CoD’s mission

was not well-defined and no plans were made

to create an institutional structure. Our task 10

years later was to better define that mission and

build a more enduring institution, including a

functioning secretariat. I learned first-hand how

hard it is to build international coalitions and get

agreements on funding and other operational

mechanisms, particularly when the organization

was not based on a treaty. In my 15 months in

the secretariat, we made some, albeit slow,

progress in that direction.

From Poland, we returned to Arlington, Virginia,

as retirees, and I tried to re-integrate into the US

This page:

with husband, Doug Wake,

at American Foreign Service

Association headquarters,

2023, site of their marriage

35 years earlier

where I had lived only for

two or three years at a

time between foreign

assignments since

university. Volunteer

work in the county

government, teaching

adults and writing

courses were fun, but

I missed the thrill and

challenge of life abroad

and engagement with the international

community. When my husband was offered a

short-term assignment at the OSCE in Vienna,

we willingly moved to a city we loved but had

never lived in full-time. In Vienna, I found my

community through AWA Vienna, FAWCO, an

international writing club, OSCE friends

and colleagues.

I also became more involved in multilateral

organizations, first, and most frequently, as an

election observer under the auspices of OSCE/

ODIHR. (See my feature in the Women and

Democracy issue.) In early 2022, I was seconded

by the US mission to the OSCE to join the team

of the Polish Chair-in-Office at the OSCE. The

OSCE chair rotates yearly among the

participating states of the OSCE. It has become

the practice for the chair’s team to include

several members of other OSCE countries

to provide varied expertise and a wider

perspective. My four-month stint gave me an

incredible and heart-wrenching opportunity

to observe first hand an organization dealing

with a war between two of its members,

Russia and Ukraine. And to paraphrase one of

my predecessors in the position, it’s somewhat

of an out-of-body experience to think both as a


national of another country (in this case Poland)

while maintaining your own national identity.

What perfect training for multilateral diplomacy!

My latest experiences in the international

organization world was as a participant in the

civil society review of the Beijing+30 and as a

member of the FAWCO delegation to CSW69.

These experiences took me one more step

beyond my government employee comfort zone.

I had to look at the issues, not through a US or

Polish government lens, but from a gender

perspective. I look forward to reading about

my FAWCO colleagues' experiences in that

realm in this issue.

The Future of Diplomacy is Female

There were very few women in the Foreign

Service when I joined, only a few years after the

abolition of the requirement that female officers

resign if they married. We had few or no female

role models or mentors, nor even much of a

female support network. Gradually, that

changed over the years, and I have used

whatever opportunities I had to encourage

women to enter diplomatic and international

security fields. I also sought out women in

the countries where I was serving to hear and

amplify their views or help them network with

their American counterparts. I am a member –

by far the oldest – of the Austrian chapter of

Women in International Security (WIIS). It’s a

great pleasure to talk to these young women

from many countries studying diplomacy or

beginning their own careers. I believe that

one of the ways to counteract the grave threat

of right-wing extremism and xenophobia is

having more women in leadership positions in

diplomacy and international security, as well

as a renewed commitment to multilateral

diplomacy. No country, no people, can solve global

problems without international cooperation.


Polish OSCE Chair-in-Office team, January 2022, with

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau (center left),

next to Polish Ambassador to OSCE Adam Halacinski

Next page, top to bottom:

running for the OSCE, Vienna Half Marathon, 2019;

biking on the Iron Curtain trail, Czech Republic, 2021


feature

Reflections on a Career

in Global Policy and

Diplomacy

by Vera Weill-Halle,

FAUSA and AWA Rome

My interest in politics was ignited at a young age as I recognized

the intricate relationship between historical events and political

decisions. Witnessing the detrimental effects of a political system

(former Yugoslavia) on my family deepened my understanding of the

impact of politics and inspired me to pursue a legal career advocating

social justice.*

Over time, my interest in law shifted and evolved to engagement directly

in the political arena, focusing on policy issues that drive meaningful change.

I was fortunate to receive academic scholarships for my undergraduate and

master’s degrees. Later, I pursued an MBA to understand the intersection of

politics and business.

With friend at

UN Headquarters

garden

In 1973, I arrived in Washington, DC, to study International Relations at

George Washington University. I eagerly became immersed in the national

debate about the Watergate scandal and recognized that the city was the

perfect place to launch my career in public policy and multilateral diplomacy.


UN Career Begins in Washington, DC

In November 1977, I joined the United

Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in

Washington, where I promoted and

negotiated policy issues with key

decision-makers in the US administration

and Congress. I had the opportunity to

meet UN Secretaries-General Kurt

Waldheim, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Boutros

Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon.

They and other senior UN officials frequently

traveled to Washington to meet with US

government officials. Each visit required

extensive preparations and facilitation to

achieve productive interactions with US

officials and members of Congress.

In 1984, the former UNIC Director

Sergio Apollonio, who had joined the

UN International Fund for Agricultural

Development (IFAD), informed me that

the US was $90 million in arrears to IFAD.

I discovered that IFAD was largely an

unknown entity in Congress. UNIC released

me to work part-time for IFAD to address their

funding issue. I immediately sought to identify

a prominent champion for IFAD. Through my

network, John Denver, a famous singer who

was also a hunger activist, was identified as a

potential champion. With John’s help and

the arguments and briefs prepared, the $90

million funding for IFAD was secured through

a US supplemental

appropriations bill.

Furthering IFAD’s

Goals as North

American

Representative

In 1987, IFAD

celebrated its 10 th

anniversary, and

I arranged a

meeting between

the president of

IFAD and Vice

President George

Bush. This meeting

further cemented

US and IFAD

relations. In 1988,

I was offered a

position as

representative

of IFAD in North

This page, from top to bottom:

meeting Vice President Bush at the UNA/USA Gala Dinner

in 1987;

with the secretary-general and deputy secretary-general of the

Jaycees International and with the director of UNIC at the UNIC

office in Washington, 1985

Next page:

Letter of Appreciation from President Clinton and Hillary Clinton

America. I became deeply involved in

international development issues and promoted

IFAD’s focus on improving rural poor livelihoods

through enhanced agricultural production.

Now engaged in multilateral diplomacy, I

represented IFAD at various UN meetings,

events and conferences, including the UN

Conference on Environment and Development

(1992) and the World Summit for Sustainable

Development (2002), as well as taking part in

the negotiations on the UN Convention to

Combat Desertification in Africa (1994). After

extensive diplomatic efforts to garner US

support for the UNCCD, the US Senate

ratified the Convention on November 17, 2000.

Importance of Effective Communication

These and other experiences enriched my

understanding of diplomacy, highlighting the

importance of effective communication and

policy analysis. Proficiency in foreign languages

helped me establish rapport with delegations.

On one occasion, I connected with the Mali

delegation by engaging them in Serbo-Croatian,

my native language, which they happened to

speak, thus fostering a personal and

professional relationship.

On another occasion, I was tasked by the

president of IFAD to work with the UN delegates

during the UN General Assembly to amend the

UN resolution on World Food Day, which had

overlooked the roles of IFAD and the World Food

Programme played in the field of food and

agricultural development.

This proved a difficult and

intense negotiation. But

ultimately, we reached a

compromise agreement to

incorporate the essence of

our proposed amendments

into the final summary text by

the chairman of the General

Assembly Second Committee

(dealing with economic and

financial issues). The outcome

helped inform the UN delegations

of the distinct roles FAO, IFAD

and WFP played in the field

of food and agricultural

development, and it also

promoted closer collaboration

and engagement on World

Food Day among the Romebased

agencies.

Difficulties and Rewards

of Multilateralism

Multilateral negotiations are

complex and often prolonged.

One never knows what or who

will be the catalyst to bring

about a breakthrough in the

negotiations. It requires trying

many approaches. The

negotiations can be slow and

frustrating, but rewards can be

great. My experiences at the UN

and IFAD have been gratifying,

allowing me to advocate

political, economic and social


issues. I had an opportunity to discuss and

advance the agenda on agricultural development,

environment issues, micro-finance and women

in development. I view my experience in

multilateral diplomacy as an engagement in

lifelong learning. I am grateful to my UN and

IFAD colleagues for their collaboration and for

the meaningful interactions I had with the UN

delegations, and other actors, critical in shaping

the outcomes on international policies through

the process of multilateral diplomacy.

* Vera was profiled in the September

2024 issue of Inspiring Women.

Vera P. Weill-Halle has held

several senior level positions at

the United Nations (UN) and the

UN International Fund for

Agricultural Development (IFAD).

She established the first IFAD

office in the US, where she became

director of IFAD offices located

both in Washington, DC, and at

the UN offices in New York City.

Later she served as director of

IFAD's Resource Mobilization

Division in Rome and as a special

advisor for Innovative Financing,

reporting directly to the president

of IFAD. A passionate supporter

of women's entrepreneurship, in

2018, she co-founded Brighter

Ventures, Inc. She is a member

of FAUSA and AWA Rome.

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profile

International

Humanitarian Service

Nina Dodd, FAUSA, talks about how her early life in India led to a career

in national and international assistance agencies, and the challenges

organizations face working together.

Nina Dodd

A Carefree Childhood Followed by the

Weight of Tradition

I

was born in a small town in north India in

a progressive family and raised by my

maternal grandparents until age nine. My

childhood was filled with memories of living

in a big house where aromas wafted out from the

busy kitchen while we climbed trees in the yard

to pluck mangoes or guavas. My grandfather

constantly emphasized the inherent dignity of

all human beings, that everyone should

be treated with kindness and respect, even

those who are rude to you. This left a deep

impression on me. My life changed when I moved

to my parents’ home in a bigger city. Instead of

being the only child in the house able to do

whatever I wanted, I was now an elder sister,

responsible for looking out for my four younger

siblings. My parents' concern about finding a

husband for me because of my darker skin was

an unconscious message that I was not good

enough. But all it did was make me push harder

and persist until I succeeded.

Higher Education and Early Marriage

My father persuaded me to study nutrition at

university because he did not feel math (my

passion) was the right choice for a woman’s

future. After an arranged marriage, I moved to

my husband’s home in Mumbai, a financial capital

where everyone is constantly in

a rush. It was a big change from

where I had lived in Dehli, with its

feudal mindset and more laid-back

lifestyle and culture. My husband

encouraged me to pursue my

Annapurna,

Hindu goddess

of food and

cooking


studies. I received a

Masters degree and

also gave birth to a

beautiful girl, Maya. My

husband and daughter

accompanied me to

America, where I finished

my PhD at Iowa State by

the age of 26. After my

studies, we returned to

India, and I started my

academic career

in Mumbai.

Life had Other Plans

In 1999, we moved from

Mumbai to Delhi, which

marked the end of my

time at the university.

We were staying in an

area surrounded by

UN agencies, so I

enquired if they could

use my qualifications

and experience. The

World Food Programme

(WFP) responded

immediately and

offered an assignment

to evaluate India's

program. This was a

dream come true. I cannot imagine

anything else as interesting, challenging,

exhilarating and rewarding as my experience

of working with the UN.

Life is always full of surprises. I had grown up

deeply ingrained with the idea of matrimony

being forever, but mine ended in a divorce after

31 years. I had prepared myself for living the

rest of my life alone, but, thanks to friends, I

was introduced to my current husband. In 2008,

I moved and started my life all over again in

Houston, Texas. I decided to use my expertise

in international nutrition and work with the

UN abroad.

Multilateral Cooperation Delivers -

Together, We are Stronger

The world faces a series of urgent

environmental, economic and security

challenges, with the clock ticking to address

them. I believe the UN system provides a

platform for nations to work together to

confront these global challenges. Cooperatively,

countries can find solutions that are more

effective, efficient and sustainable. With the

world increasingly fragmented, we must

redouble our efforts to find common ground.

The good news is that most UN Member States

continue to support multilateral cooperation,

notwithstanding a parlous geopolitical context.

The bad news is that countries disagree over

the terms that cooperation should take and who

should get to call the shots.

With a technical background in nutrition,

my work focused on addressing hunger and

malnutrition, particularly among women and

children, with a strong emphasis on maternal

and child nutrition. Each young life is nurtured

by the collective. It truly takes a village! The

UN became a part of that village by supporting

the lives of others. I worked with FAO (Food

and Agriculture Organization), WFP (World

Food Programme), UNICEF (UN Children’s

Fund), UNHCR (UN High Commissioner

for Refugees) and UNIDO (UN Industrial

Development Organization).

I’m alarmed that over the past decade, progress

against hunger has slowed to a troubling

degree. The situation is most severe in Africa,

Previous page:

three generations – Nina, Maya and Lila


family meal, January 2019, a month before her dad

died at the age of 96;

daughter Maya in traditional dress with husband, Rahul,

and granddaughter Lila

South of the Sahara, and South Asia, where

hunger remains serious. Discriminatory norms

and gender-based violence often place women

at a heightened risk of food and nutrition

insecurity and climate change impacts. The

UN’s SDG 2 of reaching Zero Hunger by 2030

appears to be impossible. Moreover, if

progress remains at the pace we’ve observed

in the last decade, the world will not reach

even low hunger levels until 2160, more than

130 years from now!

Complexities of Working with UN Agencies

Living and working in cultures other than

one’s own can be fascinating and very

rewarding. One gets to see things that no

one else will. You work alongside the best

and most inspiring people aiming to overcome

apparently impossible odds. Being a part of

a community that shares similar values and

aspirations is hard to quantify, but it was the

joy of my job with the UN.

However, because most UN programming

is project-based, it is too often driven by

donor priorities. Another problem is that even

though each UN agency has its own mandate,

there are overlapping areas. For example, food

security is covered by FAO and WHO (World

Health Organization) and nutrition is covered

by UNICEF, FAO, WHO, and WFP leading to

duplicated efforts. Additionally, competition for

funding, skilled staff and influence contributes

to a fragmentation of the UN system. Recipient


governments are burdened with dealing

with many different agencies within the

same sector.

A Challenge: UN Delivering as One

The UN system is composed of numerous

specialized agencies that operate

autonomously under the UN umbrella,

each with its own governing body, specific

scope of work, leadership and funding

mechanisms. I had the opportunity to

lead a pilot project in which different UN

agencies came together to deliver “ONE

UN.” A repositioned United Nations would

be much more than the sum of its parts,

as it would reduce its fragmentation,

duplication, high overhead costs and lack

of focus. The joint program’s approach

was based on the concept of a "right to

food" and built upon the broad range of

nutrition and food security initiatives

of different UN agencies: FAO (food

production to promote household food

security), UNICEF (improving nutrition

status of children), UNIDO (food

processing to increase access, availability

and food security), WFP (food assistance

to improve nutrition) and WHO (Child

health and nutrition). There was One

Program, One Budget, One Office and

One Leader. This effort was expected to

contribute to achieving the Millennium

Development Goal (MDG) of reducing child

system. USAID has traditionally funded billions

of dollars in humanitarian assistance and

developmental programming, often through

UN agencies across the globe and frequently in

nonpermissive environments such as Gaza,

Ukraine, Ethiopia and Haiti. USAID projects

tended to be US-led, often bilateral or regional

development activities and humanitarian

assistance supporting US interests and priorities,

while the UN focuses more on global,

multilateral efforts.

I found that in the UN, one is expected to deliver

from Day One, and it is overwhelming as there

is no training to prepare you for the challenges.

It’s part of the nature of the work – the problems

faced are enormous and extremely challenging,

and there is often no choice but to attempt to

address a problem, even though the skills and

resources available are not sufficient. In USAID,

one receives extensive orientation and training

before specific projects are assigned.

The UN's funding formula, which is based on a

country's ability to pay, leads to situations where

larger, wealthier countries like the US are

disproportionately burdened, even if their

priorities are not always fully reflected in the

allocation of funds. The US has traditionally

been the largest contributor to the UN budget

(50% in the case of WFP).

The Future of Foreign Aid

Delivering humanitarian assistance faces

significant challenges exacerbated by complex

emergencies and conflict zones. Addressing the

impact of climate change and prolonged health

and other crises requires bold, coordinated

action. Women, children and refugees are three

of the world’s most vulnerable groups and their

plight increases in times of crisis. Luckily,

humanitarian organizations focus on the people

most impacted. To date, the bulk of funding for

global humanitarian action has been provided

by the governments of Western countries, but

there is a widening gap between available

resources and humanitarian requirements,

which are rising at an even faster pace. The scale

of humanitarian need is likely to continue to

grow and finding funding to meet these needs

will be a struggle. Any cuts to humanitarian

funding will have devastating consequences

for millions of vulnerable people worldwide,

especially when these cuts come at a time when

global crises are intensifying, leaving millions at

risk of hunger, disease and displacement.

I believe the future funding landscape will

involve more private donors (individuals, trusts

and foundations), non-traditional private donors

(including companies and individuals), increased

numbers of faith-based NGOs and their

associated foundations, as well as regional

donors. Notwithstanding all the important good

work that the UN system does, even some of

the organization’s staunchest advocates

acknowledge that it is in urgent need of reform.

The only way forward is for humanitarian

actors to work collaboratively, based on their

comparative advantages, towards “collective

outcomes” that reduce need, risk and

vulnerability over multiple years.

mortality and eradicating extreme

poverty and hunger. I learned that

coordination is not the same as

collaboration. Much of the interaction

between the partner agencies was

on a superficial level focused on

procedures, reporting and approvals.

Integrating nutrition and food security

in a replicable way was difficult due to

the lack of inter-agency coordination

and system cohesion within the

UN family.


nutrition class;

gardening;

street in Kabul

This page:

group photo for MDG F's joint

program on Children Nutrition

and Food Security in Afghanistan

From Multilateral to Bilateral

When I retired from the UN, I joined

the US Agency for International

Development (USAID) in the Bureau of

Humanitarian Affairs. I had to adapt

to a different structure and funding


feature

Inspiring Reads: Ready

for Female Leadership

A Conversation with Rosemary Amato,

AIW Malta and AWC Amsterdam

The central theme of Ready for Female Leadership: The Future is

Now is that the world is ready for, and will hugely benefit from,

gender equality and female leadership. This means getting more

women into leadership positions and bringing more "female" skills

into the actions and behavior of future leaders. Equally, it means that

men will need to rethink their approach to work and careers and share

responsibility for the home and family. This can liberate men from the

stereotypes and bias they face. It can also benefit everyone in a variety

of ways, for example with improved mental health.


Inspired by the Need to Connect

Female leadership is a current topic that

many leaders and authorities are engaging

in to understand how it contributes to

the success of their enterprises and

communities. Therefore, a group of 28

experts (women and men) decided to write

a book about it. This book is a collection of

essays sharing lessons learned in advancing

global balanced leadership. In the summer

of 2020, a few months into the COVID-19

pandemic, two friends had a meeting (not

really a meeting as it was COVID-19), and

one of the women said that she missed the

connection with members of their network

as they were no longer meeting in person.

All contact had gone online. Everyone was

adjusting from this imposed quarantine.

One of these women had already published

a collaborative book with 17 other authors,

and the two friends decided during that call

to reach out to others to contribute to the

creation of a book of essays.

The Process

Rosemary Amato is one of the book’s 28

co-authors, all volunteers. On November

17, 2021, a little over a year after beginning

the project, they published the book.

Rosemary’s chapter probably took a week

to write but was edited three times over the

course of three months. Each chapter is a

stand alone contribution, written from the

heart of each author and their expertise.

Each chapter ends with a call to action.

Everyone involved in the book was focused

Rosemary and Dr. Margarita Lourido, In-Foundation Team member

on their past experiences. No “research” was

done, but they all spent time thinking about the

topics that interested them regarding what

women (and men) need to know about female

leadership. Then they built their narratives

around their individual topics. Rosemary knew

immediately that she wanted to write about

data, and how important having facts are in the

real world.

Most Important Takeaways

Emotional intelligence, career development,

data/tech Intelligence, financial Intelligence,

men as allies, mentoring and networking are

all needed to support women in advancing in

their careers and to be leaders in their field.

The essays in this book are focused on creating

gender equality. If you don’t read the entire

book, look at the chapters that interest you and

read the "Call to Action."

Rosemary’s call to action is to become data

intelligent by understanding your need for data

in all areas of your life. Broaden your “gray” area

and always ask the question WHY. Learn how to

do this by focusing on the facts. Do the research,

get good data and then create your plans and

make decisions as a data intelligent individual.

If you are interested in reading more on gender

equality, Rosemary recommends The Feminine

Mystique by Betty Friedan published in 1963. Can

you believe we still need books on this subject

after 60 years? She also recommends Invisible

Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed

for Men by Caroline Criado Perez.

Becoming a Writer

Rosemary began to write almost as soon as

she entered the working world. In almost all her

positions, she had to write. It might have been

creating procedures, drafting policies, updating

training materials, communicating to her team

or communicating to leadership. She belonged

to a lot of organizations during her life, and

she always took the role of membership or

newsletter chair and that is probably when her

writing got more creative. But this book was

her first real writing experience.

Rosemary advises, remember to never

underestimate the time it takes to review,

edit, and decide on a foreword, how to get

printed, how to publicize. Amazon is good for

self-publishing, but one should understand all

their requirements.

If Rosemary could tell her younger writing self

anything, it would be to write on a schedule,

whatever you are thinking. Don’t wait until you

are forced to do it for something. Writing is a

way of remembering things and thinking about

things. Who knows what may come out of your

writings.

Continuing to Promote Gender Equality

Rosemary has no concrete writing plans for

the future as she is focused on how the book

authors continue the In-Leadership Foundation,

that was founded after the book was published

to promote gender inclusion in all aspects of

leadership. The organization is a not-for-profit

and has adopted a “Pay it Forward” philosophy.

See their website at https://in-leadership.org.

Mary Jane Roy

(top) and Pema

Nooten, whose

conversation

post-COVID-19

became the

catalyst for the

book's creation

Books presented in

the Inspiring Reads

feature are available for purchase

via the FAWCO website in the "List

of Books by Members" or "Books by

Clubs" sections.

Enjoy!

Born and raised in Cleveland,

Ohio, Rosemary Amato

graduated from John

Carroll University. Her career

has spanned manufacturing,

retail and distribution

industries, as well as over 20

years with a Big 4 accounting

firm eventually reaching the

level of global managing

director. For the last seven

years she has been the CEO of

Romarat Consulting providing

services to a boutique internal

audit firm, as well as a large

global bank in the Netherlands,

and one of the largest medical

device companies in the world.

She now divides her time

between Kings Hill in Great

Britain and Malta with her

partner for the past 20 years.

She is a member of AIW Malta

and AWC Amsterdam.


our next issue

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Call for

Nominees!

We are all on a journey through the phases of womanhood, with each phase bringing unique

and sometimes familiar concerns, issues, changes. We have much to share and learn, as well as

a desire for growth as individuals and as part of a community of women. Do you, or someone

in your club, have a personal journey to share about topics such as pregnancy and birth,

motherhood, menopause, aging, retirement or eldercare? As expats we often experience an

added layer of complexity when dealing with these issues. Do you have a tale to tell about any

or all of the above while living in a foreign country? Have you worked as a doula or midwife?

Provided aging, eldercare, retirement, grief or other training? Are you part of or do you run a

support group? There are so many possible topics. Inspiring Women wants to highlight your

inspiring and uplifting stories.

Click here to view all upcoming 2025 issues and the related deadlines.

Founded in 1931, FAWCO is a global women's NGO (non-governmental organization), an

international network of independent volunteer clubs and associations comprising 60 member

clubs in 31 countries on six continents. FAWCO serves as a resource and a voice for its members;

seeks to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide, especially in the areas of human rights,

health, education and the environment; advocates for the rights of US citizens overseas; and

contributes to the global community through its Global Issues Teams and The FAWCO Foundation,

which provides development grants and education awards. Since 1997, FAWCO has held special

consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council.

our mission statement

FAWCO is an international federation of independent organizations whose mission is:

• to build strong support networks for its American and international membership;

• to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide;

• to advocate for the rights of US citizens overseas; and

• to mobilize the skills of its membership in support of global initiatives for

education, the environment, health and human rights.

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FAWco receives financial remuneration for page space from advertisers. Views expressed or

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directly from these adverts are not endorsed by FAWCO.

copyright 2025 fawco

Inspiring Women© is owned and published electronically by FAWCO.

All rights reserved. All bylined articles are copyright of their respective authors as indicated herein

and are reproduced with their permission. The magazine or portions of it may not be reproduced

in any form, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic,

mechanical, photocopy or otherwise – without written consent of the publisher.

Photographs are integral to our magazine.

We end each issue with a full page photograph

that offers a unique perspective on its theme.

The photo can be provocative, amusing,

entertaining and/or a photo that you think says

"That's Inspired!" for each issue.

Please contact: iw.editor@fawco.org

Our photo-centric feature "Through My Lens" is a

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in keeping with the issue’s theme.

Please contact:

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more about

this issue

The Inspiring Women Team

That's

Inspired!

Michele Connie Elsie Kristin Carol-Lyn Shaza Hollis

For more information about this magazine, please contact a member of the Inspiring Women team:

Editor in Chief: Michele Hendrikse Du Bois, iw.editor@fawco.org

Assistant Editor: Connie Phlipot, iw.assted@fawco.org

Contributing Editor: Elsie Bose, iw.conted@fawco.org

Layout Coordinator: Kristin D. Haanæs, iw.layout@fawco.org

Features Coordinator: Carol-Lyn McKelvey, iw.features@fawco.org

Profiles Coordinator: Shaza Gahiga Bwakira, iw.profiles@fawco.org

Marketing Manager: Hollis Vaughen, iw.marketing@fawco.org

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to this issue’s contributors: Rosemary Amato, Claire Castellon, Karen Castellon,

Sallie Chaballier, Chloé Chandler, Zefi Dimadama, Nina Dodd, Sheila Doucet, Florence Jeannin,

Maria Louka, Pam Perraud, Connie Phlipot, Jane Politi, Alexandra Vo and Vera Weill-Halle for their

work on the articles and also for the use of their photos and those of their friends and families.

Special thanks to the proofreading team of:

Jill Amari (AAWE Paris), Barbara Bühling (AIWC Düsseldorf), Mary Stewart Burgher (AWC Denmark),

Sallie Chaballier (AAWE Paris), Tiffany Davenport (AWC Amsterdam), Janis Kaas (AAWE Paris),

Carol-Lyn McKelvey (FAUSA), Stacey Papaioannou (AWO Greece), Laurie Richardson (AWA Vienna),

Lesleigh Rizzi Brown (AIWC Genoa), Shawn Watson (AWC Bern), Teddie Weyr (AWA Vienna) and

Roberta Zöllner (Munich IWC).

Please note: images used in this publication are either sourced from our team, the authors

themselves or through canva.com, commons.wikimedia.org or pixabay.com.

Please post a link for this issue of Inspiring Women,

"Women in the UN and Multilateral Diplomacy," in your

club publications until "Phases of Womanhood" is

published on September 25, 2025.

Palais des Nations

Geneva

"Broken Chair"


Inspiring Women June 25

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