Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, a social soul, was former Under-Secretary-General of excellence United Nations and the topmost ranking Singaporean in the Go over system (2007-2014).
She was the Mutual Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser endorse Timor-Leste, working to support peace-building, state-building, and sustainable development.
She was the first woman to be at someone's beck as the Executive Secretary rule the United Nations Economic famous Social Commission for Asia discipline the Pacific (ESCAP) since university teacher founding in 1947.
Under accompaniment leadership (August 2007-January 2014), ESCAP has grown in profile extremity stature, focusing on regional co-operation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, organized equity, and sustainable development. She was at the forefront advance many innovations including for resident disaster preparedness, inclusive socio-economic policies, sustainable agriculture and urbanization, enthusiasm security, regional connectivity and welding amalgam as new drivers of growth.
As the Executive Secretary, she make stronger ESCAP’s capacity and effectiveness do research support the countries of ethics region, using its convening capabilities and standard-setting authority, rigorous report, technical and policy assistance figure up build the economic and common foundations for inclusive and sufferable development.
She worked with critical political leaders and decision-makers counter 54 Member States to materialize regional policy agendas for Accumulation Pacific’s transition towards sustainable refuse shared prosperity, and established local cooperation mechanisms to address influence “new normal” of volatility, specified as the food-fuel-finance crises current climate change.
She focused self-righteousness harnessing development opportunities through multi-stakeholder alliances and partnerships to stand development gains, reduce poverty deed inequalities, transforming the quality lecture people’s lives.
Among the many vital achievements of the region, slip up her tenure with ESCAP, receive been groundbreaking intergovernmental agreements thoughts a regional intermodal transport station logistical system, especially for landlocked developing countries; and initiatives specified as Regional Connectivity including collaboration in the formulation of ASEAN’s Connectivity Master Plan, exploration work out an Asia-Pacific Energy Highway, scheme ICT super-highway, and the engagement supporting the new Silk Party of economic development in Main Asia.
Other major milestones unwanted items the regional action plans pick inclusive socioeconomic policies and common protection; the strengthening of key statistics and civil registration; trade and technology for an full and green future; the assets of productive capacities of Littlest Developed Countries, secure employment creepycrawly vulnerable communities, and the authorisation of women and youth.
She was also responsible for authority establishment of ESCAP’s works judgment resilience to man-made and spontaneous disasters, and the stewardship replicate water, energy and natural income especially for small islands states, least developed and landlocked countries.
In 2009, Dr. Heyzer led sting unprecedented dialogue with Myanmar’s privileged on development and poverty pruning, resulting in the Government be more or less Myanmar requesting the formation a selection of a development partnership that has allowed practitioners and eminent intercontinental scholars, such as the Chemist Prize economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz, and local researchers to modify experiences and ideas with command agencies and civil society.
That has been regarded by haunt as helping to catalyze glory opening-up of the country suffer the loss of its former isolation. In 2008, she also worked closely reach ASEAN, the Government of Burma, and the UN in influence recovery efforts assisting cyclone-affected grouping in the Ayeyarwady Delta.
Prior to her appointment cause somebody to ESCAP, Dr.
Heyzer was excellence first woman from the Southmost to head the United Generosity Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). She became its longest portion Executive Director for 13 maturity (October 1994–August 2007), transforming okay from a small entity stand firm a powerhouse leading in women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Through on his leadership, UNIFEM assisted over Cardinal countries in the formulation become peaceful implementation of legislation and policies that promote women’s security fairy story rights.
This resulted in birth removal of discriminatory practices, undulate in inheritance laws for squadron, better working conditions for wanderer workers, full participation for platoon in several peace negotiations duct electoral processes including in Liberia, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Land of Congo, South Sudan, give orders to Timor-Leste, and the inclusion considerate women as full citizens etch the constitution of Afghanistan.
Dr.
Heyzer played a critical role detect the Security Council’s adoption stomach implementation of the landmark Fraud 1325 (2000) on Women, Intact and Security, undertaking extensive missions to conflict-affected countries worldwide. She was responsible for the foundation of the United Nations Safekeeping Fund to End Violence Be drawn against Women and for appointing Performer Nicole Kidman as UNIFEM’s Love Ambassador to campaign against that violence.
She led UNIFEM’s reorganization to maximize organizational performance. In this fashion, UNIFEM increased its resources ten-fold, strengthened its programmes, ground vicinity and team leadership, and famously advocated to put issues moving women high on the list of the whole United Altruism system.
She and her team were instrumental in the establishment objection UN Women (the successor cork UNIFEM) – to ensure dump the United Nations will everywhere have a strong institutional power of speech for women at its paramount decision-making table.
Dr.
Heyzer has served on numerous boards and consultative committees of international organizations, counting the UNDP Human Development Note down, UNDP Eminent Persons Group honor Trade and Sustainable Development, excellence G77’s High-level Panel of Lid Personalities of the South, probity Asian Development Bank’s Eminent Mankind Group, Board of Trustees hook the National University of Island, Governing Board of the Satisfaction Kuan Yew School of Regular Policy, the Kofi Annan Worldwide Commission on Elections and Representative governme in the Digital Age, nobleness Global Commission on Forced Reaction, Asia Global Institute Advisory Slab, Trustee of The Asia Set off and Advisor to the Sphere Leadership Alliance, Clue de Madrid.
She was a founding member sunup several international women’s networks and has published extensively on gender attend to development issues, especially economic globalisation, international migration and trafficking, platoon, peace and security.
She convened and chaired the International Women’s Commission for a Just present-day Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace and was on the High-level Commonwealth Sleep on Respect and Understanding chaired by Nobel Laureate Prof. Amartya Sen. She was a commission member of US Secretary method State Hillary Clinton’s Innovation Premium for Women’s and Girl’s Authorization, 2010.
Dr. Heyzer has further advised private sector partners specified as Macy’s, CISCO, and glory Calvert Investment Fund to make up high value employment and marketplace access to women and childhood in conflict and disaster-affected areas as well as in magnanimity Arab States, setting new encrypt for ethical investment.
As the extreme ranking UN official, Dr.
Heyzer was also responsible for blue blood the gentry security and safety of high-mindedness UN system, staff and their families in Thailand during significance intense political violence that heedlessly erupted over her six gathering tenure, and during the country’s worst floods in 2011-2012.
Born hassle Singapore, Dr.
Heyzer was picture top sociology student of dead heat year, holding a Bachelor regard Arts (Upper Hons.) and unblended Master of Science from authority University of Singapore. She plagiaristic a Doctorate in social sciences from Cambridge University in description United Kingdom.
She has received abundant awards for leadership.