Behind the Numbers

This episode is with Noeleen Heyzer, the now Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar. Noeleen has served in several leadership positions in the UN, including as the first woman Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, as the Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), as well as the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Timor-Leste. In this episode, the final in the series, Noeleen reflects on why a gendered lens to peacemaking is crucial and what meaningful participation means to her.  The episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have occurred since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

This episode features Karin Landgren, Executive Director of the Security Council Report and founding member of the Nordic Women Mediators' Network. She is the eighth woman in the history of the United Nations to head a peace operation and the first woman to have headed three UN peace operations (Liberia, Nepal and Burundi). In this interview, Karin shares her insights on the critical role of women in conflict prevention,  reflects on gender bias in UN leadership positions, and discusses the challenges of addressing women's issues in peacemaking initiatives.  The episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have occurred since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

This episode is with Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi diplomat who played a key role in advancing the UN's Women, Peace and Security Agenda, including its adoption by the UN Security Council in October 2000. In this interview, Ambassador Chowdhury shares a behind-the-scenes account of the adoption of Resolution 1325 and advice on what men can do to help advance the WPS Agenda. The episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have taken place since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

This episode is with Blanca Montejo, a lawyer by profession and a Senior Political Affairs Officer at the Security Council Practices and Charter Research Branch, Security Council Affairs Division of the United Nations. In this interview, Blanca discusses trends related to Security Council Resolution 1325, why data is important and shares some experiences of the Security Council from behind the scenes.  This episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have taken place since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Interview with Donald Steinberg, Senior Adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and previously Deputy Administrator, US Agency for International Development. As a former diplomat and peace negotiator engaged in peace processes in Angola, Haiti, Sudan and beyond, Donald shares his lessons learned in conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction, including why women’s meaningful participation is critical to ensuring the success of a peace process. This episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have taken place since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Interview with Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network, and Director of the Center for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics and Political Science. As a gender and inclusion expert, Sanam helped draft Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and has worked on peace processes around the world.  This episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have taken place since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Interview with Miriam Coronel Ferrer from the Philippines, a former member of the United Nations Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers. In this episode, Miriam recounts her experience as the first female chief negotiator to sign a final peace accord with a rebel group and offers strategies for designing inclusive peace processes.  This episode was recorded in 2020. Although some developments have taken place since then, we believe the insights and experiences discussed in this episode are still relevant today. Any opinions expressed are solely the interviewee’s and do not represent the opinions of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

Interview with Juanita Millán Hernandez from Colombia, current member of United Nations Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers focused on security arrangements and retired Lieutenant Commander, Colombian Navy. Prior to her membership in the Standby Team, Juanita served seven years as Advisor to the High Commissioner for Peace during the Havana Peace Talks and in 2014 appointed to become a member of the Sub-Commission on Ending the Conflict, a technical working group responsible for the design of the Ceasefire and Disarmament process. Listen to her personal views and recollections of the peace process, the narratives surrounding her leadership and the importance of recognizing shared experiences and communities with other women from all sides of the political spectrum. 

Interview with Ghanaian barrister, politician and former Minister, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh who serves currently as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). Find out her personal stories and insights as a woman in senior positions in government (as second-ever woman to be appointed Foreign Minister of Ghana) and leading international peace processes (as co-facilitator of peace process in South Sudan). Hanna Tetteh also talks of efforts to amplify women’s voices in the African Continent.

Interview with Mary Robinson, a pioneering woman UN senior official, as the first Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes of Africa, the first woman UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, she is also Ireland’s first woman president. Mary Robinson reflects on her motivations and initiatives to ensure women’s leadership and advancing gender equality. She also talks of her personal experiences and what she thinks of gendered bias in international politics.

This first episode of the UN DPPA podcast series “Behind the Numbers” is a conversation with Rosemary A. DiCarlo, the first woman to serve as Under-Secretary-General in charge of the main United Nations political office, today known as the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA). With more than 35 years of experience in public service and academia, USG DiCarlo advises the UN Secretary-General on peace and security issues globally, while overseeing “good offices” initiatives and field-based political missions carrying out peacemaking, preventive diplomacy and peacebuilding activities. In this interview, she shares thoughts about her journey in diplomacy and international affairs, remaining challenges, and her vision for the future of the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda.