Australia
Meet our International Women’s Day panellists
Hear first-hand from women working at the forefront of humanitarian crises and conflicts.
Australia
Hear first-hand from women working at the forefront of humanitarian crises and conflicts.
Our special webinar for International Women’s Day will take place online on Tuesday March 8 at 6pm.
The theme for the webinar is “Women on the Frontlines” and will be hosted by Australia for UNHCR National Director, Naomi Steer, and broadcaster Deborah Knight.
They will be joined by panelists Gillian Triggs, Mariam Veiszadeh, Janine Allis and other special guests.
The discussion will hear first-hand the benefits, as well as the challenges, of being a woman working at the forefront of humanitarian crises and conflicts.
It will look at the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan right now, and for those who are displaced in other parts of the world.
Our panellists will also discuss what can be done to better protect displaced women and girls and empower them as they rebuild their lives.
Former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, will join us from Geneva where she now serves as UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
As one of the top four positions in UNHCR’s senior management structure, Gillian oversees the agency’s international protection work for millions of refugees, internally displaced, stateless and other people of concern.
Since her appointment to the position in 2019, she has travelled extensively to refugee hotspots around the world, hearing the stories of displaced women and girls.
Last year, Gillian was awarded a Ruth Bader Ginsberg Inaugural Medal of Honour in recognition of her fight for the rule of law and gender equality.
Mariam Veiszadeh is a lawyer and prominent human rights champion, who came to Australia as a refugee from Afghanistan in 1990.
Mariam still has extended family living in Afghanistan and watched on in horror as Kabul fell to the Taliban last August. She has since been involved in helping fellow Afghans flee the country.
Mariam is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, and has held multiple board positions, delivered a TEDx speech, founded the Islamophobia Register Australia and was featured as an Anti-Racism Champion by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Janine Allis is the ambassador for Australia for UNHCR’s Leading Women Fund, which is specifically aimed at engaging women professionals and change-makers to support refugee women and girls. She is also a prominent Australian business leader and the founder of Boost Juice.
The event will also feature other special guests as we delve into this important topic.
Stay tuned as an exciting speaker will be announced next week!
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