1. Noeleen Heyzer was born on 26 April 1948 and is a Singaporean social scientist, diplomat, and United Nations official who was the United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar from October 2021 until June 2023.
21 Facts About Noeleen Heyzer
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Noeleen Heyzer was the first woman to hold the latter position since ESCAP's founding in 1947.
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Noeleen Heyzer was the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Timor-Leste during 2013 to 2015, working to support peace-building, state-building, and sustainable development.
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Noeleen Heyzer was the Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women from 1994 to 2007.
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Noeleen Heyzer obtained a PhD in social sciences from the Lucy Cavendish College at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
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Noeleen Heyzer became its longest serving executive director, serving at the helm for thirteen years during October 1994 to August 2007, and transformed it from a small entity to a leading powerhouse in women's empowerment and gender equality.
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Noeleen Heyzer played a critical role in the adoption and implementation of the landmark United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, undertaking extensive missions to conflict-affected countries worldwide.
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Noeleen Heyzer was responsible for the establishment of the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and for appointing actress Nicole Kidman as UNIFEM's Goodwill Ambassador to campaign against this violence.
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Noeleen Heyzer worked with key political leaders and decision-makers in 54 Member States to shape regional policy agendas for Asia Pacific's transition towards sustainable and shared prosperity, and established regional cooperation mechanisms to address the "new normal" of volatility, such as the food-fuel-finance crises and climate change.
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Noeleen Heyzer focused on harnessing development opportunities through multi-stakeholder alliances and partnerships to sustain development gains, reduce poverty and inequalities, transforming the quality of people's lives.
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Noeleen Heyzer was responsible for the establishment of ESCAP's works on resilience to man-made and natural disasters, and the stewardship of water, energy and natural resources especially for small islands states, least developed and landlocked countries.
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In 2009, Noeleen Heyzer led an unprecedented dialogue with Myanmar's leaders on development and poverty reduction, resulting in the Government of Myanmar requesting the formation of a development partnership that has allowed practitioners and eminent international scholars, such as the Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz, and local researchers to exchange experiences and ideas with government agencies and civil society.
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On 3 May 2022, Noeleen Heyzer issued a statement ahead of the Consultative Meeting on ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance to Myanmar, a key conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regarding the deployment of aid in Myanmar, scheduled for 6 May in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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On 5 May 2022, Noeleen Heyzer participated in a virtual meeting with Union Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of NUG Win Myat Aye and ministry staff involved in humanitarian activities.
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Two days later, on 13 June 2022, Noeleen Heyzer briefed the United Nations General Assembly via video conference on the status of Myanmar.
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Noeleen Heyzer has served on numerous boards and advisory committees of international organizations, including the UNDP Human Development Report, UNDP Eminent Persons Group on Trade and Sustainable Development, the G77's High-level Panel of Eminent Personalities of the South, the Asian Development Bank's Eminent Persons Group, Distinguished Fellow of the Fung Global Institute, and Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore.
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Noeleen Heyzer was a founding member of several international women's networks and chairperson of the Consortium Advisory Group on Women's Empowerment in Muslim Contexts: Gender, Poverty and Democratisation from the Inside Out.
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Noeleen Heyzer was on the High-Level Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding chaired by Nobel Laureate Prof.
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Noeleen Heyzer was a jury member of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Innovation Award for Women's and Girl's Empowerment, 2010.
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Dr Noeleen Heyzer has advised private sector partners such as Macy's, CISCO, and the Calvert Investment Fund to provide high value employment and market access to women and youth in conflict and disaster-affected areas as well as in the Arab States, setting new standards for ethical investment.
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Noeleen Heyzer is Lee Kong Chian Distinguished Fellow at the School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University.