10th S R Nathan Fellow – Noeleen Heyzer
Dr Noeleen HEYZER, United Nation’s Under-Secretary-General (2007–2015) was the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) since its founding in 1947. Prior to her ESCAP appointment, she was the first woman from outside North America to head the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). She was also the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Timor-Leste and is currently a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Board on Mediation.
Dr Heyzer brought about significant changes in development practice and reforms during her time in office. Her work on Women and Development included establishing legal frameworks for women’s domestic work and for safe migration in Asia; playing a pivotal role in the Security Council’s adoption and implementation of the landmark Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security; establishing the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women; working with the private sector to establish The Women’s Empowerment Principles in the changing world of work.
Responding to the 2008 global financial crisis, Dr Heyzer developed ESCAP as the UN platform to rethink new drivers of inclusive economic growth and sustainable development for the region. She also worked closely with ASEAN, the Government of Myanmar, and the UN in the Nargis recovery efforts assisting cyclone-affected people in the Ayeyarwady Delta. She played a key role in the preparation of the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership Framework.
Dr Heyzer has served on numerous boards including the UNDP Human Development Report, the Asian Development Bank’s Eminent Persons Group, and the NUS Board of Trustees. She has also served on the Governing Board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (NUS) and the Kofi Annan Global Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age, as well as Advisor to the World Leadership Alliance, Club de Madrid. She was on the High-level Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen.
Dr Heyzer holds a Bachelor of Arts (Upper Honours) and a Master of Science from the University of Singapore, and a Doctorate in Social Sciences from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She has received several international awards for leadership.
10th IPS-Nathan Lecture Series — Singapore and Multilateral Governance: Securing Our Future
Singapore’s past, present and future are highly dependent on and integrated with multilateral governance. As the only island city-state in the world, going alone and being isolated was never an option in our journey from third world to first. Singapore and Asia have benefited greatly from the rule-based multilateral global order that emerged after the Second World War — based on values, norms and institutions. In this three-part lecture series, 10th S R Nathan Fellow Dr Noeleen Heyzer will examine how Singapore can continue to contribute to multilateral governance amid 21st century global challenges. What does it mean for Singapore to engage the region and revitalise this multilateral world? How can we build upon the kind of long-term vision and multilateral governance that historically brought giant leaps in our living standards? And critically, how can we secure our common future and shape what we become as a nation?
To find out more about the S R Nathan Fellowship for the Study of Singapore, please click here.