Event: Women in Foreign Policy
To commemorate International Women’s Day 2015, the Lowy Institute for International Policy will hosted a special ‘Women in Foreign Policy’ panel. At this event on Thursday 12 March, an all-female panel discussed the gender challenges faced by women in Melanesia, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, as well as their personal experiences perusing careers that research, report and advocate gender issues in foreign policy.
We invite you to bring a guest to this event complimentary, and hope you can join us after the event for wine, cheese and networking.
Jenny Hayward-Jones, Lowy Institute will review the progress women have made in recent elections in the Pacific Islands region and discuss the challenges ahead for women in Papua New Guinea, where devastating domestic violence rates continue to inhibit progress in advancing women's rights.
Elaine Pearson, Human Rights Watch will discuss the gender challenges facing women in Asia, including use of "virginity tests" in Indonesia, the expansion of Sharia law in Brunei and Aceh, moves to restrict marriage and reproductive health choices in Burma, and abuses facing women migrating for work within Asia and to the Middle East.
Lauren Williams, Journalist will discuss the cultural impact of the war in Syria on women, the health crises affecting women among displaced populations, as well the role of women in the Islamic State and Islamic State ideology.
The panel will be moderated by Geraldine Doogue, Presenter for Saturday Extra, ABC Radio National and Compass for ABC TV.
Geraldine Doogue is a renowned Australian journalist and broadcaster with experience in print, television and radio. While originally planning a career as a schoolteacher after completing her Arts degree, in 1972 Geraldine applied on an impulse for a journalism cadetship with The West Australian instead.
During her career with both the ABC and commercial media she has won two Penguin Awards for excellence in broadcasting from the Television Society of Australia and a United Nations Media Peace Prize. In 2000 Geraldine was awarded a Churchill Fellowship for social and cultural reporting. In 2003, she was recognised with an Officer in the Order of Australia for services to the community and media. Geraldine tackles a wide range of subjects with rigour, optimism, humour and warmth.
Jenny Hayward-Jones is Director of The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute. Prior to joining the Lowy Institute Jenny was an officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for thirteen years, serving in the Australian missions in Vanuatu and Turkey. She worked as Policy Adviser to the Special Coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands from its inception in July 2003 and in 2004. Jenny holds a BA (Hons) in political science from Macquarie University; her Masters thesis for Monash University focused on governance and political change in Vanuatu. Jenny’s interests focus on Australian policy in the Pacific Islands region, political and social change in Melanesia, and the strategic and economic challenges facing Pacific Islands in the Asian century. She is the author of two Policy Briefs on Fiji and several reports from major conferences on regional issues, on PNG and on Solomon Islands that she has convened in Australia, New Zealand and Solomon Islands.
Elaine Pearson is the Australia Director at Human Rights Watch, working to encourage the Australian government to prioritize human rights as part of its foreign policy. Pearson writes frequently for numerous publications, and her articles have appeared in the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, the Australian, and Human Rights Quarterly. From 2007 to 2012 she was the Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division based in New York. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Pearson worked for the United Nations and various non-governmental organizations in Asia and London.
Lauren Williams is an Australian freelance journalist who has covered Syria and the broader Middle East since 2009. She is the former Middle East Editor at The Daily Star, Lebanon, and was Managing Editor of Forward magazine in Syria before the onset of the Arab Spring. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, USA Today, The National, Crikey, Middle East Eye, Carnegie Middle East SADA journal, and others. Before moving to the region she worked as a reporter at The Daily Telegraph, Sydney.
