[The Elders Series] Global Leaders on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, joins hosts Mary Robinson and Hazami Barmada to discuss the persistent, global injustice that is violence against women. 

1.3 billion women and girls around the world—equivalent to the entire combined populations of North America and Europe—have experienced violence at some point in their lives. This has significant political, economic, and cultural consequences. In this episode, global leaders unpack this critical issue and address what is needed to end violence against women and girls. 

Together, we explore how to tackle this injustice and answer the questions: How does increasing access to justice better safeguard women’s rights? Why is feminist leadership vital in advancing gender equality? And what role do men play in ending violence against women and in challenging misogyny?

Speaker Biographies

Ban Ki-moon is Deputy Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice and human rights.

Ban Ki-moon was the UN Secretary-General from 2007-2016. He mobilised world leaders around a new set of challenges and sought to give voice to the world’s poorest and vulnerable people. He put Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, and equality for girls and women at the top of the UN agenda; creating UN Women and securing the Paris Agreement. He is a former South-Korean Foreign Minister and diplomat. He is the Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, Commissioner of The Global Commission on Adaptation, and Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.

Mary Robinson is former President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice and human rights.

Mary Robinson was the first woman President of Ireland (1990–1997) and is a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997–2002). A tireless advocate for justice, she was President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002 to 2010. Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa from 2013-2014, stepping down in July 2014 to take up the post of Special Envoy for Climate Change. She continued in this post until the end of December 2015 which saw the successful conclusion of the COP21 Climate Summit and the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In 2016, Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate.

Hazami Barmada is an activist and the Founder & CEO of Humanity Lab Foundation and co-Executive Producer & Host of the Finding Humanity Podcast.

Hazami is a social entrepreneur, thought leader, and public affairs and social impact expert recognized by Forbes as an “inspirational agent of change.” She has consulted for many leading global brands including the United Nations, United Nations Foundation, Aspen Institute, and the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman. Among her posts at the United Nations, she served as the Coordinator for the United Nations Secretary General's World Humanitarian Summit, an Advisor to the first-ever United Nations Secretary-General's Youth Envoy, as a member of the United Nations SDG Strategy Hub for the launch of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Hazami has a Masters from Harvard University where she was an Edward S. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management. She studied social and public policy at Georgetown University and has a BA in Anthropology and Sociology. Twitter: @hazamibarmada @TheHumanityLab

This special series of Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media, in collaboration with The Elders.

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