February 2021 PWA Special event: WFP The Nobel Peace Prize

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 18:30 CET

PWA Special Event
WFP The Nobel Peace Prize

Meet the Women of WFP who have been working on the frontlines of emergencies for many years, bringing hope to millions caught in conflict and hunger. What does the Nobel Peace Prize mean for these WFP humanitarians who often work in remote and dangerous areas to help those who need it most.

Mutinta Chimuka, Director of Aden Office (Yemen)
Cheryl Harrison, Deputy Director Cash-Based Transfers Division, (HQ, Rome)
Keiko Izushi, former Deputy Country Director, Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic), and our moderator and PWA member,
Gabrielle Kluck, Director, Ombudsman and Mediation Services (HQ, Rome)

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 is awarded to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) represents recognition for its work and efforts to achieve zero hunger in a world that is marked by climate change and armed conflict, and now by COVID-19 which is making more people than ever food insecure.

But how exactly is food-related to peace?

PWA is honored to have the unique opportunity to explore WFP from the inside with Gabrielle Kluck, a long term PWA member, and her colleagues.

This will be a testimonial discussion in which each of the speakers will share their own WFP experience and point of view, focusing on three main topics:

1. What does the prize mean for you and your everyday activities? What changes did you perceive already and what do you expect to see in the future?
2. How is it to work in a multicultural organisation like WFP and what made you chose it?
3. What drove your career success as a woman in such a multinational environment?

Questions of our audience are very welcome and we hope this talk will help us once more feel closer to each other in this period of enforced social distancing.

Our Speakers

Mutinta Chimuka, Director of Aden Office (Yemen)

Mutinta Chimuka is a strategic, visionary leader with more than 20 years of experience in development and emergency/humanitarian work. She began her UN career in her home country of Zambia and since has served in a number of operations including Afghanistan, Nigeria, Ghana, and Djibouti.

Mutinta was deployed in various distressed areas around the world: Among others, she served as WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Djibouti supporting the humanitarian aid to Yemen, and as Head of WFP’s Office in Maiduguri, Northen Nigeria, a city that is strongly affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the region. Mutinta Chimuka holds a degree from the Clarion University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Cheryl Harrison, Deputy Director Cash-Based Transfers Division, (HQ, Rome)

After 13 years working in WFP’s operations across East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan), Cheryl recently transferred to WFP’s headquarters in Rome as Deputy Director of the division responsible for cash transfers. Her academic home is Gender and Development. Before joining WFP in 2002, Cheryl was a sessional lecturer in Women’s Studies at the University of Victoria and a lead researcher for the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women.

Keiko Izushi, former Deputy Country Director, Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic)

Japanese national, MBA (UK), MA in Economics (Mexico). International best-selling author of the recently published book “What Grandma Taught Me: A Worldwide Tribute to Grandmothers and Their Legacies”.

Keiko worked for WFP from 1995 until 2020 in several different roles, including Head of Donor Relations and as Policy and Programme Advisor in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, and HQ in Rome, until she retired as Deputy Country Director in the Kyrgyz Republic. Currently, she is engaged in speaking engagements about her book.

Gabrielle Kluck, MScBA, Director, Ombudsman and Mediation Services (HQ, Rome)

Gabrielle brings over three decades experience as a cultural change consultant, trainer, recruiter, and manager including 13 years of field experience in the Middle East and Africa, where she lived in Syria, Jordan, Sudan, and Uganda before coming to Rome. WFP is her fifth UN organisation, while she started out in the private sector.

As Ombudsman she brings constructive conflict resolution and critical change to the benefit of the WFP and its almost 20,000 employees in over 85 countries. Gabrielle interprets the role of Ombudsman as one of a Coach, Influencer, Innovator, and Agent of Change.

Participation is open to all registered members and guests.

All participants are requested to RSVP by the 9th of February on our website form and will receive all the ZOOM details necessary to connect to this special event.

Check-in commences at 18:15. The event starts at 18.30 and will last for one hour.

Be sure to register and bring your questions to actively participate.