Noeleen Heyzer

Noeleen Heyzer is a globally respected social scientist and public intellectual whose career has redefined how multilateral institutions engage with peace, development, and equity. As the first woman to lead the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) since its founding in 1947, she steered the region through crises of food, fuel, finance, and climate change, while laying the foundations for sustainable growth and inclusive prosperity. Earlier, as Executive Director of UNIFEM, Hezyer transformed the organisation into a powerful force for women’s empowerment, securing landmark achievements such as the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Noeleen Heyzer’s leadership has consistently anticipated the turning points of our era. She forged intergovernmental agreements on regional connectivity and energy security long before they became mainstream, and convened ground-breaking dialogues in Myanmar that helped open the country from decades of isolation. Hezyer has worked with Nobel laureates, heads of state, and grassroots leaders to push forward policies that bridge economic transformation with human security.

Today, Heyzer’s thought leadership speaks directly to the crises shaping the 21st century. She argues that multilateralism must be renewed to tackle climate change, inequality, and the governance of emerging technologies such as AI and cybersecurity. For her, the future hinges not only on technical solutions but on ethical leadership. Hezyer challenges the next generation to act boldly, collaborate across borders and disciplines, and to imagine a world where prosperity is measured not just in GDP but in the well-being of people and planet.

A former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, Noeleen Heyzer continues to serve on international boards and commissions shaping the global agenda. Her voice remains one of the most influential from Asia on how to build resilience, restore trust, and chart a path through today’s fractured geopolitics.