IAW has representatives at the following United Nations entities:
Jill Follows holds a JD (law) and MSN (Master of Science in Nursing). She has worked as a civil trial attorney and as a public health nurse and nursing educator focused on women and children. She completed a health policy fellowship in Washington DC and testified before the US Food and Drug Commission Medical Devices Panel. She served as UN Observer for the League of Women Voters of the United States and co-chaired Action and Advocacy for the League of Women Voters of Fairfax Area, Virginia. She spearheaded the Fairfax Working Group for CEDAW, leading to the County’s adoption of a Resolution in Support of CEDAW, and is a founding director of the Human Rights Special Interest Group.
Soon-Young Yoon holds a PhD in anthropology. She has worked with UNICEF in Southeast Asia and the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia in Delhi. She is a board member of the Global Advisory Council at the Harvard AIDS Initiative and of the International Foundation for Ewha Woman’s University. She currently works as a consultant for the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. She is ex-chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York
Uzma Gul is a human rights defender, global advocate for SDGs, poetess, story teller, an empath, speaker, young world leader and a healthcare professional – previously attached with World Economic Forum, WHO, ILO, The Commonwealth Youth Council and currently working with United Nations as a Youth Representative – is also a board member at International Alliance for Women.
Thalia Brown is Founder & CEO of The Authentic Discussion, a Women’s Leadership Institute. She holds a degree from Fordham University and has a background in Professional Services and Financial Services, having worked for notable organizations including EY, HSBC Investment Bank, McKinsey, and KPMG. She is a member of ForbesBlk, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, and NABA, and recently completed a public policy fellowship for the US Women’s Caucus.
Jessica Pierson is an advocate and storyteller whose work bridges human rights, the arts, and education.
She served as IAW Regional Coordinator for North America from 2022-2025. Jessica is co-Director of the Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project with Dr. Soon-Young Yoon, an initiative to document the historic movement for CEDAW in the U.S. Jessica holds an M.A. in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University.
Sibylle von Heydebrand is focused on best practice – examples we can learn from, to the benefit of our members. A Swiss lawyer and lecturer with a PhD from the University of Basel, she serves as Executive Vice President, coordinates our delegation to the annual UN women’s conference CSW in New York, and acts as Main Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, where she has deliberately built a team that spans generations. She was honored with the Outstanding Leadership Icon Award at the British House of Lords in 2024. For a more detailed overview of Sibylle’s work and experience, please see her LinkedIn profile.
Derya Akinci Briand is a Swiss, French and Turkish national with degrees in Law from Cyprus and the University of Lausanne (MLaw, LLM). She works as a lawyer, lecturer, and legal consultant, and speaks English, French, and Turkish fluently. Within IAW, she serves as main representative to UNCTAD, Head of the Constitution Committee, ethics committee member, and assistant treasurer. She previously worked with UNEP and ILO at the United Nations and is committed to advancing women’s rights worldwide.
Laoura Alipranti-Maratou holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Paris X-Nanterre. She is Emeritus Research Director at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) and a Visiting Professor at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, where she teaches on gender relations. She has served as a Member of the EIGE Expert Forum designated by the European Parliament (2012–2015) and is Vice-President of the Greek League of Women’s Rights.
Ursula Nakamura-Stoecklin is a registered nurse and has received further education in health and administration. She has long experience in specialized health care. She was a general director of a residential home for the elderly.
She is advocating for human rights and was Co-President of the Swiss Association for Women’s Rights ADF-SVF Suisse. She is member of the IAW Commission on Health.
see UN Human Rights Council (above)
Rosy Weiss is a French interpreter by education and a retired official from Austria’s Ministries for Labour, Social Affairs, and Environment. She served as IAW President from 2004 to 2010 and as chairperson of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women from 2006 to 2009. She contributed to Austrian NGO reports to CEDAW and the Universal Periodic Review, and during Austria’s EU Presidencies served as liaison between governments and NGOs at the Commission on the Status of Women. She is a member of our Commission on Peace.
Ruhiya Yousuf is a qualified solicitor having practiced for a number of years. Ruhiya has worked at organisations helping women being released from prison in the UK, offering holistic, women-cen- tred, trauma-informed support.
Antonia Lavine is a lawyer with over 20 years of experience in criminal prosecution, litigation, and oversight, holding law degrees from Sofia State University and Golden Gate University School of Law. As a public prosecutor and chief judicial inspector in Europe, she specialized in law enforcement, justice reform, and legislative action, contributing to the drafting of the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings and serving as an EU appointed expert on Trafficking in Human Beings. She currently serves as Secretary General of the International Alliance of Women, Director of the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking, and Executive Director of the National Council of Jewish Women San Francisco.
see United Nations Headquarters (above)
see FAO in Rome (below)
Meenakshi Kumar is a life member of All India’s Women’s Conference (AIWC) and the founder of Words Matter(s).
Kerstin Löffler is currently coordinating, together with a group of partner NGOs, a UNESCO-supported training programme for hydrology technicians in Africa, contributing to improved access to water through capacity-building at the local level. With over 25 years of experience in journalism, she has worked extensively as a news editor and foreign correspondent for the international news agency AFP. She also serves as Chair of our Communication Committee. Her work focuses on education, media, and gender equality. For more details, please see her LinkedIn profile.
see UN Human Rights Council (above)
Maria (Marilena) Longobardi is a physicist specializing in quantum science and technology, currently serving as Managing Director of NCCR SPIN, Switzerland’s national center for semiconductor spin-based quantum computing. An APS Fellow of the American Physical Society, she works closely with industry to bridge scientific advancements and practical technologies. Passionate about fostering inclusivity in STEM, Marilena has initiated global educational programs to empower girls and young researchers, especially from developing countries, to engage with science and technology.
Valeria Mangani is a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and was named one of Fortune Italy’s 50 Most Powerful Women in 2023. She represents IAW at the FAO, the Civil Society Mechanism Forum, and the Committee on Food Security. Recognized as a FAO World Food Hero 2023 for her work against microplastic pollution from fast fashion, she is founder and President of the Sustainable Fashion Innovation Society, Italy’s first NGO dedicated to the eco-sustainable transition of the fashion sector. She has published ten bestsellers on ecology and nutrition and serves as an appointed expert at Italy’s Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy.
Antje Sator is a journalist and editor at Agence France-Presse (AFP) with over 25 years of experience, having worked in Paris, London, Bangkok, Los Angeles, and Rome. She speaks fluent German, English, and French. Her journalistic focus lies on foreign policy, with a particular emphasis on the protection of human rights, health, and the environment.
Delfina Panfili is pursuing a BSc in Digital Culture at King’s College London, with a Certificate in corporate and financial sustainability from the London School of Economics. She works as a Digital Marketing Specialist Intern at the Sustainable Fashion Innovation Society, where she leads an international team and develops communication projects aimed at empowering women. She is fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish.