Former diplomat headlines Warren Wilson Global Impact Forum

Press release from Warren Wilson College:

Asheville, NC — March 21, 2017 — As President Barack Obama neared the end of his presidency, Ambassador Sarah Mendelson continued to do the work he hired her to do. From human rights violations in Mosul, Iraq, and North Korea to Russia’s occupation of Crimea, Mendelson was at the forefront of conflict as one of the president’s appointees to the United Nations. She now brings her story to Asheville April 6 for a public forum hosted by her former colleague and friend, Warren Wilson College President Steven L. Solnick.

“At a time when we watch with alarm the rise of illiberal and authoritarian regimes across the globe, no one can provide better insight than Sarah Mendelson,” said Solnick. “She has recently been the United States’ voice of conscience inside the United Nations, advocating on behalf of refugees and other vulnerable populations, and I believe her perspective is one we need to hear now.”

Obama nominated Mendelson to be U.S. Representative to the U.N.’s Economic and Social Council in February 2015. She was confirmed in October of that year.

“If confirmed,” she said during her July 2015 confirmation hearing, “I would be honored to join the administration’s commitment and efforts to make the United Nations live up to its potential and further American values and ideals. Working with this Committee and others in the administration, I would do my utmost to help the U.N. address humanitarian challenges and meet opportunities to make the world more secure.”

Within weeks of starting her new role, she was publicly focused on “combating trafficking on the global level,” according to World Policy blog. She also stood with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) as it was denied consultative status by the U.N.’s nongovernmental organization (NGO) committee. In a statement, CPJ said, “Without such status, CPJ is unable to access U.N. bodies and processes, notably the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where accredited NGOs can deliver a counter-narrative to states.”

According to CNSNews.com, Mendelson said journalists “take extraordinary risks to bring us stories we otherwise would not hear. … In recognition of this bravery, the members of this committee should work hard to accredit NGOs that report on these issues.” By July 2016, the U.N. voted to approve CPJ’s request.

In a more recent move, the ambassador pushed the U.N. General Assembly to stay the course with a resolution passed to place an expert in Africa “to monitor LGBT rights,” according to The Guardian. As a coalition of African nations sought to remove the post from the continent, Mendelson urged the general assembly to avoid overturning a Human Rights Council decree. The Guardian reported she feared the move “could undermine the council’s ability to function.”

The Japan Times said Mendelson admonished North Korea weeks later for allegedly redirecting aid funds to the country’s weapons program. She soon spoke out against Russia’s involvement in Crimea and discussed the ongoing battle for control of Mosul. By Nov. 21, the U.N. voted to keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender expert in Africa.

“This work is not easy, and nor does it bring quick results,” she said during her confirmation hearing. “I keep close a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a world filled with cynicism, it is an important reminder of the United Nations’ potential.”

Before her appointment, Mendelson spent over two decades working on development, democracy, and human rights as a scholar and practitioner both inside and outside of government. She is the former deputy assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development responsible for Democracy, Human Rights and Governance, and was the agency lead on combating human trafficking. The ambassador also served as senior adviser and inaugural director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Mendelson received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University, and she holds a doctorate from Columbia University. She served as a United States representative to the U.N. until January 2017.

Warren Wilson College’s Global Impact Forum presents “An Evening with Ambassador Sarah Mendelson” at the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. The event is slated for 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.