The Singapore Management University (SMU) is pleased to announce that Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Social Scientist, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and SMU’s Lee Kong Chian Distinguished Fellow, has been appointed as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation for a term of two years.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on 13 September that the establishment of the High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation is part of the “surge in diplomacy for peace” he has consistently advocated, and gives due priority to the prevention and mediation work of the United Nations. The Board comprises 18 current and former global leaders, senior officials and renowned experts who bring together an unparalleled range of experience, skills, knowledge and contacts. It is expected to allow the United Nations to work more effectively with regional organizations, non-governmental groups and others involved in mediation around the world.

In a phone interview with The Straits Times, Dr Heyzer said she was very pleased to be put in a position where she could draw on her past experiences and try to help. She said the "world is in definite need of mediation for peace", which should ideally resolve tensions before they escalate into conflicts. "What we are seeing is our inability to handle these massive complex conflicts, which have led to the forced displacement of populations and that, in turn, has affected the politics and cohesion of societies.”

Read more in The Straits Times story.