Speaker Information

Opening Session

Irene Fellin

  • NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and for Human Security

Congratulatory Remarks

Irene Fellin was appointed NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security and for Human Security in late 2021.

She is the high focal point on all aspects of NATO's contribution to the Women, Peace and Security and Human Security Agendas, with the aim of facilitating coordination and consistency in NATO's policies and activities. Furthermore, she is taking forward the operationalization of the 2024 NATO Policy and the Action Plan on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions.

She is a Gender and Security expert with 20 years of experience in the field of international security, peacebuilding and mediation. In 2017, she was instrumental in establishing the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network (MWMN) which she coordinated until she joined NATO. The MWMN is a project promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy aimed at fulfilling the need to increase the meaningful participation of women involved in peace-making efforts by facilitating the leadership of women mediators, negotiators and peacebuilders at local, regional and international level.

As a strong supporter of female leadership, in 2016 she founded the Italian chapter of Women In International Security (WIIS ITALY), the only Italian organisation dedicated to advancing the leadership and professional development of women in the field of international peace, security and defence.

Under her remit are also the five areas of work of NATO’s human security approach, namely the protection of civilians, cultural property protection, children and armed conflict, combatting trafficking in human beings and conflict-related sexual violence.

She is married and is the mother of twin sisters Lara and Viola.

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