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UN WOMEN FOR
PEACE ASSOCIATION
2019 ANNUAL
AWARDS LUNCHEON
IN
CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
HONORED
BEN
STILLER LESLEE UDWIN NAEEM KHAN
ALBERT & DEIDRE PUJOLS
LUNCHEON
CHAIRS
RAY KELLY AND ALICE M. TISCH
MASTER OF
CEREMONIES
MOZHAN MARNO
FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2019
UNITED
NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK CITY
New York City,
New York (Friday, March 1, 2019) – UN Women for Peace
Association’s (UNWFPA) Annual Awards Luncheon, in
celebration of International Women’s Day, was held on
Friday, March 1st at the United Nations Headquarters.
This year,
UNWFPA honored five distinguished individuals: actor,
writer, and activist Ben Stiller (UNWFPA Advocacy
Award), fashion designer Naeem Khan (Women’s
Empowerment Award), philanthropists Albert and Deidre
Pujols (Humanitarian Award), and Think Equal Founder and
CEO Leslee Udwin (Activism in Arts and Education
Award).
Stephanie
Winston Wolkoff also presented the “Changemakers
and Educators Award” to Marc Brackett, Ph.D and Robin
Stern, Ph.D. from the Center
for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University for
their work in integrating social and emotional well-being
into schools, families and communities. Winston Wolkoff,
Brackett and Stern also announced that they would be
launching the Social Emotional Learning program with UNWFPA
and Facebook Education.
The Luncheon
Chairs were Ray Kelly (CEO of Guardian Group and
former NYC Police Commissioner) and Alice M. Tisch (The
Alice M. and Thomas J. Tisch Foundation). For a second year
in a row, Young Host Committee Chair was Andrea J.
Catsimatidis.
UNWFPA's
President, Barbara Winston thanked all involved. She
declared, “We dream of a world in which all are prosperous,
who can take good care of their children and in which there
is no war.” She continued: “We need to promote the
intersection of humanity with technology with the decisions
only people you can provide. The United Nations Women for
Peace Association has a mission to educate, to advance and
champion giving a voice and platform to the empowerment of
women and girls.”
“If we are to
achieve lasting peace,” stated Leslee Udwin, “we are simply
going to have begin with the children.” She elaborated, “Not
one of us is is born discriminating against another based on
race, religion, gender, sexual preference, or any other
factor. We are taught to discriminate, as we are instructed
in the ways of the world. [Think Equal] teaches empathy,
emotional intelligence, gender equality, critical thinking,
inclusion, peaceful conflict resolution. It teaches all
these values, competences and skills from the ages of three
until six.”
“I’m grateful
to the UN Women for Peace Association, or, as I look to call
it, UN-WOOF-PAH, for this incredible honor,” joked Ben
Stiller. “I stand before you as the son of a mother, and the
father of a daughter…I, like all men, owe my existence to
women. These two women have had an incredible experience on
me. One nurtured me, fed me, and taught me simple tasks like
tieing my shoes. How my teenage daughter found the time to
do these things while going to high school is a testament to
her strength and patience. In reality, my mother was the
most important voice in my life.”
Naeem Khan
said, “Fashion has a lot to do with change in the world.
There are a lot of problems in the fashion world. From
discrimination to hiring children to worki in Bangladesh.
How can a designer make change? I think with me, going to
Guatemala, Honduras, or India. I might not be the biggest
busimess, but I think I have the platform that I can teach
these people, and give them what I have learned through my
life in America, and see how I can uplift their lives.”
Deidre Pujols,
“When I learned that we were going to be receigint this
award, there was just no way that I was just going to have
Albert [Pujols] and I here because there are people people
working around the world tirelessly against injustices, and
that is Table number Four for us. They are part of Strikeout
Slavery. These are some of the most incredible people. I
celebrate this award and share it with them.”
Robin Stern
said, “Together, we will work together to change the woes of
women and girls forever. Let today mark the beginning of our
journey.” Dr. Marc Brackett asked, “Take a moment to think –
how are you all feeling today?” He then elaborated on the
importance of recognizing emotions and regulating them.
“Were we all
inspired today?” concluded Barbara Winston. “Let’s all get
together and do some work together!”
UNWFPA's full
Board of Directors is Dame Muna Rihani Al-Nasser (Founder
and Chair), Barbara Winston (President), Rema
DuPont (Vice President), Michal
Grayevsky (Treasurer), Valbona Neritani, and Stephanie
Winston Wolkoff.
At the
Luncheon, the Ambassadors for Peace included a variety of
notable individuals, Sheikha Rima Al-Saba, H.R.H.
Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Castro,
First Lady of Panama Lorena Castillo Garcia De Varela,
Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, Bushra Khayat Jomaa and Eugenio
Lopez Alonso.
The UNWFPA Committee of Honor is Ambassador
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Kate Beckinsale, Ambassador
Daniele Bodini, Geoffrey Bradfield, H.E. Mary Elizabeth Flores
Flake, Deborra-Lee Furness, Ashley Graham, Heather Graham,
Kat Graham, Karolína Kurková, Debra Messing, Ambassador
Adrian Neritani, Laurice Rahmé, Kelly Rutherford, and Sir
Patrick Stewart OBE.
UN Women for Peace Association,
founded in 2008 under the patronage of H.E. Mrs. Ban
Soon-taek,raises awareness of the terrible crimes
against women and girls. UNWFPA promotes and advances
the goals of UN agencies who provide opportunities for women
through social, cultural, educational, and empowerment
programs under the banner of a global peace building
process. Proceeds go directly to theUN Trust Fund to End
Violence Against Women, which aims to prevent violence
against women and girls, provides services and programs to
those affected by violence, and strengthens the
implementation of laws and policies on such violence.
For more information on UNWFPA, please visit:
https://www.unwomenforpeace.org/
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