Join us for this conversation with special guests
Hadas Fischer-Rosenberg
Visitors Services Section
UN Department of Global Communications
Rolando Gómez
Spokesperson, Human Rights Council (Geneva)
Tracey Petersen
Education Outreach Section
UN Department of Global Communications
Eleanor Roosevelt was not only the former First Lady of the United States, but famously chaired the drafting committee for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and was instrumental in the creation of the UNA-USA. Arguably one of the most influential and inspiring women in the history of the United Nations, this event explores Roosevelt’s engagement with the newly created Organization and examines her enduring legacy.
The session kicks off with a detailed look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s connection to the United Nations through the lens of her own words (in archival recordings and writings) and historical photographs, and explores the “hidden” monument to her on UN grounds in New York City.
Following this brief virtual tour, our trio of UN speakers (bios below), will engage event participants in a conversation about Roosevelt’s impact on the way the world thinks about Human Rights today.
By highlighting contemporary challenges and the United Nations’ human rights “architecture,” as well as practical applications of Roosevelt’s example as a trailblazer and public servant, the panelists invite participants to embody that most famous of her quotes: “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world.”
Join us as we honor the life and legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt, with UN Visitor Centre tour guide Hadas Fischer, Human Rights Council spokesperson Rolando Gómez, and from the UN Department of Global Communications, Tracey Peterson.
The UN Visitors Centre currently offers virtual tours — an exciting opportunity to explore the United Nations from the comfort of your home. You will have a chance to meet live one of our multilingual tour guides who will take you on a virtual journey through the history of the UN and speak about the Organization’s work in addressing global challenges. Through an interactive experience, you will learn how the UN addresses issues such as disarmament, peace and security, and human rights. For more information and booking, visit their website here.
Guest Speakers
HADAS FISCHER-ROSENBERG
Hadas Fischer-Rosenberg is a UN tour guide, specializing in kids’ tours. Originally from Israel, she holds an MA in modern history from Tel Aviv University. At the UN headquarters in New York, Hadas conducts tours in English and Hebrew to various groups of visitors, from kindergarteners to senior citizens and everyone in between. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she has been working on developing new online experiences and educational materials to help teachers and students stay connected to the UN and its mission. Hadas is passionate about history, public education, and engaging the next generation of global citizens.
ROLANDO GOMEZ
Rolando Gómez has been serving as Spokesperson for the Human Rights Council, at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) since 2008. A dual Peruvian / US national, he started his career as a film producer, specializing in documentary films working mostly in New York City. For over 25 years, Mr. Gómez has worked with the United Nations, starting in the early 1990’s as a peacekeeping specialist at the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General at UN headquarters. He then joined several UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, Asia and Europe. He moved to the UN Office at Geneva in late 2003 where he initially worked in the UN Information Service before moving to OHCHR. He holds a BA from Stonehill College in Massachusetts, and a post-graduate degree in Film Theory from NYU.
TRACEY PETERSEN
Tracey Petersen manages the Education Outreach Section of the Department of Global Communications, United Nations. The Education Outreach Section encompasses two United Nations Mandated Outreach Programmes: the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, and the Remember Slavery Programme. Both programmes are mandated by the United Nations to educate about these terrible histories, so as to support the prevention of atrocity crimes from being committed again. Prior to joining the United Nations, Tracey was the Education Director of the Cape Town Holocaust Centre, South Africa and led the development and implementation of teacher training and public engagement projects tailored to engage with citizens of a country still emerging from a deeply damaged past. She has taught at both secondary and tertiary levels. She holds a PhD in history from the University of the Western Cape, and an MPhil in education from the University of Cape Town and is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminars.