H.E. Ambassador Mari Skåre
Chef de Cabinet to the President of the 74th Session of
the UN General Assembly
Mr. Atul Khare
Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support
UN Department of Operational Support
H.E. Ambassador Katalin Bogyay, FRSA, FWAAS
Permanent Representative of Hungary to the UN
H.E. Ambassador Kaha Imnadze
Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN
Moderated by
Linda Fasulo
Independent Correspondent, NPR News – United Nations
In March when it was obvious that the UN General Assembly could not hold in-person meetings, there was a need to move quickly to find innovative ways to ensure business continuity.
How have the different UN departments ensured coordination and support to guarantee the organization’s essential work in New York and in the field? What are the plans for operations in the fall and the future? What are the changes made to social distancing in the GA hall, in the Secretariat? How will diplomacy be conducted remotely?
In this special online event, our distinguished panel of guest speakers will discuss remote diplomacy, how the challenges of not being able to have in-person meetings at the United Nations due to the COVID 19 pandemic affected the work of the organization, and what future plans are in the works.
Panel Moderator
LINDA FASULO
Linda Fasulo is a journalist and author who specializes in the United Nations and U.S. foreign policy. An independent correspondent, she reports from the UN for NPR. For more than a decade, Linda worked as UN producer and correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. She was special UN correspondent for US News and World Report magazine for 7 years.
Linda's popular book, An Insider's Guide to the U.N., published by Yale University Press, has received much critical acclaim. Yale will be publishing the 4th edition of the book this fall. Previous editions were also published in Korean and Chinese.
Linda serves as secretary of the Executive Committee of the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) and is a member of the board of governors of the Overseas Press Club.
Praise for An Insider's Guide to the U.N.
"Linda's book will become the indispensable source on the United Nations for everyone from students to diplomats. I keep it handy on my desk." Joseph Nye, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
"Great education for newcomers as well as long-timers at the U.N." Mark Malloch Brown, former U.N. Deputy Secretary-General
"No one knows the big picture and inner workings of the U.N. better than Linda Fasulo. This book is must-read for anyone interested in international affairs." Tom Brokaw, NBC News
"A short-order account of how the organization works in the glare of its public profile and in the shadow of its secret negotiations." The Times of London
Guest Panelists
AMBASSADOR MARI SKÅRE
H.E. Ambassador Mari Skåre is the Chef de Cabinet to the President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Prior to this appointment, Skåre was the Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations in New York, after serving as Norway’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, 2016-2018. In Afghanistan, she worked with key stakeholders including the Government of Afghanistan, civil society, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the wider UN system, to achieve significant progress on issues relating to women, peace and security, and anit-corruption.
Skåre was the first NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security from 2010 to 2012. Here, she set NATO’s agenda on WPS and built partnerships with governments, the EU, the UN, international organisations and the civil society through extensive public diplomacy and outreach. Her tenure had a transformative impact, putting NATO at the forefront of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and other related resolutions, through the development and implementation of coherent policies and action plans. The impact of this work led to establishment of this position as a permanent high-level post in NATO.
Skåre joined the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 and has, over the course of her career, worked extensively on a broad range of issues in diplomacy. She has served as Minister Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative at the Norwegian Delegation to NATO from 2010 to 2012 and Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul from 2008 to 2010.
In the period 2003 to 2007 she served as Counsellor and Legal Adviser, as well as a delegate to the 5th Committee, at the Norwegian Mission to the UN, New York.
Her other appointments in the Norwegian Foreign Service include the positions of Legal Adviser for the Minister for Development Cooperation; Head of the Division of Environment and Sustainable Development; Adviser on Antarctic and Antarctica Affairs; as well as work on the international financial institutions
Ambassador Skåre holds a Master Degree in Law from the University of Oslo, and has two daughters.
MR. ATUL KHARE
Mr. Atul Khare became the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support on 1 Jan 2019. He was previously appointed Under-Secretary-General for Field Support on 2 March 2015.
Mr. Khare brings to the position strategic management and innovative reform expertise in both headquarters and field perspective. Most recently, he co-chaired the Secretary-General’s internal review on Management Reform, one of his key change initiatives to improve the effectiveness of mandate delivery and to enhance transparency and accountability within the Organisation. Mr. Khare has had a long senior career with the United Nations. In 2010-11, he served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Deputy Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. He was later appointed as Assistant Secretary-General in the Change Management Team (2011-12).
Mr. Khare was previously Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) at the level of Under-Secretary-General (2006-09), working earlier as Chief of Staff and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General with the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).
Former Director of The Nehru Centre and Minister (Culture), High Commission of India in London (2005-06), Mr. Khare served during his tenure with the Indian Foreign Service in its diplomatic missions in France, Mauritius, Senegal, Thailand and the United Kingdom as well as the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York.
Mr. Khare holds bachelor’s degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences as well as master’s degrees in Business Administration and Leadership from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.
Born in India in 1959, he is married.
AMBASSADOR KATALIN BOGYAY
H.E. Ms. Katalin Bogyay, FRSA, FWAAS, is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations, from 2015 to the present.
From 2009 to 2014, Ms. Bogyay served as her country’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and from 2011 to 2013 as President of UNESCO’s General Conference.
From 2006 to 2009, she was Hungary’s State Secretary for International Affairs for Education and Culture, and from 1999 to 2006, Founding Director of the Hungarian Cultural Centre in London.
Prior to entering government, Ms. Bogyay had a distinguished career as an international television broadcaster, film producer and writer.
She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom and the World Academy of Art and Science in the United States. She is also an international advisor to IASK- Institute of Advanced Studies (Koszeg, Hungary), to the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy (Berlin, Germany) as well as President of its Cultural Diplomacy and Arts programme of ICD, and steering committee member of World Science Forum. She is a member of the Athena 40 Global Committee.
The author of several books and publications, she is also a guest lecturer and speaker at universities and international conferences.
Ambassador Bogyay holds a master’s degree in economics from Corvinus University of Budapest, and a Master of Arts in international communications from the University of Westminster, United Kingdom. Ambassador Bogyay received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from University of Glasgow, United Kingdom and an Honorary Doctorate of Social Sciences from University of Pannonia, Hungary.
Ambassador Bogyay is a recipient of several high honors, including the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary for her services to Hungarian and international culture and innovative work in cultural diplomacy (2014), the Tree of Peace of UNESCO for her leadership in political, intercultural and interfaith dialogue (2014), the Nehru Gold Medal of UNESCO for her presidency in UNESCO (2013), the Hungarian Chain Bridge Award for her services to Hungarian foreign affairs (2013), the Grand Cross of the Order of Sahametrei by King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia for intercultural cooperation (2013), Officer of the Order of Leopold by King Albert II of Belgium (2008), Aphelandra, a humanitarian prize (2009) and the Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary for her contribution to international culture (2005). Ms. Bogyay was awarded a Diploma of Honour by the member states of UNESCO for her services in the development of international understanding.
In September 2018 she was elected by acclamation as President of the International Association of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations (IAPR).
Ambassador Bogyay is an International Gender Champion, in 2015 she founded The Circle of Women Ambassadors at the UN and in 2019 she serves as Vice President of UN Women ExBoard.
During her years at the UN, Ambassador Bogyay received the “Women of Distinction 2017 – Global Leadership Award in Social Justice/Development” by the Celebrating Women International in 2017.
She also received the Meaningful World Peace Award and the “Spirit of the UN – 2017” Award of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concern on the occasion of the United Nations Day in 2017.
Ambassador Bogyay was given a special recognition by NGOCSW-NY for her contribution as a woman leader in the UN, and received the Global Citizenship Award from the James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation for embodying the characteristics of honor, intelligence, benevolence, and integrity in 2016.
AMBASSADOR KAHA IMNADZE
H.E. Mr. Kaha Imnadze is Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations since 2013.
Earlier in his diplomatic and civil service career Mr. Imnadze was Assistant to the President and Press Secretary for the President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze; Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia, supervising defense and foreign policy issues; Deputy Chief of Mission of Georgia to NATO and Political Counselor at the Georgian Embassy to Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Having joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an intern in 1989, Mr. Imnadze has held number of positions at from 3rd Secretary to the Head of Department.
Mr. Imnadze also spent over 10 years in private sector, hedge funds and defense industry. He served on board of Georgian Political Science Association (which he co-founded) and Georgian Institute for Russian Studies; was Research Associate of Conflict Studies Research Center at Camberley (UK). He holds MA in Philology from the Tbilisi State University.