The 2007-2008 Teresa Dease Lecture
The role and place of women in societies around the world have evolved significantly in the last half-century or so. As women and societies developed new norms to define the rights of women, new institutions and programs were put in place to support them in their economic, social and political aspirations. Based on her experiences in government, business, and as Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Madame Fréchette will discuss why the advancement of women matters to the well being of societies as a whole. If societies fail to accord women their rights, these societies are effectively depriving themselves of the talent of half their population. What country can afford to waste so much of its human capital?
Louise Frechette
Louise Fréchette spent eight years as the first United Nations Deputy Secretary-General as appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Waterloo , Ontario , where she is leading a three-year research project on nuclear energy and its implications for global governance. Before joining the UN, Mme. Fréchette was the Deputy Minister of National Defence of Canada from 1995 to 1998. Prior to that, she was the Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Finance. In 1998, she was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada.