In honor of the United Nations International Day for People of African Descent (August 31), Bell Global Justice Institute is proud to partner with the Global Black Collective Institute to host a series entitled "Celebrating Black Women in Leadership and Decision-Making Spaces". This year's theme for the International Day for People of African Descent focuses on "Honoring the Contributions of the African Diaspora" - and our podcast series highlights the global contributions of Black Women.

We are so excited to collaborate with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to host this podcast series, and we hope the stories of the Black Women leaders we spotlight inspire you as much as they have inspired us!

Our first episode features Marie Diur who serves as the Chief of Interpretation Service (IS) at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Marie share about her journey to becoming Chief Interpreter, and her work to ensure that all global citizens who visit the United Nations feel welcome, heard, and included. Marie's bio is below, as well as additional links to the United Nations on its work to amplify the rights of People of African Descent.

Ms. Marie Diur joined the United Nations Office at Geneva as Chief of the Interpretation Service in December 2017, after nearly ten years at the United Nations Office at Vienna, initially as Chief of the French Booth and then as Chief Interpreter. Marie’s thirty-year career in interpretation spans over twelve years’ freelance work for UN agencies, the European Union, and the private market up until 2001 when she joined UN Headquarters as a Staff Interpreter. Her language portfolio comprises French (A), English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Swedish (C) and is complemented by a Maîtrise en langues étrangères appliquées (Université Toulouse-le-Mirail), a DEA en littérature française, francophone et comparée (Université Bordeaux 3), a Post-graduate Diploma in Conference Interpretation (PCL-London) and a Ph.D. in Humanities (Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Sevilla). Marie Diur is a UNOG anti-racism advocate and chair of the working group on racism.

The Global Black Collective Institute was founded in 2021 by a group of the 2020 African Descent Fellows of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Our mission is to educate and empower those working to advance the human rights of Africans and People of African Descent. We envision a world free from racial inequality.

Important links from the United Nations:

International Day for People of African Descent

International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024)

United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent