Représentante d'une ONG auprès de l'ONU, auteure, féministe

Soon-Young Yoon

Je suis anthropologue et militante internationale pour les droits des femmes, et représentante de l'Alliance internationale des femmes auprès des Nations Unies. J'ai présidé le Comité des ONG sur la condition de la femme à New York et je codirige actuellement le projet « Villes pour la Convention sur l'élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmes (CEDAW) : Histoire et perspectives », qui vise à promouvoir l'action locale en faveur de l'égalité des genres. Mon expérience au sein de l'UNICEF et de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé en Asie a forgé mon engagement de toujours en faveur du leadership des femmes dans le domaine de la santé et du développement mondiaux. Je suis également l'auteure de « Citoyenne du monde : Soon-Young et l'ONU » et j'ai eu l'honneur d'être nommée au Conseil de la présidence de l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies sur l'égalité des genres en 2021 et 2022.

Citoyen du monde

Citoyenne du monde retrace mon parcours, de réfugiée à militante internationale aux Nations Unies. À travers des essais clairs et empreints de compassion, j'explore pourquoi appréhender le monde à travers le regard des femmes est essentiel à la paix, au développement durable et aux droits humains. Des bidonvilles aux couloirs de l'ONU, je dénonce les violences faites aux femmes, j'appelle à la justice sociale et économique et je mets en lumière les leaders et les mouvements citoyens qui façonnent notre avenir commun – tout en réfléchissant aux défis rencontrés en tant qu'anthropologue féministe, au sein et en dehors de l'ONU. Disponible dès maintenant en livre audio !

Acheter maintenant

L'histoire vous place dans des moments charnières… vous devez en assumer la responsabilité… et vous ne pouvez pas échouer. Voilà, pour moi, ce qu'est le leadership.

Découvrez un monde où le style rencontre les couchers de soleil, et où chaque instant est une expression artistique #Instantdevie #VivrePleinement

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Promouvoir l'égalité sur la scène mondiale

Je suis une militante féministe et une défenseure de l'égalité des genres, œuvrant à rapprocher militantisme et diplomatie afin que les voix locales contribuent à façonner les politiques mondiales. En tant qu'auteure et représentante d'ONG auprès des Nations Unies, je m'efforce de concrétiser les droits, en traduisant la Convention sur l'élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmes (CEDAW) en changements quotidiens pour les femmes et les filles du monde entier.

Soon-Young Yoon sourit devant les logos de l'APUF8 et de l'ESCAP à Suwon.

Défenseur auprès de l'ONU

Je suis la représentante de l'Alliance internationale des femmes auprès des Nations Unies, où je m'efforce de faire entendre la voix des femmes et de promouvoir l'égalité des sexes dans le monde entier. Forte de mon expérience au sein de l'UNICEF et de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé, je continue de défendre le leadership des femmes dans les politiques et la diplomatie internationales. Pour en savoir plus, cliquez ici.

Féministe

Engagée de longue date dans le féminisme, je m'efforce de faire le lien entre l'activisme de terrain et les politiques internationales. En tant que présidente du Comité des ONG sur la condition de la femme à New York, j'ai contribué au lancement de la campagne « Villes pour la CEDAW », afin de diffuser les principes de la CEDAW au sein des communautés locales. Je continue de soutenir les mouvements qui font des droits des femmes une réalité concrète partout dans le monde. Pour en savoir plus, cliquez ici.

Couverture du livre : Faire des droits une réalité pour les générations futures, par Krishanti et Soon-Young Yoon.

CEDAW

Coécrit avec Krishanti Dharmaraj, ce guide pratique facilite la mise en œuvre de la Convention des Nations Unies sur l'élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmes (CEDAW). Il propose des stratégies concrètes aux responsables gouvernementaux, aux acteurs de la société civile et aux jeunes militants pour promouvoir l'égalité des sexes et défendre les droits de toutes les femmes et les filles. Achetez le guide ici.

Soon-Young Yoon sur scène, texte « paix » en arrière-plan, prononce un discours.

Conférence TED

Dans ma conférence TED, j'explore comment aborder les défis personnels, politiques et mondiaux avec courage, humour et humanité. À travers la métaphore de l'oignon, je partage des réflexions pratiques sur la manière d'affronter la complexité sans perdre espoir, et comment de petits gestes de compréhension peuvent engendrer des changements significatifs. Écoutez-la ici.

Mon histoire commence bien avant l'ONU, avec une jeune fille qui apprend comment les plus petites voix peuvent résonner à travers le monde.

Chinese calligraphy of the character 淳 against a white background.

1944 or 1945: Born in Pyongyang

As they say in the Buddhist tradition, I was "reborn" a girl in war-torn Pyongyang, North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea). My grandfather, Song Sang-Chum, named me "Soon-Young." It means "peace forever." My mother, Yoon Kyung-Shyn, couldn't remember if I was born in the Year of the Monkey or the Year of the Chicken. That has puzzled fortune tellers ever since.

Three people on a balcony of a building, Soon-Young Yoon

1946: Fleeing the Russians

My family had to leave our homes that had been filled with joy and music. The Russian army turned our house into its headquarters. My father, Yoon Doo-Sun, fled to avoid conscription and was thrown into prison when he arrived in Seoul. My mother, Song Kyung-Shyn, left to find him. Later, during cold winter nights, I was carried on a stranger’s back while my older siblings walked hundreds of miles from Pyongyang to Seoul. Farmers fed us the most wonderful noodles we have ever tasted.

Family portrait featuring Soon-Young Yoon, parents, and three children posing together.

1947: Arriving in Michigan

My siblings and I were reunited with our parents in Seoul. My aunt’s many connections with army generals and government officials arranged our passage on a US Navy ship from Busan to San Francisco. American immigration officers didn’t believe our visas were real and threw us into jail. My aunt, Grace (Song Pok-Shyn) Line, and her husband, Winfield H. Line, rescued us and took us to our new Michigan home. At night, we cried if windows were left open because we feared many things from the outside world.

Workers unloading grapes near a building with text: Magasin Cooperatif des ROGNES.

1971: French and Anthropology in College

While at the University of Michigan, I earned an AB in French Literature, and a MA and PhD in Anthropology. My dissertation covered the history of French winegrowers’ cooperatives. After living for two years in Rognes, a remote French village, my English got worse. My Provençal French improved. Old men in the village thought that a Vietnamese woman had come to write a novel about them, so they divulged many good tales. It’s not the only time I’ve been involved in a case of mistaken identity.

A decorated scarecrow with flags against a white background, representing harvest festival.

1972: First Trip Back to Korea

After leading a group of exchange students in Japan, I returned to Korea to visit my aunt, Song Do-Shyn, in Seoul. A friend from Ewha Womans University invited me to the school’s retreat in the eastern Sorak Mountains. The students stayed out of the sunshine as much as possible so they wouldn’t tan. I occasionally coaxed them outside the black roofed tent to play on the beach.

Woman walking on a path in front of traditional houses, Soon-Young Yoon.

1976: Teaching in Korea

Dr. Kim Ok-Kill, President of Ewha Womans University, invited me to teach in Seoul in the sociology department as a Fulbright Scholar. My Korean was poor, so most Koreans thought that I was a Japanese tourist. While doing anthropology research on shamanism and traditional medicine, I met Ok Sun Mun, a famous Jeju Island shaman. She was one of the most intelligent women I have ever met.

Young girl kissing a woman's hand, family moment, cultural tradition.

1978: UNICEF

I joined the UNICEF Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand as a social development officer. I had the amazing chance to put my anthropological theory into practice and learn first-hand about women and children’s issues. My work took me to villages and development projects throughout Southeast Asia and Pakistan, where I met women leaders working to develop their villages and urban slums, feminist activist demonstrating in the streets, labor union leaders organizing peddlers, government officials fighting corruption, and UN defenders of women and children’s human rights. They gave me enough inspiration to last a lifetime.

Buddhist monk blesses a man's forehead with others seated in background.

1978: Married by Nine Buddhist Monks

Nine Thai monks married me and Rick Smith at the Marble Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. I described my husband as my biological and cultural opposite–not a bad formula for an interesting, life-long love affair. The former editor of the international edition of Newsweek, Rick worked in New York. For two years, we had the world’s most expensive commuter marriage.

Colorful buildings line a canal with boats and reflections in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1980: Hoboken Home and UN Consultancies

Rick and I moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, because I wouldn’t live in Manhattan. I told him, “We have dictators in Asia, but our streets are safe. The same can’t be said of New York City.” I learned to rollerblade, but never mastered the art of stopping. Elizabeth Reid from Australia asked me to join the UN Secretariat for the UN World Conference on Women in Copenhagen, where we introduced the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to women ministers from around the world. After the conference, I returned to my research on women’s studies as a visiting researcher at Sarah Lawrence.

Young woman playfully poses among abstract metal sculptures and brick building. Soon-Young Yoon

1982: Research Associate at Sarah Lawrence

I continued my research in women’s studies, women in development, and shamanism and health. My article, “A Legacy Without Heirs: Korean Indigenous Medicine and Primary Health Care”, was published in Social Science and Medicine the next year. I claimed that “…the ancestral shadow of Korean indigenous medicine is alive and kicking.” This is still true many years later.

Two nurses in white uniforms sit at a table in a meeting.

1985: WHO in India

I accepted a job as a social scientist for the World Health Organization Southeast Asia Regional Office in New Delhi, India. The office covered eleven countries, including North Korea. I got a hands-on crash course in a wide range of public health topics, including HIV/AIDS, immunization, sanitation, maternal health, and tropical diseases. I have a large collection of photos from this phase of my life that I call my “statue phase”: I’m usually the only woman in a group of serious-looking men standing in orderly rows. When I wore a sari, locals thought I was from Nepal, the Indian hill tribes, or Tibet.

Beijing skyline with many skyscrapers and a busy highway in China.

1995: The Fourth World Conference on Women

Irene Santiago, Director for the NGO Forum on Women, asked me to be the UN Liaison for the Fourth Conference on Women in Beijing. My job was to coordinate regional networks and work on an NGO Beijing Platform for Action document. Fifty thousand delegates gathered at the largest UN world conference ever. If we had all stomped on the earth together at the same time, we would have knocked the earth out of orbit. On opening day, two angry Americans accused me of being part of a Chinese conspiracy to sabotage the conference.

Earth at night, North America lights up, space background, beautiful view.

1996: The Earth Times

Pranay Gupte, Editor of The Earth Times, asked me to replace Bella Abzug as a columnist on social development issues. I started to wear hats in case there was some Bella magic in them. Through EarthTimes, I covered global conferences: Rio Plus Five (Brazil), Habitat II (Istanbul), the World Economic Forum (Davos) and World Bank meetings. At the Rio Plus Five meeting, I spoke at my first international press conference along with Maurice Strong, UN Secretary-General of the first Earth Summit (1992), and an impressive tribal chief representing the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. They were both very supportive of the feminist agenda.

Pregnant woman's belly with text "It's a woman's right"

1998: WHO and Tobacco

As a consultant for the World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative, I headed a team of scientists working on gender, women and tobacco. Dr. Jonathan Samet, Director of the Institute for Global Health at USC, and I edited the WHO report, Gender, Women and the Tobacco Epidemic. We launched the WHO conference on women and tobacco in Kobe, Japan by wearing Japanese jackets and hammering sake barrels. Dr. Gro Brundtland, then Director-General of WHO gave the barrels their hardest blow.

Group photo of people, Soon-Young Yoon, smiling and holding hands, together.

2002: Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, led the way to pass a resolution calling for equal representation of women in treaty negotiations. At a strategy meeting, I sat behind the government delegate from Bangladesh who supported the idea. How does a feminist advocate for women’s freedoms behave in a country that says women must cover up their legs in public? Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, put on a light scarf at the opening ceremonies to abide by local traditions. The next day, I changed from shorts to long pants. Sometimes my anthropological instincts kick in, and I conform to local customs.

Soon-Young Yoon speaks at podium for UN Women for Peace Association.

2015

I spoke at my first New York City Times Square rally as Chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/New York (NGO CSW/NY) for part of our Beijing Plus 20 celebrations. I have always said “As a volunteer at an NGO, I do a happiness check every year. I plan to quit if I stop smiling.” How do we organize more than 4000 NGO representatives every year around the UN Commission on the Status of Women? It is a miracle—and that makes me smile.

Two smiling women posing together, one wearing a scarf, Soon-Young Yoon.

2017: The Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

The WEDO Board asked me to represent WEDO for UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), where I met women mayors who are making a difference. As Chair of the WEDO Board, I also attended the annual UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties meetings. If women in cities don’t make climate change a priority, we cannot save our planet in time. WEDO is right on target.

Red and yellow Chinese lanterns, with visible text, festive celebration background.

2020: A Year of Anniversaries

The Year of the Rat began a new cycle of 12 zodiac symbols. The year was a foundation for dramatic explosions of expectations that gave hope to some and enraged others. It was one of the busiest times of my life, marking 25 years after I was involved in the NGO Forum and the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. Other anniversaries kept popping up on my calendar: the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution #1325, 100th year celebration of American suffrage, and tenth birthday for UN Women. These anniversaries were more than memories of the past: they inspired change for the future.

Vue aérienne de la forêt tropicale humide

Les femmes sauveront le monde.

Comment pouvons-nous battre l’horloge terrestre ?

Depuis des années, les mouvements féministes et de défense des droits des femmes affirment une vérité fondamentale : pour accélérer et intensifier les progrès en matière de développement, il est indispensable de mobiliser le potentiel des femmes. Les femmes rurales et autochtones possèdent une expertise particulière en matière de protection de la biodiversité et de lutte contre le changement climatique, car elles pratiquent la sélection des semences, gèrent les forêts et prennent des décisions concernant la consommation d’énergie des ménages. Il ne s’agit pas seulement de principes relatifs aux droits humains, mais de leur application concrète pour obtenir des résultats tangibles et résoudre les problèmes mondiaux.

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La tapisserie de la vie

J'écris car je crois que chaque vie s'inscrit dans les grands récits de justice, d'identité et d'avenir commun. Sur ce blog, je partage des réflexions personnelles, des enseignements tirés de mon expérience aux Nations Unies et au sein de mouvements citoyens, ainsi que des essais qui vous invitent à voir le monde à travers le regard des femmes.

Citoyenne du monde est au cœur de la plupart des contenus présentés ici — c'est le point de rencontre entre mon parcours de réfugiée, de féministe et de militante et les causes pour lesquelles je continue de me battre.

Vous trouverez ici des écrits sur l'identité, la violence, la santé, l'émancipation et le changement, dans une voix qui oscille entre le personnel et le politique. Chaque article est une invitation à réfléchir, à ressentir et à agir.

Accueillir.

Représentante d'une ONG auprès de l'ONU, auteure, féministe

Soon-Young Yoon

Citoyen du monde

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