A video of Her Excellency’s talk can be found on our Griffith Asia Institute YouTube channel.

Event photos [Photo credit: Mark Sherwood, courtesy of QAGOMA]:

 

Presented by Her Excellency Mrs Naela Chohan, High Commissioner, High Commission of Pakistan in Australia

Never before has the issue of women’s empowerment and gender equality garnered the attention that it does today. Alongside her diplomatic career, Her Excellency Naela Chohan is a strong advocate of women’s rights through the medium of visual art and her work Souffrance is on permanent display at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The UNESCO Bureau of Strategic Planning Section for Women and Gender Equality described her work as “a reflection on the position of women in society, illiteracy, economic empowerment, women’s contribution to society and discrimination they face”. Join us as she shares her art and explains how through her roles as an artist and a diplomat the arts and public diplomacy can engage communities in Australia, Pakistan and our region and highlight, empower and give voice to women.

Her diplomatic assignments have included the High Commission of Pakistan in Ottawa, the Pakistan delegation to United Nations General Assembly 41st (1987) Session and 42nd (1988) Session, and the Embassy of Pakistan in Tehran (1989–1993), and Kuala Lumpur (1997–2001). Prior to her post to Australia she served as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Ecuador.

She has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Film Censor Board, and of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Employment Corporation of Pakistan, and Inter State Gas System (Pvt). High Commissioner Chohan is also committed to the prohibition of global Chemical Weapons, being the first civilian and woman to head the National Authority on the Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical weapons in Pakistan.

This event was held on Monday 15 August 2016 at the Gallery of Modern Art, Stanley Place, South Bank

Perspectives:Asia seminar series is a program of public seminars designed to explore issues of contemporary culture, politics and society in our region, while also fostering public discussion of Australia’s relations with Asia. The series now in its’ twelfth year is co-hosted by the Australian Centre of Asia Pacific Art (ACAPA) Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art and the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University.