International Women’s Day event inspires students

Guest speaker begins her lecture by wishing the audience a “Happy International Women’s Day.” // Annie MacKeigan / The Hofstra Chronicle.

In anticipation of International Women’s Day, a crowd of students gathered in the Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater on Thursday, March 7, to hear from a guest speaker about the progress she has made in women’s rights and the change that still needs to be made globally.

Jelena Pia-Comella is currently an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College, an adjunct assistant professor at Hofstra University, a faculty member of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and a consultant for the Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes.

“To attend classes and read about gender justice is one thing, but to be able to be educated by someone who has participated and assisted through the creation of conventions, laws and policies is an experience like no other,” said Sarah Gerges, a junior sociology and criminology major.

International Women’s Day is a globally recognized day celebrated annually on March 8 that is intended to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day simultaneously honors the past and looks to the future, calling for action toward true gender parity.

Gender parity refers to the equal contribution of both men and women to every aspect of life, both public and private. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “inspire inclusion,” aimed to set the focus on broadening the lens of the day and emphasizing the importance of diversity in empowerment.

Margaret Abraham, a professor of sociology and women’s studies who helped coordinate   and moderate the event, said, “We need to acknowledge, we’ve done much but we need to do more in these challenging times. We view today as a day to celebrate but also about what actions are needed to bring about true gender parity and to make it a reality.”

“I’ve been promoting women’s rights through getting women at the table and amplifying the voices of these women at decision-making forums,” Pia-Comella said in regard to her experience when first entering diplomacy work. She said that, at the time, she was one of very few female voices in the space, leading to her presence becoming a package deal with gender policy reform.

Students listen to Pia-Comella speak about her career journey and accomplishments in diplomacy. // Annie MacKeigan / The Hofstra Chronicle.

Gerges said she has been inspired by Pia-Comella since the first time she heard her speak about creating a path in the fight for gender justice. “[She] will continue to teach me something every time we meet,” Gerges said.

One of Pia-Comella’s most prominent goals is to bring accountability to conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. She explained that in a patriarchal society, during times of peace, women already do not have the same resources or entitlement to justice and economic power. So, when there is conflict, the result is a situation where conditions for women become even worse.

“During an armed conflict, their people will be targeted,” Pia-Comella said due to their vulnerability and lack of protection. “Sexual and gender-based violence against women is rooted in systematic and systemic discrimination of women’s rights.”

Pia-Comella was part of the group of members who indoctrinated the Rome Statute into the United Nations in 2002. The Rome Statute, as stated by Pia-Comella, is “an international treaty that investigated and prosecutes war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and all forms of oppression that had very strong gender provisions.”

However, she was also quick to acknowledge that progress isn’t being made universally across the globe, and a part of International Women’s Day is recognizing that.

“Being at a university, we cannot forget that as we speak … girls cannot go to school in Afghanistan and women cannot go to universities,” Pia-Comella said. “We cannot forget anyone.”

Hannah Morello, a junior psychology major, said that she came to the event to learn more from Pia-Comella, wanting to learn outside of what was taught in the classroom.

“I just wanted to see what she had to say, anything that she can tell me that I didn’t already learn in her class,” Morello said. She continued about the effect the presentation had on her. “The impact that gender-based crimes have on other countries that honestly, we don’t even think about – when she talks about all of that, you say ‘wow’ and realize that you are privileged.”

Pia-Comella spoke not only of her diplomacy but also about her career path, which she described as “non-linear.”

She started her career in 1996 as a diplomat representing Andorra at the United Nations in the United States and in Canada. There, she worked to set new standards in international human rights laws, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, such as the Rome Statute. Then she was appointed as chief of mission to Canada and the United States from 2001 to 2007.

In 2008, she became a consultant for the Center for Women’s Global Leadership and Women’s Environment and Development Organization to coordinate the Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign which led to the creation of the UN Women organization.

She was in this position until 2018 when she became the deputy executive director of the World Federalist Movement’s Institute for Global Policy.

“Throughout her career, she has prioritized her feminist principles by supporting women’s rights, leadership and supporting the work of activists,” Abraham said.

“My biggest takeaway from the talk is to take what you’re passionate about and apply it to your dreams and aspirations,” Gerges said. “There is no one right way to a career you love and a career that will make a change. Women are consistently targeted and are highly disadvantaged during times of conflict; another economist would not be able to create the change that Pia-Comella’s passion and drive allowed her to achieve.”

This event was a part of a collection of events at Hofstra throughout March that are centered around Women’s History Month, including Coffee Hour with Hofstra’s Women in Leadership, Women @ Hofstra and the upcoming Women’s Business Expo on Monday, March 25.