Leading for Inclusion and Security: The View from Bethlehem

Vera Baboun is the first democratically elected female mayor of Bethlehem in the West Bank: a city with its own definition of “normal”. Since she was elected in 2012, Mayor Baboun has worked tirelessly to provide services critical to human security and quality of life in her municipality despite the obstacles presented by governing a walled city largely under the jurisdiction of a neighboring country. Mayor Baboun will speak to her experiences as the mayor of a city with unique challenges.

Jane O’Brien has worked in print and broadcast journalism for over 25 years. Based in Washington DC, she is a regular presenter of the BBC’s flagship evening news program, World News America. She also covers US news for BBC TV, radio & online, with a special interest in the arts. Although she has spent most of her career in television news, she has also worked as a media consultant for the United Nations Children’s Fund.