After being appointed in July, the first advocacy event that Pernille Ironside appeared in was about enabling and supporting breastfeeding in Pakistan. As Ironside said, she is a “strong proponent” of breastfeeding.
But not just that, her twenty years of humanitarian work, especially in dangerous conflict zones, is evident of her strong belief in a safer world for children and young adults.
This is Pernille Ironside’s second time being in Pakistan. Earlier, she was part of flood response in Sindh in 2010, and now has returned as the country representative for UNICEF.
What attaches her to the country on a personal level is an artwork which was gifted to her by a child back in 2010 “at a UNICEF Child-Friendly Space.”
“I still carry the artwork…, and draw inspiration from it every day,” Ironside wrote in her first public post as she presented credentials to Nabeel Munir, Special Secretary (UN), at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Pernille Ironside is a Canadian national, who started her career from Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Commission. But big and more demanding responsibilities awaited her. Before UNICEF, Ironside worked in UN Peacekeeping and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York.
She served in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in the city of Goma, which has been a center of rebel fighting for years.
After joining UNICEF, Ironside served in different positions relating to protecting children in conflicts and emergencies – with deployments in Nigeria, Iraq, Gaza strip, Congo, Yemen, Philippines, and Pakistan.
She was in the Gaza strip during the 51-day conflict in 2014. She and her team were later awarded an internal staff award for the undeterred humanitarian work they did among intense air raids and artillery strikes.
As she has assumed her new role in Pakistan, the country’s most urgent situation is the climate emergency. “I am so struck by the sheer force of the torrential waters that are pounding communities with huge boulders, causing massive destruction and upending lives,” Ironside said about the devastation caused by the recent floods in the country.
She travelled to Sindh and saw firsthand not just the damage but also the response which is being supported by UNICEF.
“I further traveled to Sujawal, where the heavy rains reminded me of the importance of climate preparedness… I was especially inspired by the adolescents and young people in Sindh who are leading Climate Action in their communities and building resilience with UNICEF’s support,” she wrote about her visit.
As the country representative, she is leading the multi-sectoral UNICEF Country Program of Cooperation 2023-2027, in partnership with Pakistan’s Government.
Her arrival also coincides with the launch of HPV vaccine in Pakistan – the vaccine being administered to girls aged 9-14 as a preventive measure against cervical cancer. Ironside has made her maiden visits to Balochistan, Sindh, and KP.
In Quetta, she herself administered polio drops to children at the Government Boys School, in addition to meeting the province’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
Pernille Ironside, with her expertise and passion for child rights advocacy, is hopeful that she will make an impact in the lives of children and families in Pakistan. “The needs of children in Pakistan are immense, but their potential is even greater.”
Specializing in International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, Comparative Law and Transitional Justice, Ironside is a licensed lawyer seeking to build a safer world for children, and doing her part even in places where wars wreak havoc.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
