The Future for Women - Interview with Sarah Blin
Journalist: Eva BLACK
Sarah Blin and Eva Black - Credits: ILYMUN Press
On the second day of ILYMUN 2025, the UN Women Committee heard from Sarah Blin, the guest speaker for this year’s conference. Formerly the Oxfam and Handicap International Country Director for Nepal, Sarah Blin is now an independent consultant, having worked on several projects with UNICEF and UN Women. She presented a world crisis to the ILYMUN UN Women Committee, explaining that women in the world today face many challenges, notably being allowed the same rights as men, being recognised for their role in the care economy, and their representation in politics. After her presentation, she was interviewed by Eva Black, a member of the press team, as follows:
Eva: Could you start by introducing yourself? Tell me a bit about your journey, your studies and your previous jobs.
Sarah Blin: My name is Sarah Blin, I first trained as an agricultural engineer, specifically for tropical areas. After that, I studied Anthropology of Development at SOAS in London. I worked in many different countries in different technical and managerial positions. Most of my fieldwork was with NGOs (Oxfam, Save the Children, Handicap International, Concern). I always had an interest in the most marginalised populations and how public policy can address the needs of these populations. Rather than the approach of delivering projects on behalf of an international organisation, I was more interested in how governments can take ownership of what we have to provide. After many years of doing this, I decided to set up my own company and provide technical expertise, mostly to United Nations organisations, specifically in social policy and in social protection systems (social security, social assistance, social care, and active labour market programs to improve employment opportunities). Currently, I am supporting UNICEF in Iraq and UN Women in West Africa.
Eva: How does your background connect to the issues discussed in the UN Women committee (“The Representation of Women in Politics” and “Equality for Women”)?
Sarah Blin: Most of the work I have done has been with people at the margins of society. I started as a gender advisor, working in the Great Lakes region in Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. It was a few years after the Beijing Platform for Action and we were trying to support women’s movements to bring up concerns around conflict and violence, as it was after the genocide in Rwanda. What struck me was that a lot of these processes were disconnected from the daily realities of these women, where they were overwhelmed with the demands that were placed on them. These demands were a lot about taking care of others, which meant paying attention to people who were vulnerable in the community: children, people with disabilities and the elderly. After that, I worked for child and disability-focused organisations. I was intrigued as to what is meaningful to women in their daily lives, beyond basic services. That is how I got into social protection. Today, we’re talking about two different aspects of the same problem: the fact that women don’t participate in politics is also because there is a problem with social norms that mobilise women disproportionately towards care responsibilities. Legal frameworks also limit the opportunities that are available for women to ensure that they can play an equitable role in society.
Eva: What was the crisis that you presented to the UN Women Committee?
Sarah Blin: I mostly talked about the care crisis. The care economy is a part of the economy that is largely unaccounted for and unfortunately, that is where women play a more active role. Although that crisis was very prevalent during COVID, it has sort of been forgotten. It was the subject of the UN Women global report on the situation of women in development that came out last year. It is a report that comes out every two years, and the focus this year was on the care economy, and the options available to states and governments to make a change. I also talked about the crisis of the political representation of women that, despite the commitments made through various conventions and resolutions in the UN, progresses ridiculously slowly. Only a few countries have honoured their commitments as state parties to these conventions and resolutions.
Eva: The two topics discussed in the UN Women Committee are “The Representation of Women in Politics” and “Equality for Women”. How do you think these topics tie into the general theme for ILYMUN 2025 which is “Democracy and Security in a World of Conflicts”?
Sarah Blin: Women have more experience in community-level work. For instance, the NGO called Care has worked in hundreds of locations around the world on setting up Village Savings and Loan committees (VSL). This is local democracy, as you have to decide how to manage your money collectively. This and many similar experiences where women were actively promoted demonstrates that when women are given the opportunity for participating in democratic processes, they have voice and agency. We can’t assume that all women are democrats, in fact many women have shown the opposite, but it is a question of opportunity to experiment with democracy. The care economy is also very relevant.There is a clear connection between conflict and the absence of social services and social protection The fact that the women involved in the care sector are pushed to the margins of society is a reflection of how patriarchy makes decisions about what’s important for a country and power and resources are shared- the way power is exercised in some patriarchal societies and conflict are also closely correlated. Different situations of lack of safety, security and conflict each have their individual specificities. As the majority of leaders are men, a political decision-making process that does not exclude 50% of the population would probably portray better how resources could be used and shared – this has been evidenced by research.
Eva: How do you think the representation of women in politics is evolving worldwide?
Sarah Blin: The figures show that the evolution is very slow, and that a lot of the progress that is being made is not in the countries that you would expect. Rwanda is an example of a country that is ahead of everyone in terms of women in cabinet, despite their developing economy. The UAE also have a high proportion of women in politics. We should not make assumptions that western economies have more women in politics by definition. At the moment, Nordic countries have mostly opened their space for women. I think something that strikes the observer is that you see more and more young female activists, mostly around the issue of climate change, but also around voice in politics and gender. None of these people are politicians or are holding political offices, but these civic movements led by young girls are significant in opening the space for an increased participation of women in the future.
Eva: In your presentation, you mentioned the Convention on the Status of Women which is happening in New York this week. Do you think that any changes will be made?
Sarah Blin: It is very rare to see radical change. These events are partly to monitor progress and to hold people accountable to their commitments, but they are also there to discuss emerging themes. Social protection and the care economy is one of these emerging issues. I think it is an intelligent way of examining the situation for women in the world, as it is more practical than aspirational, and it is relatable in terms of women’s daily experiences in society. This particular event is unfortunately marked by the fact that the Trump administration has closed the USAID agency and other sources of funding. I listened to a few sessions that were live streamed, and I found that most of the focus was on survival of the funding model. How do we survive as a system when 40% of our resources have been stripped? What kind of model can we find to continue? I also think that the attention is diverted away from the people that we are supposed to be representing and talking about, at this event, which is women.
Eva: What was the biggest lesson that you learnt when working in developing countries?
Sarah Blin: I learn every day, but the biggest lesson that I learnt was that we need to be more coherent in the way we approach supporting a country. We need to be less arrogant. They may not be democratically elected, but they all have governments and they all have a private sector. Most countries have some level of civic space, and even if it is controlled by religious systems or militias, citizens are there all the same. NGOs and the UN tend to have a top-down approach: they come with an agenda. This agenda was originally about human rights and solidarity, but I think we have confused this global agenda with a top-down prescreptive approach. We as individuals and in our organisations are not there to give lessons, we are there to support processes, institutions and legal frameworks and ensure that human rights are understood andguaranteed. It isn’t rocket science, it is about an education system, a healthcare system, a social protection system and access to food, water and work. We need to be more serious and less short-sighted about how we collaborate with governments. Imagine that a foreigner came to your country’s government office and told you what to do: you would never even dream of anything like that happening. Imagine the US coming to France and lecturing us about how we run our local government. There have been many instances where we have at least been perceived to operate in that way, and that is why I like the space that I am in now, because I think social protection is an area where very few governments are ready to commit, and so there is a lot of learning and generally excitement about social welfare and it’s potential I strongly believe in the social contract, and I think social protection is the ultimate offering of the social contract. There is a clear gap that is coherent with the global human rights framework in which the citizen and the state operate together in a give and take process. We have to push to get the best equilibrium between all of these processes.
Eva: Do you think that MUN conferences like ILYMUN can have an impact on governments and international relations?
Sarah Blin: I don’t know enough about how the outcomes of MUN conferences are shared with international organisations, but I do think it’s very moving to see all these young people putting so much preparation and energy into topics that may not concern their daily lives. We often say that everyone is on their mobile phones, on social media, but what I am seeing today is that you are all interested in topics that very few people care about. You are also putting yourselves in the shoes of countries that have a very low track record for human rights. What does that mean to be representing countries that do not necessarily believe in the values of the UN? That is an absolute reality of how the world is evolving today, and it’s a very significant experience. I’m looking forward to seeing whether my explanation was clear, and what kind of motions can be made on the issue of women’s rights. As western societies, we take many things for granted, we don’t look at ourselves enough. When you look at the numbers, you will see that in France for example, achievements have not been reached and the commitments made have not been upheld. The road ahead is in your hands.
Eva: The UN Women Committee debated gender quotas today, and the clause did not pass. What would you say to the House to defend gender quotas?
Sarah Blin: It’s quite simple. The research shows that gender quotas work, they’re not comfortable or ideal, but they’re the best option we have so far as they really force people out of their comfort zone. Both men, who are quite happy to stay in these positions, and women, who may not feel that they have the confidence. There are many examples around the world that show how, when women are given that opportunity, an important agenda is brought to the political sphere. I think quotas also portray society in a more faithful way: society is composed of 50% of women. It is important that the visuals are there, even though it takes time. Quotas are not ideal because there are issues related to capacity and the understanding of the political sphere That quotas cannot address . However, there are many organisations that can provide the support and the capacity development that is needed, so that when the women who occupy these positions are in office, they can be supported and trained to be at the level of men. We also need to make it clear that many of the men who occupy these positions are not particularly qualified themselves, so it isn’t a question of capacity, it’s a question of opportunity, and that is what quotas are trying to address.
Eva: Would you say you are more hopeful or pessimistic about the future for women?
Sarah Blin: Although I am not particularly hopeful, I can’t say I’m fully pessimistic. For me, the world runs in cycles. We are in the middle of a severe crisis surrounding the values of solidarity, the inclusion of marginalised populations, and diversity. We are in the midst of a striking crisis in all our democracies. There are also emerging countries with high economic growth and a strong middle class, where there are more and more women taking on very senior positions. Not only do they embody the voice of women in their communities, but they are in a position to make the best reasonable choices for their country - I think that is a sign of hope. I am also hopeful that the West will no longer be calling the shots, and that countries that have long been oppressed will change the world through their experience of marginalisation and oppression.