Clare Hutchinson

Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security
2018

  • Last updated: 05 Jul. 2018 11:54

Clare Hutchinson took office as the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security in January 2018. She is the high-level focal point on all aspects of NATO’s contribution to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, with the aim to facilitate coordination and consistency in NATO’s policies and activities and to take forward the implementation of the NATO/EAPC Policy and Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

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Ms Hutchinson worked as a Senior Gender Adviser with the United Nations for over a decade. She has been instrumental in setting the strategic development of Women, Peace and Security for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping in New York, Kosovo and Lebanon.

Born and educated in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Ms Hutchinson studied theatre and started her career in broadcasting and public relations, working in public radio and freelance reporting in Canada and the United Kingdom. She later obtained her Masters of International Relations and Masters of Research from Newcastle University. She moved to Canada in 1991 and is a Canadian citizen, residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ms Hutchinson has long been a champion for women’s issues, working with women’s groups for many years and supporting projects for women’s empowerment. She worked in the burgeoning ICT industry as a communications expert for internet start-ups and led projects that helped women and young people utilise technology.

Ms Hutchinson’s predecessor as NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security was Ambassador Marriët Schuurman.