Joyce Mends-Cole

Joyce Mends-Cole "was UNHCR’s senior coordinator for refugee women/gender equality – a post she held for four years. As coordinator she worked to change attitudes and practice in UNHCR to ensure that refugee women participate in decisions about their lives and to increase assistance and protection provided to them. Joyce came to UNHCR from the United Nations Development Programme, where she was the senior regional gender advisor for the Africa Bureau, based in Ethiopia. She began her UN career in UNIFEM, as a consultant, later becoming the UNIFEM advisor to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (now OCHA). Joyce has served on a number of boards, including the Women’s Commission. She is presently on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Rights project of Human Rights Watch. Joyce is a lawyer and has worked on development, displacement, justice and women’s rights issues for the past 20 years. She is a former staff member of Human Rights Watch and was an aide to a member of the U.S. Congress. She is a Liberian and has been involved in peace and reform efforts in that country.“


 * Member, Human Rights Watch Women's Rights Advisory Committee