The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) is a global professional association of educational and research institutions, individual scholars, and practitioners active in the work and study of the UN, multilateral relations, global governance, and international cooperation.
Heather Wokusch served as Lead Coordinator for the UN Vienna Conference and was pleased to introduce innovations such as live-streaming to universities on four continents, partnership with Permanent Missions, media involvement and a related national broadcast. The Conference was implemented by a diverse team of volunteers representing multiple nationalities, backgrounds, and areas of interest.
UN Vienna Conference Organizers
Heather Wokusch
Lead Conference Coordinator
Heather’s International career in education and cross-cultural training has spanned 30 years, four continents and multiple fields. She authored two books reaching Amazon’s top ten in their category, and her NYC-based television series has won multiple national awards. An expert in digital architecture, she is eager to apply modern methods to engage youth and decision-makers about nuclear topics as well as the SDGs.
Mona Zaher
Conference Co-Coordinator
Mona is jurist/lawyer and criminal scientist and works for the public service in Vienna. She joined ACUNS in 2013, volunteering in different projects, events and conferences and becoming the Vienna Liaison Vice-President in January 2016. Besides her interest in national law she also focuses on human rights, juvenile justice and deradicalization. She is pursuing her second Master Degree in Criminal Science at the University of Vienna. Mona
Márta Dunay
Panel Coordinator
Márta has worked at different NGOs based in Budapest, London and now Vienna. Her fields of interest are human rights, poverty, segregation and discrimination. She has a degree in law and is currently studying social economy and social work. She joined ACUNS a year ago, volunteering in different projects, and becoming the Vienna Liaison General Secretary in March 2017.
Jasmine Adu-Atwere
Panel Coordinator
Jasmine is a social scientist with a BA in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Vienna, an MA in Spatial and Clinical Social Work from the University of Applied Sciences, and an MA in Development and International Relations from Aalborg University. She has supported organisations such as Asyl in Not and has coordinated ACUNS Vienna Liaison Femicide team activities since 2017.
Mila Kirilova
Conference Administrator
From Bulgaria, she moved to Vienna 10 years ago. She completed a BA in Political Science and MA in Human Rights from the University of Vienna. She gained valuable knowledge by working for several human rights orientated organizations such as Amnesty International, Austrian Commission for UNESCO, ACUNS Vienna and International Peace Institute. She is deeply committed to the full realization of all human rights for all peoples.
Marion Mitter
Program Officer
Marion gained cross-cultural experience during her years working at the Royal Thai Embassy. As a research administrator, she worked at a university in the field of education and was also responsible for organising events. She contributes to the ACUNS femicide team and to the awareness-building process focused on creating change.
Andrew Hoang
Panel Coordinator
Andrew joins our team from Toronto, Canada. He graduated from the University of Waterloo majoring in Economics, and spent several years at Canada’s largest bank specializing in custodial banking services. The move to Vienna has opened Andrew up to new opportunities to pursue his passion projects and volunteering. He brings creativity and a worldly perspective to the team.
Jennifer Sassmann
Panel Coordinator
Pursuing her BA in Political Science at the University of Vienna, Jennifer works at the Student’s Union for the International Office and the Office for Social Policy. She completed internships at UN Austria Association in 2016 and at the Representation of the European Commission in Austria in 2017. During a semester in Ireland, she specialized in European Politics, International Organizations and International Relations.
Billy Batware
RAUN Sessions Coordinator
A Consultant at UNODC responsible for crime and drug prevention and counter-terrorism projects, Billy is the Executive Director of Forum for Young Internationalists (FYI), the umbrella association for RAUN. In his spare time, Billy works on educating and empowering young people and advocating for better human rights, equitable development, and awareness about environmental issues.
Samuel Ebner
Program Officer
While studying abroad in Canada, Samuel discovered his interest in global political and environmental issues and transcultural communication. For two years, he and other students collaborated with their school to offer German classes for refugees. Currently, he is working at the Arbeiter-Samariterbund, an aid and welfare organisation engaged in civil protection, rescue services and social welfare services.
Roman Hoffmann
RAUN Sessions Officer
Since 2012, Roman has been a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Vienna; he is also a research assistant at the Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Science. Roman’s research focuses on issues related to poverty, health, and the environment in low and middle-income countries.
Cecilia Vera Lagomarsino
RAUN Sessions Officer
Cecilia holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Milan, Italy and is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Sciences with special focus on Gender Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria. Prior to joining RAUN, she worked at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as a Research Assistant.
Beyza Aksu
Conference Support
Beyza is a 16-year-old intern at the Austrian Parliament. Born in Austria, she has Turkish roots. Beyza can speak Turkish, English and German and wants to learn Spanish and French!
Angelo Slawik
Conference Support
Angelo Slawik is a 20-year-old apprentice at the Austrian Parliament and in his last apprenticeship year.
Media Team
Ramesh Jaura
Editor in Chief
Ramesh Jaura is a professional journalist and an experienced moderator and facilitator specialising in inter-cultural communication, globalization, international development cooperation, nuclear disarmament, culture of peace, and civil society. Since 2008, he has been Director of IPS-Inter Press Service Deutschland under the umbrella of Global Cooperation Council.
Hannah Dayag
Hannah joined the ACUNS team in 2013 by volunteering in conferences, symposiums and projects like ‘Juvenile Justice’ while she was a Political Science student at the University of Vienna. In 2015, she became PR Coordinator and has since managed with her team the whole social media platform of ACUNS Vienna Liaison.
Helen Hemblade
Reporter
Based in Austria, Helen is Editor of the FEMICIDE publication series from ACUNS and assists in organising events to raise awareness of the widespread killing of women and girls. She also works in communications at a European medical society.
Darline Giraud
Reporter
Darline is Co-founder of Women at UN-Accountability Buddy Network. The Network is comprised of a Facebook group of over 600 professional women; it provides support, promotes gender equality and empowerment of its members who are striving to obtain a position within the UN system.
Krista Price
Reporter
Formerly a paralegal from Florida, Krista is currently a graduate student of International Relations at Webster Vienna Private University. Her focus on human security and human rights was reflected in her internship with the Florida Holocaust Museum and undergraduate studies in history and law. She works in Webster’s Marketing Office and will soon be producing Webster’s International Relations podcast,The 1020.
Julia Zimmerman
Reporter
A graduate student at Webster Vienna Private University, Julia is writing her Master’s Thesis on how foreign military intervention impacts sexual violence towards women during conflict. She recently interned with the NGO CARE on a project working to end child marriage in Bangladesh and Nepal. She is passionate about combating GBV globally.
Cecilia Vera Lagomarsino
Reporter
Cecilia holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Milan and is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Sciences with special focus on Gender Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria. Prior to joining RAUN, she worked at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as a Research Assistant.
Ourania Roditi
Reporter
Dr. Ourania Roditi holds a doctorate from the University of Sussex, UK. A human rights advocate for the past fifteen years, she worked for 10 years with the OSCE missions in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since July 2016 she works on the integration of refugees in the Vienna area. In November 2017 she joined the ACUNS, Femicide team.
Lamin K. Janne
Media Specialist
A Gambian national, Lamin is a Director, Editor, and Producer of film and television. He served as a consultant to various Gambian institutions including the Office of the President and has produced media aimed at creating societal awareness of various topics. The CEO of Better Future Production, a multimedia company, he is pursuing his PhD in International Development / Communication Science at the University of Vienna.
Liv Hameder
Social Media Support
A student at Vienna University of Economics and Business, she is enrolled in the Bachelor´s program of International Business Administration. Liv also participated in an exchange program and spent a high school semester abroad in Oregon, USA.
Helene Kiessling
Social Media Support
She is18 years old and currently studying Law at the Juridicum in Vienna. Furthermore, she is very interested in travelling and even studied in the US for a semester during high school. She’s looking forward to making new connections at the Conference and excited to learn about the globally-important issues and topics that will be covered.
Christopher Aguilar
Communications Specialist
Christopher was born in Mexico City and raised in Miami, Florida. While completing his studies at Webster Vienna Private University, Christopher won the Austrian syndicated television show, Popstars, subsequently signing with Sony Music BMG. Since 2015, Christopher has been sharing his unique and enriching alma mater with the world by working in the Marketing and Communications Department of Webster Vienna.
Julia Karner
Social Media Support
She is 19 years old and studies international economy at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.