World Health Organisation's Award for Susie

I attended the opening of the 2024 World Health Assembly in Geneva recently and the 5th Walk the Talk event the day prior. Much to my surprise, in front of 7000 people, I was invited on stage by the Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to receive a Health Champions award. The award was in recognition of outstanding leadership in health promotion and sport and to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. I was not expecting this award, but equally very honoured to receive recognition from an organisation doing such important work.

Everyone has a right to access health on an equal basis with others, wherever they live in the world. However, in many countries, this simply does not happen and people with disabilities particularly face multiple barriers to accessing their right to health care. I worked previously for over a year on global health development, advising in this space, and looking for ways to mainstream disability into programme and policy work globally. It was through this work that I became closely connected with the WHO’s disability inclusion team and spent time understanding the global situation with them and learning a great deal. I was proud to contribute to their Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities published in 2022, alongside many excellent experts and academics on the topic.

Personally, even since retirement, I have placed great importance on continuing to exercise regularly and taking the learning from my time as an athlete forward including good habits, routine, rest and recovery and the importance of mental and physical wellbeing. The biggest thing I learnt as an athlete was self awareness and reflection, ensuring I was taking care of my body with food and drink and making good choices. Obviously, life should not be too restrictive, but learning what worked for my body was key to my success and taking an individualised rather than a homogenous approach to what is best for my mind and body. I continue learning as I move through each decade and my body changes. I am hugely grateful for any recognition I receive and thank the director general and WHO once more for this great honour.

I received the award alongside Olympic athletes David Rudisha and Pau Gasol, fellow Swiss Paralympian Marcel Hug and IPC President Andrew Parsons.

BBC Green Sports Awards and Sport Positive Conference

This was my first year attending the new BBC Green Sports Awards which honours athletes taking a stance on climate change and issues related to their sport and beyond. It is an international award, with lots of sports beyond Olympic and Paralympic in contention for the awards given out annually. It was inspiring to hear about the incredible efforts of some athletes to support the planet. The next day, I joined the Sport Positive conference at the Oval Cricket Ground in London and spoke on a panel with Alex and Jess about unconscious bias, race, disability, gender, identity and all other aspects of inclusion and equalities in sport and how this relates to the negative impacts of climate change, which are undoubtedly worse for more marginalised groups in the population. It was an interactive panel and Jess and Alex did a fantastic job, I was lucky to join them on stage and play my part to their dynamic duo! It is important that the sports industry starts to do more and lead in the space of sustainability and green transition. Conferences like this one provide an important space to open up discussions, share ideas and best practice on ways to take sustainability forward in clubs, events, competitions and so on.

Visiting the Human Rights Council at the UN in Geneva

I joined the Malawian delegation of disability rights organisations this month to observe as they challenged their Government at the UN in Geneva on implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Speaking individually to delegates, I came to understand the importance of these types of mechanisms to hold countries to account on their work around human rights and I heard first-hand the situation for people with disabilities living in Malawi and the types of barriers they are currently facing. This was my first time observing an open session as a neutral participant and I found it extremely useful and insightful for my own learning and work in this space globally. It was around 30 degrees at the time, so I managed to fit some post work day trips to Bains des Paquis for some much needed cool swimming, surrounded by swans and with the Jet d’Eau in the background.

Loughborough University Talk

I always enjoy University lectures, as I mentioned earlier this year when I spoke virtually to students at Stanford University in the US. So when I was invited to speak to students at the London campus of Loughborough University, I was more than enthusiastic to share my story. The attendees are all scholars from different countries through the Chevening Scholarship programme who have been selected to study graduate programmes across the UK at academic institutions. These communities go on to be future leaders in their own countries and fields, which is why I was so honoured to address their convening. I spoke about my journey as an athlete, the lessons I learnt, the challenges of transition at any point in our lives and how to cope with life changes as best as you can. I used my own transition from being an athlete to finding a new career and identity, a very difficult and lonely experience for me personally. I also discussed my current work in international development, climate action, health, economic development and assistive technology, all underpinned by the importance of inclusion and equality in all these areas of work. I met a fellow prosthetic limb user and you can see us comparing legs in the gallery below. I certainly took a few selfies that day - the magic of the medal of course. As long as it can bring a smile to others’ faces, the effort was all worth it…

Indonesia...

I had the opportunity to conduct a site visit in Indonesia and to deliver equalities training to staff at the Embassy in Jakarta, and also attending a regional climate conference. While yes, it is a long way to travel, it is important to note the importance of some in-person, closed doors events. I was happy to be there to fly the inclusion flag but equally to finally meet Dwi from Disability Rights Fund. She and I have been conversing over months virtually about disability rights activism in Indonesia and the Pacific region. She works with grantee Organisations of Persons with Disabilities advocating for their rights in their own countries, regions and municipalities. Dwi and I delivered the training together before I met UK funded partners working on disability inclusive climate projects such as transitions to sustainable and accessible electric public transport systems. The trip to Jakarta was eye opening enough, but equally, my trip to Bali afterwards was incredibly powerful. I went to a sustainable resort on an island off Bali, and stayed in the jungle whilst returning to scuba diving nearly 19 years after I first learnt to dive. I have never dived in the sea, and my Padi open water licence was woefully out of date, but not one to give up, I recommitted to refresh my skills and with the help of my incredible and inclusive buddy Jurek, I spent 4 dives surrounded by gliding manta rays, sharks, turtles and an abundance of fish and rays. Many times I had to be dragged back up to the surface even when my air was low because under water is genuinely where I belong. My confidence is next level under water and yet on land, it all feels so cumbersome and tiring. Watching a manta swoop past you and observing this powerful, natural world, how can you possibly not want to protect it with every bone in your body? I do what I can to raise awareness as an Ocean Ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society in the UK, but in Bali, I observed coral regrowth projects live underwater led by scientists and realised, we all must do more as tourists to not leave litter, plastic or damage this stunning underwater world. It feels impossible at times and we all get caught out by what we can and cannot do, but basic things like respecting the marine life, not littering and seeing trips like this as a once in a lifetime luxury rather than a regular holiday.

Wilton Park Summit - Women's Economic Empowerment: Stimulating Renewed Global Momentum and Driving Long-Lasting Change

I attended a Wilton Park FCDO led meeting on Women’s Economic Empowerment recently. It was an opportunity to meet women and men working on this important topic globally, from different sectors, countries and backgrounds with government and multilateral representatives present for the three day discussion. Against a Downton Abbey-esque backdrop, we had several discussions regarding the importance of including women and girls in all their diversity in policy, programmes, strategies and opportunities to advance their economic opportunities and empowerment. At the end of the session, FCDO and other organisations present came up with a series of commitments to take forward, and together the group will convene each year to discuss progress in their own areas of work. Once again, I was bringing my own lived experience, but equally my technical expertise on disability inclusion into the discussion. Let’s hope we continue to see progress on this and other related topics like women’s health, the care economy, sexual reproductive health and rights and equalling the pay gap. There were men in the room of course, because this is a collaborative effort and we all need to be engaged.

Sport for Diplomacy

In March 2023, I was lucky to be invited as a speaker to the Return Leg of the Australia/UK Sport for Diplomacy Conference which took place in Edinburgh, Scotland. Wearing many hats, as someone working in the foreign diplomacy space, with international development and inclusion experience, with experience as a former Paralympic swimmer and sitting previously on the board of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Legacy charity, Spirit of 2012, I covered a lot of topics! Firstly, the role sport plays in soft power work between countries, but equally the challenges faced when countries are involved in conflict around the world. I spoke about my role as an athlete and what led me to a career in foreign diplomacy and international development, as well as my work in climate action and disability inclusion. Finally, I looked at the importance of the legacy of large-scale sporting events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games and once again called for a stronger sustainability and legacy focus of bids for any future host countries, ensuring not only that the athletes and audiences benefit from the field of play, but more importantly, that these events are used to further social impact and positive change in the host cities and countries where they take place. London 2012 has some excellent learning on how the Games infrastructure has been used since those Games, but equally through Spirit of 2012, over a decade since, we have funded grantees throughout the UK to support arts, physical activity, music, volunteering and cultural projects. These have all been underpinned with a strong sense of inclusion, accessibility and social cohesion.

Starting off the year with an academic bang....

Speaking to younger audiences has always been important to me and I know first-hand how education can change your life. So when my good friend and fellow Young Global Leader, Julia Novy, asked me to lecture virtually to her students at Stanford University in the USA, I jumped at the chance! Julia asked me to focus on sustainability and so I prepared a presentation for students covering adaptation and resilience (those climate buzz words!) linked to my role as an athlete and my identity as a woman with a disability. We covered some complex topics and areas but it was worth staying up late to deliver the lecture in real time through Zoom. I love speaking to all different age groups and audiences, so please do reach out if you want a bespoke athlete speaker to tailor to whatever business, academic or government theme and needs you are looking to explore…!

An image of Susie on screen wearing silver headphones

A zoom image of the class on sustainability at Stanford University, USA

Visiting the UN

I was lucky to recently attend the Global Action on Disability’s annual general meeting in Washington DC. I met fellow leaders from different sectors working on disability inclusive international development, in my capacity as Technical Advisor on Disability Inclusion to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. I managed to sneak a quick photo in front of the White House and at the Capitol, right around the time of mid-term elections, so the buzz was palpable. We had many fruitful and important conversations in our meetings around disability inclusive climate action and justice, something I am now focusing on in my advisory role. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are taking big steps forward and especially around collaborating with disability advocates (like myself) and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities globally. I travelled on to New York afterwards and spent some time meeting colleagues at the UK Mission but also colleagues working at the UN itself. It was an incredible experience to see where negotiations take place on resolutions and zero drafts in person, after feeding text and lines into them on behalf of the UK over the past couple of years now. When I left university as a language graduate, my dream job was to be a translator at the UN. Of course, I would never have been fluent enough to secure that job, but I feel grateful that life has somehow navigated me back to this dream in a round about way, albeit in a different role!

Harkin Summit, Belfast, Northern Ireland - June 2022

My good friend Sean Fitzsimmons, who sits on the panel of the British Council’s Global Disability Advisory Panel with me, let me know that he was leading the Harkin Summit on Disability Inclusion in Belfast in 2022. He kindly asked if I would chair a panel of women allies and women with disabilities together, working in different sectors and countries, to share their thoughts on intersection, mainstreaming and what more needs to be done to include people with disabilities in global employment and participation opportunities. I was very flattered but also excited to join a summit led and run by people with disabilities. It was one of the most inclusive summits I have ever attended with simultaneous sign language interpretation in multiple languages including ASL and ISL. There were close captioning large screens to the side, people acting as support staff if needed to direct and guide attendees and physical access such as lifts, ramps and other reasonable accommodation options. It is such a stress-free way to join a summit, when you know you can truly be yourself and request exactly what you need to feel comfortable and included. I have been to many international summits and struggled with barriers preventing my equal access as a disabled woman, but for this summit I felt comfortable and accepted. I also met some wonderful disabled leaders championing the way globally and breaking so many ceilings to ensure equal access and participation for all. As a disability inclusion adviser, I need to constantly learn, grow and to understand the movement and the lived-experience of others, connecting with people who, like myself, are working in similar sectors and spaces. As a wise person once said, there is room and space for all of our voices, we just need to work together to improve disability inclusion globally. I was star struck to meet Charlotte from the World Bank and activists Abia Akram from Pakistan and the legend Judy Heumann from the USA amongst many others who I am happy to call my friends and co-collaborators. A wonderful moment to reconnect, reflect and plan ways to work together and collaborate in the future. Thank you to Sean and all the Harkin team and to the many wonderful people I met and reconnected with after a long time; Abia, Dermot, Michaela, Zara, Shani, Charlotte, Judy and so many more, thank you for all you do.

Susie on stage with guests at the Harkin Summit in Belfast

Zara, Abia, Susie, Judy and Charlotte pose for a photo at the Harkin Summit