Contact
Research Areas
Gender and International Development; Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Issues in West Africa, India and Ireland; Poverty Eradication
Education
Ph.D., Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
M.A., Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
B.A., Smith College
Links
Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Boston University Faculty Web Page
UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture and Development
Brenda Gael McSweeney
Brenda Gael McSweeney
Brenda Gael McSweeney served with the United Nations for thirty years in leadership positions. In Burkina Faso she oversaw UN Development Programme (UNDP) activities and carried out action research on women and development. After three years in policy at UNDP’s New York Headquarters, Dr. McSweeney headed the United Nations in Jamaica and The Bahamas, and UNDP cooperation with the Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman and Bermuda. She led the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program as Executive Coordinator with oversight of 4,000 UNV specialists from over 130 countries engaged in grassroots development, humanitarian activities and peace-building worldwide. She served as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative until mid-2003 in India. Brenda was a Fulbright Scholar in Paris, and the recipient of prestigious awards from the Governments of Jamaica, Burkina, and Germany, also from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She teaches Gender and International Development at Boston University’s Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program. She is the initiator and Co-Coordinator of the UNESCO/UNITWIN on Gender, Culture, and People-Centered Development with several prestigious Indian universities and non-governmental organizations, and launched the Women’s History Initiatives of the Brighton Allston Historical Society in Massachusetts.
Current Projects
Brenda’s current research project is on the status of Irish women and labor force participation. During a 2011 field research trip, she will explore some of the underlying factors influencing gender inequalities in Ireland. She continues to coordinate women’s history and development initiatives in Burkina Faso, India, and Boston. Brenda teaches Gender and International Development.
Representative Publications
McSweeney, Brenda Gael, Krishno Dey and Chandana Dey. “Srishaswani - Five Years On: A Gender Case Study Update.” Paris: UNESCO, 2011.
McSweeney, Brenda Gael, ed. “Women’s History Initiatives.” Paris: UNESCO, 2010.