ACFID is honoured to announce that Nyadol Nyuon, Chair of Harmony Alliance, will be Master of Ceremonies at ACFID National Conference 2021. In addition to her work at Harmony Alliance, Ms Nyuon is a commercial litigator, accomplished writer, media commentator and resolute community advocate.
Harmony Alliance provides a national voice for migrant and refugee women, with the aim of capturing the diversity in such women’s experiences and advocating for change. Ms Nyuon herself was born in a refugee camp in Itang, Ethiopia, then raised in Kakuma Refugee camp, Kenya. At age of eighteen, she moved to Australia as a refugee and completed her VCE at a local school. She then got accepted into Victoria University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, which she followed with a Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne. Currently, she works as a commercial litigator with Arnold Bloch Leibler.
Nyadol Nyuon draws from her lived experiences, education, and career successes to advocate for a variety of human rights issues, invariably with high impact upon her audience. Her focus is on the rights and wellbeing of migrant and refugee women, and the settlement of people with refugee and asylum-seeking experiences. She is a proud advocate for amplifying the voices of Australia’s African communities.
Ms Nyuon regularly provides media commentary on these issues, having appeared on ABC’s The Drum, as a panellist on Q&A, and contributing to such newspapers as The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and the Saturday Paper.
During her keynote presentation at the National Press Club earlier this year, she launched the first comprehensive study of Australian migrant women, Migrant and Refugee Women in Australia: The Safety and Security. It is one of few studies globally to comprehensively focus on migrant and refugee women’s experiences with safety and security, victimisation, and their trust in communities and institutions.
“Nyadol Nyoun’s story is remarkable, and Australia is blessed to have her sharing her narrative here, despite the obstacles she has faced. She continues to alchemise her pain into the resilience, strength and wisdom that fuels her success. She has made remarkable personal and professional progress and contributed to community – and it appears she is only just getting started. Articulate, knowledgeable and down to earth, we are thrilled to have her MC this year” Says ACFID President Susan Pascoe AM.
Ms Nyuon’s work shines light on Australia’s shortcomings and forces us to reflect on what a truly multicultural Australia would mean. She has consistently made visible the many manifestations of systemic racism in Australia, despite aggressive backlash. Her strength and efforts to combat racism are widely recognised, with achievements including the Australian Human Rights Commission’s, Racism. It Stops With Me Award’.
ACFID is delighted to have Ms Nyuon as the Master of Ceremonies at the 2021 National Conference. To find out more and to register for the conference, visit the ACFID Conference website.
Nyadol Nyuon appears by arrangement with Saxton Speakers Bureau
