Anna Chapman ’20 is Guided by her Passion for Helping Women
Anna Chapman ’20 had long been focused on working at the United Nations—that is, until the global Covid-19 pandemic threw all her careful planning out the window. Fast-forward to March 2023, and Chapman is representing New Zealand at the 67th session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), taking place in New York City. It was there in the UN headquarters that she realized she was back on track after the personal and professional setbacks of the pandemic, and now stood truly poised to effect real change in the lives of women and girls domestically and around the world.
Chapman attended AUP’s MA in Diplomacy and International Law, including the University of Oxford’s intensive summer program in International Human Rights Law, graduating in 2020. While at AUP, she was awarded the Slosberg Travel Grant to conduct field research, which led her to Beirut, Lebanon, to intern as a volunteer research assistant with the ABAAD Resource Center for Gender Equality. She interviewed several non-governmental organizations and government staff specializing in women and children’s protection to study the drivers behind—and possible solutions to—the increase in early marriage or child marriage among Syrian refugees. Thanks to the AUP Library’s connections with the American University of Beirut, she was also able to access extensive literature on women’s rights in the Middle East to aid in her research.
Chapman’s research confirmed that child marriage was increasing among Syrian refugees as a side effect of the ongoing conflict in Syria, due to a combination of factors related to complex, gendered motives and social norms around al-sutra (protecting honour) and an enabling host environment and legal framework. There often existed a misconception that the increase in child marriage was a part of Syrian culture; she learned, however, that it was often a “choiceless choice” made under difficult conditions in the face of limited alternatives. “Rights are inextricably linked, and gender equality is a powerful way to bring about change,” says Chapman of her work. “If you have gender equality, you can affect equality elsewhere, as it automatically means realizing women’s rights in other areas, such as education, healthcare or sanitation.”
Chapman had just secured a post-graduate internship in Geneva with New Zealand’s Permanent Mission to the UN, when it ended just as abruptly, as the Covid-19 pandemic peaked in Switzerland in March 2020. “You can plan to the best of your ability, and the universe can still say no,” she says. Without a job, Chapman was required to leave Switzerland immediately. Her only feasible living arrangement was her parents’ house in New Plymouth, New Zealand—so she started the 30-hour journey back home. There, Chapman’s life felt like a game of Snakes and Ladders. “I was so close to achieving my dream. I had the master’s degree, the language, the internship and the UN in my sights—and I had pictured celebrating turning 30 in Provence with friends. But I also learned that if it’s not a good time, it’s a good story.”
After a grueling application process—in which she was one of 30 applicants selected from a pool of close to 900—she was soon hired by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She worked on government-wide pandemic responses, helping to manage the country’s border controls to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in New Zealand and the Pacific region. In 2021, seeking to return her focus to human rights, Chapman applied to the Ministry for Women Manatū Wāhine, where she is now a Senior Policy Analyst in the international team, working to help New Zealand meet its commitments and obligations to protect and promote the rights of women and girls. The role affords plenty of opportunities to apply the research and training she received from her AUP experience, for example by representing New Zealand at the CSW and helping prepare for New Zealand’s upcoming examination by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Chapman’s goal is still the UN, but today she has a newfound sense of forward momentum. “Gender equality and women’s empowerment are key to fixing things—and not just for women,” she reflects. “If you invest in women, you’re investing in the future, as women reinvest this energy in their families and communities. Investing in women helps to accelerate progress and build more inclusive, equitable and resilient societies, from which we all stand to benefit.”