In December 2012, Hilary Ratcliffe was re-elected as Soroptimist International’s Programme Director for 2013-15. As IPD, Hilary communicates and shares the visions and goals with Soroptimists all over the world and builds relations with the United Nations, an important platform for the female agenda. On the occasion of the FAO Conference in Rome, Hilary Ratcliffe gave an interview to Soroptimist Christina Höfferer who works in the Italian capital as a journalist.

Being recognized by the United Nations means being global. Soroptimist International is global. The woman who looks after the issues linked to the recognition of Soroptimist International at the UN is Programme Director Hilary Ratcliffe. Hilary holds close contact to the delegations in the nations and she communicates intensely with the people who run Soroptimist International and with club members all over the world. Her big issue is the Global Impact Report which is compiled in the Cambridge UK headquarters of Soroptimist International, to show how visible, focused and effective the work of 90000 club members is. A brand new programme reporting system has been implemented and the achievements of all the clubs can now easily join the wide world of statistics.

“Let´s see the way forward” is Hilary Ratcliffe´s motto in her team meetings and her most important tasks are “listening to my members, ask, advice, value and encourage”. There has been quite a lot of work done since Hilary joined her local Soroptimist club in 1980. “At that time every club did their own thing very ad hoc, clear messages had yet to be found,” Hilary remembers, and she tells how the outcome of the working process defined five focus goals instead of 38. Today the opinions of Soroptimists are sought in every UN Center of the world.

How can we help women in frightful situations? Hilary Ratcliffe smiles and gives her image of a beach full of stranded starfish: “Just start acting”, she says, “Even if you throw back only one stranded starfish you have done something valuable.”