About us

 

Our Vision

All human beings “have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization,” according to the sacred scriptures of the Baha'i Faith.

The notion that every nation, community, and person has a part to play in building a peaceful and prosperous global society is central to the work of the Baha'i International Community’s offices.
 		 Our efforts seek to reflect this vision and are informed by a number of related convictions:
  • That humanity is in the midst of an ongoing process of spiritual, moral, social, and scientific development.
  • That it stands today at the threshold of a new stage of global connection and interdependence.
  • That the hallmark of this stage will be growing awareness of the oneness of humankind—a principle that will come to infuse all facets of organized life.

 

Who We Are

The Baha'i International Community represents the worldwide Baha'i community, whose members come from every national, ethnic, religious, cultural, and socio-economic background, representing a cross-section of humanity.

Active in various global fora, the Baha’i International Community maintains United Nations offices in New York and Geneva, as well as regional offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo and Jakarta. The Baha’i International Community registered with the UN as an NGO in 1948 and currently has  consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and United Nations Department of Global Communication (DGC). The Baha’i International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners.		 Viewing global advancement primarily through the lens of capacity building, we seek the empowerment of increasingly larger segments of humanity to work effectively toward the spiritual and material betterment of all. Toward this end, we offer insights from the Baha’i teachings and the experience of the worldwide Baha’i community in trying to put those insights into practice in support of efforts to address global challenges.

 

Our Approach

The work of our offices can be broadly described in terms of contributing to policy discourses at the international level. This involves collaborating with individuals, groups, and organizations in a variety of social spaces where thought, public opinion, and policy take form and evolve. Our aim is to contribute to the collective shaping of attitudes needed to advance global prosperity and justice.

Collaboration and collective inquiry are therefore vital to our efforts. Co-organizing events, drafting text together, and participating in committees are forms such partnership can take. Yet equally important to us is exploring questions and challenges with others.		 How, for example, can broad segments of humanity more meaningfully contribute to the construction of flourishing societies? How will relationships between individuals, communities, and institutions need to be reimagined to more effectively contribute to social progress? How can global efforts be infused with a compelling vision of human prosperity that gives rise to a sense of common purpose?

By fostering such conversations, our offices hope to help generate knowledge and new perspectives on global challenges. But we also seek to contribute at the level of culture and process. Practicing collaborative decision-making; shaping efforts around a process of action, consultation, and reflection; functioning in a mode of learning; building unity while valuing diversity—these are some of the operating principles of our work.

 

Representatives to the United Nations
and Regional Organizations

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Cecilia Schirmeister

Representative
United Nations Office, New York

Cecilia Schirmeister is a Representative of the Baha'i International Community’s UN Office in New York. Her areas of work include youth, human development, and climate change. Cecilia’s background spans project management, public affairs, and communications work related to development at both the international and grassroots levels. Most recently, she managed the implementation of the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program - Procurement and Supply Management project in Asia and Africa. Prior to that, she spent several years analyzing data and learnings generated at the grassroot and institutional levels in countries across the world related to building the capacity to contribute to the well-being of society. Her past research studies supranational response capacity to cross-national challenges amidst the limitations of an us vs. them-bound system, and explores the normative potential of centering the well-being of humanity in migration policy. Cecilia holds a Bachelors in Political Science with a focus on international relations and a Bachelors in French and Francophone Studies.

Bani Dugal

Representative
United Nations, New York
Bio info.

Bani Dugal

Principal Representative
United Nations, New York

Bani Dugal is the Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the UN. As part of the community of international NGOs at the UN since 1994, she is currently serving on the Steering Committee of the NGO Working Group on the Security Council. She has served as President of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, as co-facilitator of the NGO Working Group on UN Access, co-facilitator of the GEAR campaign (Gender Equality Architecture Reform), Chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, and Chair of the Global Forum of the NGO Committee on UNICEF and member of the Steering Committee of the NGO Committee on UNICEF’s Working Group on Girls, Convenor of the NGO Committee on UNIFEM and Convenor of the Advocates for African Food Security.

Ms. Dugal holds a Masters degree (LL.M) in Environmental Law from Pace University School of Law, New York and a law degree (LL.B) from the University of Delhi, India. She has authored published articles, statements, and papers. Prior to relocating to the U.S. in 1988, she practiced law before the Supreme Court of India.

Among the many high-level events in which she was speaker or participated in another capacity, are: World Bank Faith Initiative (2015), UN Women Intergenerational Dialogue Day at the 59th CSW/Beijing+20 (2015), the World Economic Forum (2015, 2005), Ministerial Level panel on The Civil Society and the Education on Human Rights as a tool for promoting religious tolerance (2012), the International Inter-religious Conference on Faith in Human Rights in The Hague (2008), and the Conference commemorating the UN Declaration on Religious Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (2006), the Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace – hosted by the Tripartite Forum comprised of 17 Member States, the World Bank, UNESCO, the UN DESA and the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations (2005).

Simin Fahandej

Representative
United Nations, Geneva
Bio. infos. 
 

Rachel Bayani

Principal Representative
United Nations, New York
Bio info.

Rachel Bayani

Representative
United Nations, New York

Rachel Bayani currently serves as a Representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s (BIC) United Nations Office in New York. She previously spent more than a decade working with the BIC’s representation to European Institutions in Brussels. Before joining the BIC in 2013, Ms. Bayani served as a justice and home affairs counselor for the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the European Union, focusing primarily on asylum and migration issues. Her earlier career included assignments with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as with the European Union’s police mission in the same country. She also worked with the UN good offices mission in Cyprus, dealing with legal affairs. A citizen of Luxembourg, Ms. Bayani holds a law degree from the University of Sorbonne in Paris and a Master’s degree in international law from Cambridge University.

Shemona Moonilal

Representative
Addis Ababa Office
Bio info.

Shemona Moonilal

Representative
Addis Ababa

Shemona Moonilal is a Representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s Regional Office in Addis Ababa to the African Union and its institutions and agencies. Since joining the office in 2025, her work has focused on themes related to the progress of the African continent, including gender equality, food systems and agriculture, peace and security, youth, and the AU-EU Partnership. She currently serves as co-chair of the AU-EU Civil Society Engagement Platform’s youth working group. With eight years of experience in external affairs, she previously represented the Office of External Affairs in South Africa from 2016 and as a Program Officer at the Office of Public Discourse at the Baha'i World Centre from 2022. Mrs. Moonilal also brings over a decade of experience across the public and private health sectors as a clinical audiologist, hospital manager, consultant, and researcher. Her multidisciplinary background is backed by a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Audiology from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Public Health.

Desytia Nawris

Representative
Jakarta Office
Bio info.

Desytia Nawris

Representative
Jakarta Office

Desytia Nawris is a Representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s Regional Office in Jakarta to inter-governmental associations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as various governmental agencies, civil society organizations and research institutes in the region. Based in Jakarta, she actively participates in various regional fora and spaces, seeking to collaborate with individuals and groups concerned with the well being of Southeast Asia, so that the Office may contribute more in responding to the need which is faced by the community. She hopes to contribute to regional spaces for consultation to discuss how to meet the challenges of the region. Ms. Desytia was representative of the National External Affairs Office of Baha’is in Indonesia from 2015 to 2017. Prior to that, she served for 8 years as a facilitator and coordinator of educational programs at the community level.

Hatem El-Hady

Representative
Cairo Office
Bio info. 

Hatem El-Hady

Representative
Cairo Office

Hatem El-Hady joined the Baha’i International Community in 2022 and serves as a Representative for the Arab region. He has been active on a range of issues in the country of his birth, Egypt, since 2011, and between 2011-2014 he served on an Egyptian Baha’i delegation that contributed to the drafting of a new national constitution. Baha’i principles, concepts and experiences were offered to wide-ranging public discourses, during this period, regarding Egypt’s future direction and the need to foster societal unity. Hatem, worked as consultant for the Aspen Institute and has leads its values-based leadership Fellowship Program for the Middle East between 2017-2023. Past positions include leadership roles at the UK’s University College of Estate Management and worldwide senior governance, strategic, operations roles for Microsoft in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Greater China.

Simin Fahandej

Representative
United Nations, Geneva

Simin Fahandej is a Representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Office in Geneva, having joined the Office in 2011. Her work focuses primarily on human rights, peace and security and migration. Ms. Fahandej has served as a Baha'i International Community delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She has also been involved with the Major Group for Children and Youth, including as editor-in-chief for the 7th Annual Youth Assembly at the UN. Ms. Fahandej has conducted research consultancies for various organizations such as Amnesty International, Nobel Women Initiative and Centre for Defenders of Human Rights. Prior to joining the Bahá’í International Community, Ms. Fahandej worked as a journalist, at various news outlets, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Ms. Fahandej holds a combined Honors degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of King’s College in Canada and a Master's degree in International Law from SOAS in the United Kingdom.

Daniel Perell

Representative
United Nations, New York
Bio. info.

Daniel Perell

Representative
United Nations, New York

Daniel Perell joined the Baha'i International Community’s United Nations Office as a Representative in 2011. He leads the office's work on global governance as well as climate change and the environment. He is a co-chair of the Coalition for the UN We Need, and is formerly a Global Organizing Partner of the NGO Major Group and Chair of the NGO Committee for Social Development. In 2010, Mr. Perell received a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Alessandro Benedetti

Representative
Brussels Office
Bio. info.

Alessandro Benedetti

Representative
Brussels Office

Alessandro Benedetti currently serves as Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, having joined the Brussels Office in 2025. From 2017 to 2024, he served as a Representative to the Office of Public Affairs of the Bahá’í community in Italy and, more recently, as the national secretary of its governing body. His work has focused on broader issues such as social cohesion, interreligious dialogue, migration, and human rights. Mr. Benedetti holds a degree in International Relations from Bond University in Australia and a Master’s degree in International Relations, with a specialization in diplomatic studies, from LUISS University in Italy.

Liliane Nkunzimana

Representative
United Nations Office, New York
Bio info.

Liliane Nkunzimana

Representative
United Nations Office, New York

Liliane Nkunzimana is a Representative of the Baha'i International Community’s UN Office in New York. Her areas of work include gender equality and peace. Liliane has a background researching and writing issues related to diversity and inclusion. Most recently, she served as Secretary of the NGO Committee on Social Development. Liliane has also served as a community organizer engaging youth and their families in educational programs designed to build their capacity to contribute to the well-being of their societies. She has worked on government-funded development projects as well as public affairs in the private sector. Liliane holds a Masters in Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Social Science specializing in African Studies with a minor in Political Science.

Saba Haddad

Representative
United Nations Office, Genva
Bio info. 

Saba Haddad

Representative
United Nations Office, Geneva
Bio info.

Saba Haddad

Representative
United Nations Office, Geneva

Saba Haddad is a Representative of the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Office in Geneva. Her work focuses primarily on human rights. Dr. Haddad has for almost two decades coordinated educational projects aimed at the empowerment of youth and migrants in different parts of the world, including in Iraq, India, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She also led the Youth Interfaith dialog pre-summit in 2014 and worked as a trainer at the Barli Institute for the Development of Rural Women in India to build capacity in youth to become agents of transformation in their villages in areas such as hygiene, energy, recycling and education. Dr Haddad holds a Bachelor in Biotechnology from the Al-Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad, a Masters in Biotechnology from the Justus Liebig University Giessen, and a PhD with distinction in Natural Sciences from the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover. She has worked as a researcher since 2005 in various institutes including, the Department of Biochemistry at the National University of Ireland, the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Justus-Liebig University of Gießen, and at the Medizinische Hochschule in Hannover. Most recently she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sheffield Medical School, UK. Dr. Haddad has published her medical research in the Oxford Academic European Heart Journal.

Cecilia Schirmeister

Representative
United Nations Office, New York
Bio info. 

 

History

From the earliest days of the Baha’i Faith in the mid-1800s, Baha’is have contributed to processes of global governance. With the founding of the League of Nations, Baha'is began to establish more formal relations with international organizations.Over the past 70 years, Baha’is have supported and contributed to UN efforts in the areas of social and sustainable development, gender equality, human rights, and UN reform, among others. The Baha’i International Community is also coming to play a more active part in discussions at the regional level and, to this end, has established offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, and Jakarta.

“The human race, as a distinct, organic unit, has passed through evolutionary stages analogous to the stages of infancy and childhood in the lives of its individual members, and is now in the culminating period of its turbulent adolescence approaching its long-awaited coming of age.”

—The Promise of World Peace

Timeline