Reflections from a Trip to the United Nations
Earlier this year, Sally Barnes travelled to Geneva to speak at the United Nations as part of an international roundtable on Gender Equality and Sustainability. Held on St Patrick’s Day 2025, the event brought together global leaders, ambassadors, and UN representatives to explore the vital links between gender equity, environmental stewardship, and the future of our food systems.
Sally was joined by Anthony O’Toole - chef, writer, founder of Fat Tomato, and a fellow Slow Food advocate known for connecting people, places, and purpose. The pair extended their visit to explore the Swiss-French border region, reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, learning about biodiversity initiatives, and experiencing the vibrant food and environmental cultures of the area.
Here, Sally shares her reflections in her own words.
Earlier this year, I was invited to speak at the United Nations in Geneva for a conference on Gender Equality and Sustainability - a huge honour! I had five minutes to share my experiences, and the organiser kindly offered that I could just film myself on a phone and send it in. When I told my fellow Slow Food advocate Anthony O’Toole, he said, “Not only are you going to Geneva - I’m coming too!”
So off we set - destination UN - with my presentation scheduled for 17th March, St Patrick's Day, which felt like a very auspicious date to be representing Ireland.
Getting into the building was quite the performance, with long waits for security clearances and passes. We’d hoped for proper ID badges as keepsakes, but in the name of sustainability, they’re now issued electronically. Hey ho.
There were eight speakers before me - mostly UN employees, plus the Dutch Ambassador, who spoke about gender equality in his offices (which, impressively, has been standard practice for over 20 years). Each speaker introduced themselves by listing impressive academic qualifications: nuclear physicists, Masters of Economics, lifelong diplomats, and politicians.
Sitting there, I started to feel like a bit of a fraud. Then I remembered:
“I’ve spent the past 50 years at the University of LIFE.”
That got a few warm laughs from the room - not just from Anthony!
Sally’s Keepsake
Speaking from the Gut, Not the Paper
I talked about being a woman in a male-dominated industry - fishing, and the processing of wild fish. I’ve never believed I was incapable of doing anything a man could do, and I said as much. A smattering of applause followed.
We had earlier watched a film about a community living in stilt houses on a lake in Africa. The water was so polluted they could not even wash clothes in it. I suggested composting body waste could help fertilise crops and begin restoring the lake’s health. I used it as a springboard to speak about water:
“We are watery beings - our bodies are over 70% water. If water’s unfit for fish or plants, it’s unfit for us too.”
I spoke about my work with wild Atlantic salmon and the urgent need to stop polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans. Without clean water, life simply cannot thrive.
This led me to one of the messages closest to my heart: the value of small-scale, community-based food producers. These are not multinational corporations. They are fishers, growers, harvesters - people working in all weather, often unrecognised and underpaid, to feed the rest of us.
“They give their life energy to nourish us. Minimum wage doesn’t apply. Yet their contribution is beyond value.”
That point really seemed to resonate, especially with a charming Indian gentleman who spoke with me afterwards.
Stories That Matter More Than Statistics
He told me more about the remarkable woman, Dr. Kalpana Sankar, with whom he works, who spoke just before me on gender equity in economic development. Dr. Sankar is a former nuclear physicist who gave up that world to build an organisation called Hand in Hand. Inspired by psychology reports showing the power of financially empowering women in rural areas, she created a model that has helped lift 10 million women out of poverty across India, Afghanistan, and Africa.
It was profoundly humbling to stand beside people like her - individuals who change lives on a massive scale with compassion and common sense.
He thanked me for reminding the room who is out there, day after day, “fighting Nature and her vagaries” to feed the world. Most speakers referenced academic papers and statistics. We, however, were sharing lived experiences. Different worlds - both valid, both necessary.
On the Ground in Geneva
Beyond the conference, our few days in Switzerland were rich with learning and connection. We reconnected with dear friends Paul and Hess, who are now working on international projects related to the UN. We explored the botanical gardens, wandered through the beautiful grounds in the United Nations (many trees planted for the Paris Exhibition of 1900), and crossed the border into France.
We enjoyed fondue, sipped local wines, and discussed numerous inspiring projects - from a new Red Cross-led reforestation initiative to innovative work on urban biodiversity, including the use of city rooftops to grow food.
It was enlightening and energising - and I’m so very glad we made the trip.
Once in a Lifetime
It was a huge honour to be invited to the UN. I learned more than I can put into words. And I left feeling proud - not just to have spoken, but to have carried the voices and values of wild places, local food systems, and lifelong learning with me into that room.
I look forward to discussing the developments with the UN organisers following this roundtable discussion. Another visit might be on the cards, this time with Anthony taking the lead as he shares what he has learned from his future-thinking edible garden horticulture project, Fat Tomato, about how heritage ingredients can tell a powerful story and serve as a tool for cultural connection and ecological resilience.
Once in a lifetime? Yes.
But what a lifetime.
Sally and Anthony, after a walk around the historic grounds of the United Nations in Geneva, following the international roundtable on Gender and Sustainability