Renowned international gender expert, Professor Shirley Randell AO will reveal how women have led Rwanda's recovery since the genocide, when she speaks at the University of Newcastle this week.

The 1994 genocide resulted in 800,000 deaths and left Rwanda's population as 70 per cent female. Since then the country has become a leading example of how empowering women can fundamentally transform post-conflict economies and fight the cycle of poverty. Rwanda is the first country in the world to have a majority of women in Parliament.

"I will speak about women and power, drawing from my own experience, and that of Rwandan women and women around the world," Professor Randell said.

Professor Randell has been intensively involved in Rwanda's emergence as a success story. From 2006 to 2008 she was Senior Adviser on Governance, Gender and Education for the Netherlands Development Organisation in Rwanda.

In 2009 Professor Randell returned to Rwanda to establish and direct the Centre for Gender Culture and Development Studies at the Kigali Institute of Education. She is currently the Director of the Centre and Professor for Education.

Professor Randell is passionate about the role gender plays in poverty reduction, economic development and good governance and has written extensively on education, gender and human rights issues.

Professor Randell was made an Officer of the Order of Australia this year for distinguished service to international relations, particularly through the promotion of human rights of women and through public sector reform in developing countries. This was conferred by the Governor General in Canberra on Thursday 16 September.

The free public lecture will be held at the Callaghan campus in GP101 (General Purpose Building) on Tuesday 21 September from 11.30am-12.30pm. Media are welcome to attend.

Interview opportunity: Professor Shirley Randell. Contact Carmen Swadling.