At the United Nations 

Making Communication an Instrument of Dialogue and Peace 

In 1987, Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny was appointed Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, in charge of the Department of Public Information at the Organization’s headquarters in New York—a position she held until 1992. As the first woman and first Canadian to lead this major international structure, she promoted a modern, open, and ethical vision of international communication. 

Within a multilateral system undergoing profound transformation, these years reinforced her conviction that communication should not be confined to the dissemination of institutional messages but rather serve as a vital vehicle for mutual understanding, dialogue, and peace—particularly in times of crisis and transition. 

She articulated this forward-looking and optimistic vision in 1991 when delivering the keynote address at the First Conference on a More Democratic United Nations (CAMDUN). A faithful summary appears in her chapter in Building a More Democratic United Nations:1 

“The effect of the change in Soviet–US relations has already been felt in the United Nations. The change in the climate of international relations has propelled the Organization to the centre of the efforts in countering a completely new set of urgent problems and overriding concerns. The Organization can draw strength from the widening peace constituency which exists in all countries and whose concerns are so well articulated by non-governmental organizations, especially in the fields of disarmament, human rights, development and environment.” 

Under her leadership, the Department of Public Information strengthened ties between the United Nations, the media, and citizens, promoting institutional transparency, freedom of expression, and intercultural dialogue as the foundations of sustainable peace. 

This vision of communication as a lever for dialogue and peace found concrete expression in two emblematic initiatives to which she gave decisive support: the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration and the establishment of World Press Freedom Day. 

The Windhoek Declaration 

In 1987, during a visit to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny met Alain Modoux, then responsible for communications at the International Committee of the Red Cross. She showed particular interest in the ICRC’s initiatives aimed at protecting journalists in conflict zones, including the hotline set up to assist reporters on dangerous assignments. 

This meeting marked the beginning of a strong professional and personal relationship, further reinforced at the 1988 World Congress of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) in Melbourne, where Alain Modoux served as President. When he joined UNESCO in Paris in 1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this connection facilitated close collaboration between their respective teams in Paris and New York. 

In a period of profound ideological renewal, UNESCO adopted a New Communication Strategy, moving away from the controversial New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) toward an approach grounded in freedom of expression and the free flow of ideas. 

At the request of UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor, Alain Modoux was tasked with designing an ambitious program to promote and defend press freedom. He sought Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny’s support to ensure United Nations engagement and institutional backing. 

This decisive collaboration led to the organization, in May 1991, of the Seminar for the Promotion of an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, held in Windhoek, Namibia, under the joint auspices of UNESCO and the United Nations. The seminar brought together independent journalists from across the African continent and resulted in the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration—a foundational text that became the international benchmark for press freedom. 

World Press Freedom Day 

Following the Windhoek Declaration and upon recommendation of all UNESCO Member States, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Press Freedom Day in December 1993. Jointly observed by UNESCO and the United Nations, the Day is celebrated annually on May 3, the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration. 

Although Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny had left her UN functions at the beginning of 1992, she was personally invited by Federico Mayor to participate in the Alma-Ata Seminar on the Promotion of Independent and Pluralistic Asian Media in October 1992, in recognition of her decisive contribution to Windhoek’s success. On the margins of the meeting, she also played a facilitating role by offering Canadian expertise to support the establishment of an independent public broadcasting service in Kazakhstan—once again illustrating her commitment to linking principles, institutions, and concrete action. 

Throughout her years within the United Nations system, and faithful to her sociological training, Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny developed a deeply humanistic conception of communication. Far from reducing it to an instrument of persuasion, she conceived it as a vector of mutual understanding, intercultural dialogue, and social transformation—anticipating contemporary approaches to communication for development and intercultural dialogue. 

The Academic World 

ORBICOM and the UNESCO-Bell Chair in Communication and International Development 

Most Significant Achievement 

Several major accomplishments marked the career of Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny, but two stand out as her greatest achievements—true hallmarks of distinction in communication—and are closely interconnected. 

Her Mandate at the United Nations (1987–1992) 

As Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations responsible for Public Information—the first woman worldwide to hold such a role—she defended press freedom and supported the work that led to the Windhoek Seminar (1991), the starting point of the process that culminated, in 1993, in the creation of World Press Freedom Day, now observed annually on May 3. 

Her commitment to press freedom, the protection of journalists, and the public’s right to information remains strikingly relevant at a time when these rights continue to be threatened in many regions of the world. 

The Creation of ORBICOM – The International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication (1993–1994) 

Co-founded with Alain Modoux, Director of UNESCO’s Communication Department, and formalized in May 1994 through a protocol signed by Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO, and Claude Corbo, Rector of UQAM, ORBICOM—the International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication—brought together scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers to align research and professional practice in international communication: an unprecedented model within UNESCO’s UNITWIN program. 

Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny played a decisive role in persuading UQAM to host the permanent secretariat and structure the network, which, five years later, already comprised 25 Chairs across all continents. 

She also founded and directed the UNESCO–Bell Chair in International Communication (1994–2002), dedicated to North–South cooperation and the democratization of access to information. 

These two accomplishments embody the convergence of sustainable structures for research and cooperation, and the embedding of freedom of expression at the heart of international policy frameworks. 

Most Challenging Experience 

Leading the United Nations Department of Public Information represented one of the most demanding challenges of her career. 

In 1987, Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny was appointed Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, in charge of the Department of Public Information at the organization’s headquarters in New York. She was the first Canadian and the first woman worldwide to direct this major international structure, where she promoted a modern, open, and ethical vision of international communication until 1992. 

Her mandate unfolded within a turbulent geopolitical context, just prior to the end of the Cold War, at a time when the UN sought to redefine its relationship with civil society and position communication as a tool of diplomacy and social cohesion. Managing a department of such scale and political sensitivity required diplomacy, rigour, constant vigilance, and impartiality. 

Undeniably, being the first woman to occupy a position of this rank within the UN Secretariat added further pressure, particularly at a time when many Member States still held restrictive views regarding women’s leadership roles. 

In a 1991 interview with Publics magazine, she described the challenges of serving the 159 UN Member States: 

“One must serve each of the 159 Member States equally, objectively, and without displeasing any of the others. […] A department such as Public Information at the United Nations is so diverse that it is very difficult to manage. […] One must also remember that these positions are always coveted by the 158 other countries, and each believes it can do the job better than we can. 

Being a woman was an additional challenge because, as you might imagine, female representation takes time to establish itself at the UN, especially at the senior levels.” 

— Publics, Vol. XVII, no. 6, p. 13, November 1991 

Publics, SRQ magazine, November 1991 

Her mandate required navigating ideological tensions and multiple expectations. Yet, despite the intensity of those years, they strengthened her conviction that communication remains an essential tool for mutual understanding and peace—even, and especially, in times of crisis. 

Selected Observations on the Practice of Public Relations 

Strategic Communication Planning 

Since the early decades of Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny’s career in the 1950s and 1960s, strategic communication planning has evolved from a primarily institutional exercise into an integrated, participatory process grounded in social realities. It is now founded on transparency, accountability, and coherence between discourse, action, and values. 

This evolution has brought heightened demands for credibility and public engagement, redefining the communicator’s role as a social and ethical actor rather than merely an image manager. 

Her leadership at BCP (1969–1983) played a significant role in this transformation. She contributed to the advancement of strategic planning in agencies and strengthened recognition of communication’s societal and ethical role in Québec. Combining analytical rigor with creativity and public responsibility, the agency developed major campaigns grounded in nuanced understandings of social dynamics. 

Media Relations; Media Enterprises and Journalism 

Media concentration and digital disruption have profoundly transformed the production and circulation of information. Speed and fragmentation now require heightened competencies in analysis, verification, and contextualization. 

Internal Communications 

Internal communication has become a strategic lever of cohesion, particularly within international organizations and large public institutions. 

Shareholder, Investor, and Stakeholder Relations 

Stakeholder relations have expanded significantly, now resting on transparency, social and environmental engagement, and responsible issue management. 

Research and Issue Management 

Data-driven approaches, evaluative research, and structured issue management have become indispensable components of professional practice. 

Skills and Qualities of Today’s Professionals 

The profession has diversified through specialized profiles and now requires a stronger interdisciplinary foundation, combining ethics, analytical capacity, and critical thinking. 

Reputation Management 

Reputation management has shifted from image control to trust-building. Reputation is now rooted in consistency between values, behaviour, and authentic commitments. Digital networks amplify public scrutiny, making transparency and accountability essential elements of any communication strategy. 

Large National and International Firms vs. Specialized Agencies 

Large firms benefit from global expertise and considerable resources, particularly valuable in international contexts. However, smaller agencies and specialized groups often retain agility and contextual sensitivity that provide strategic advantages. 

For Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny, effectiveness in communication depends less on organizational size than on human and cultural understanding of audiences. 

Transformations in Ethics, Diversity, and the Role of Women 

Throughout her career, she both witnessed and shaped profound changes in public relations, particularly regarding ethics, inclusion, and gender equity. She highlighted persistent North–South imbalances in knowledge and resource flows and advocated equitable dialogue. Ethically, she consistently emphasized that truth and social responsibility must precede influence strategies. 

Without overlooking that, through her leadership at the United Nations and later through the creation of ORBICOM alongside Alain Modoux, she worked tirelessly to broaden the human, cultural, and ethical horizons of the profession. 

Moreover, from the very beginning of her career in journalism in the 1950s, and later during her transition into communications in the 1960s — at a time when few women held senior management or leadership positions — she forged a path defined by courage, curiosity, and conviction. In this regard, while the field remained largely male-dominated in 1991, she conveyed a message of encouragement to women in an interview about her role as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, published in Publics — then the magazine of the Société des relationnistes du Québec (SRQ). Her testimony offered a grounded perspective on the progress that was then beginning to emerge: 

“Women are establishing themselves strongly in public relations in many countries and regions of the world. This is evident at international public relations congresses, where they are now present in very large numbers. You are fortunate here, since Canada is recognized around the world, along with the Nordic countries, as having a somewhat more egalitarian attitude toward women.” 

— Publics, Vol. XVII, no. 6, p. 10, November 1991 

For her, however, inclusion extended beyond gender. It also meant fostering closer ties between the Global North and South, so that communication could serve as a vehicle for cooperation, mutual understanding, and social justice. 

This vision reflected her belief that the profession needed not only to evolve technically, but also to be firmly anchored in values of equity, openness, and social responsibility. That conviction guided her in founding ORBICOM and the UNESCO-Bell Chair in Communication and International Development, both conceived as spaces for dialogue across cultures, disciplines, and professions. 

For Thérèse Paquet-Sévigny, ethics lay at the very heart of public relations — a profession she did not view as an instrument of persuasion, but as a vehicle for mutual understanding and social transformation, a civic responsibility grounded in respect for truth, transparency, and diversity of perspectives. She often reminded her students and colleagues that communicators’ credibility rests on their ability to speak the truth with discernment, to listen across cultures, and to act as mediators between institutions and citizens. 

Her legacy reflects a profound conviction: communication — guided by inclusion and integrity — is one of the most powerful instruments for building trust, understanding, and sustainable development in a complex and interconnected world. 

Evolution of Social and Environmental Values; Climate Issues; Organizational Responsibility 

For her, communication was inseparable from the ethical, social, and democratic responsibilities of institutions. She viewed responsible communication as a vehicle for cultural and political transformation, essential to global mobilization in response to environmental and social crises.Well before communication for sustainable development became an established professional paradigm, she encouraged practitioners and scholars to critically assess the impact of their work on collective development and human dignity. In Communication et développement international (Presses de l’Université du Québec, 1996), she wrote: 

“There is no question, however, of refraining from examining our discipline and its practices as instruments and conditions of sustainable development, in the North, the East, and the South, nor of underscoring the importance of research follow-up and international cooperation as a guarantee of the continuity of History.” (p. 5) 

She also warned of the fragility of freedoms in an increasingly technologized and mediated world—even in long-standing democracies: 

“Wherever we may be, from whatever place we speak, freedoms, access, participation and pluralism, the free circulation of information, are never entirely guaranteed and may even be increasingly at risk in this universe where the smallest communicative acts are mediated: from distance learning to voice mail, from residential intercoms to everyday purchases and transactions through interactive systems.” (p. 4) 

Yet her vision remained fundamentally optimistic. She believed that communication, grounded in freedom, cultural diversity, and technological inclusion, could serve as a universal language for sustainable coexistence: 

“In 1996, freedom of opinion and expression, individual responsibility, the democratization of daily life, human rights, cultural diversity, and technological transfers are at the heart of global concerns, as drivers of a future to be conquered, and operate as the universal matrix of a primary official language.” (p. 4)