Austin, who has two adult children with her husband of 35 years, Herbert Austin, also traveled to Mozambique in 1996, to serve as an election observer in the elections following the Southern African nation's civil war.

Austin observes that over the years the role of the UN has changed, from the proactive nation-building force she joined in the 1970's to a reactive conflict-management organization. It is a change that concerns Austin, currently an associate editor at Carib News, a New York-based weekly publication covering events in the diasporic Caribbean community.

"You realize that people are the same, all over the world. It doesn't matter where they're from," said Austin. "We're all human beings put here to try and find the best way of dealing with each other without trying to create too much hurt or strife," she said.

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