She became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1992,[3][4] working on programs for education and protection of world heritage.

She is a board member at the International Rescue Committee (IRC),[5] New York Public Library,[6] and a wide range of museums and universities, including the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Her mother Farida was chairwoman of the Red Crescent Society in the West Bank.

[12] Irshaid launched the International Hope Foundation under the UNESCO umbrella in 1994 for the benefit of homeless and street children.

After their marriage ended in divorce, she dated Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos and later became the longtime companion of American banker Lionel Pincus.