Maria Erdal Askim, intern at UNRIC, Nordic desk in Brussels
Gender balance is an issue which has been given an increased amount of attention in businesses, governments and organisations all over the world. However it has been difficult to change the male or female domination in many professions. The UN system is no exception. In 1995 the Platform for Action, which was adopted in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the United Nations committed to the goal of having a 50/50 gender balance in the UN system by the year 2000. However, in 2000, this goal still remained unachieved. Has the UN managed to make any progress in reaching this goal during the past nine years?
The latest numbers available are from December 2007, which show that the representation of women at all levels within the UN system was then 42 per cent. Sorted by country, 74 out of 196 nationalities had a representation of women of 50 per cent or more. These numbers show that at the lower levels the UN is on target to achieve gender balance. However, concerning the director level and beyond, only 27 percent are women. On top of this list are US nationals with 114 women in director positions or higher, while 45 countries do not have any women at all represented at the top levels. The higher up you go in the UN system, the fewer women you will find.
The UN is committed to working for the empowerment of women, by influencing world leaders, governments, businesses and organisations. The Secretary-General has launched several campaigns with various UN agencies to improve women’s rights. For example, on International Day of Peace in 2009 Ban Ki-moon highlighted the need for more women peacekeepers and earlier in his term he appointed several women to important high level positions. The SG is certainly showing that he is taking the goal of 50/50 gender balance seriously.
The UN has committed to take the lead in reaching gender balance in the world. The organisation aims to show its member states that gender balance is a realistic objective, which all countries, both developed and developing, can achieve. The General Assembly is also encouraging the member states to contribute to the 50/50 gender balance target by submitting more female candidates for appointments throughout the UN system. It is especially important to get more women in the high-level positions. Furthermore, although many western countries have a high number of female UN representatives, the numbers are far from satisfactory concerning employment of women from developing countries. This is an area where greater effort and commitment is needed.
The UN has made great efforts to move towards gender balance and to improve the status of women working within the UN system. However, despite the progress in several areas, the UN still has a long way to go before it can say it is gender balanced. ■
Gender balance is an issue which has been given an increased amount of attention in businesses, governments and organisations all over the world. However it has been difficult to change the male or female domination in many professions. The UN system is no exception. In 1995 the Platform for Action, which was adopted in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the United Nations committed to the goal of having a 50/50 gender balance in the UN system by the year 2000. However, in 2000, this goal still remained unachieved. Has the UN managed to make any progress in reaching this goal during the past nine years?
The latest numbers available are from December 2007, which show that the representation of women at all levels within the UN system was then 42 per cent. Sorted by country, 74 out of 196 nationalities had a representation of women of 50 per cent or more. These numbers show that at the lower levels the UN is on target to achieve gender balance. However, concerning the director level and beyond, only 27 percent are women. On top of this list are US nationals with 114 women in director positions or higher, while 45 countries do not have any women at all represented at the top levels. The higher up you go in the UN system, the fewer women you will find.
The UN is committed to working for the empowerment of women, by influencing world leaders, governments, businesses and organisations. The Secretary-General has launched several campaigns with various UN agencies to improve women’s rights. For example, on International Day of Peace in 2009 Ban Ki-moon highlighted the need for more women peacekeepers and earlier in his term he appointed several women to important high level positions. The SG is certainly showing that he is taking the goal of 50/50 gender balance seriously.
The UN has committed to take the lead in reaching gender balance in the world. The organisation aims to show its member states that gender balance is a realistic objective, which all countries, both developed and developing, can achieve. The General Assembly is also encouraging the member states to contribute to the 50/50 gender balance target by submitting more female candidates for appointments throughout the UN system. It is especially important to get more women in the high-level positions. Furthermore, although many western countries have a high number of female UN representatives, the numbers are far from satisfactory concerning employment of women from developing countries. This is an area where greater effort and commitment is needed.
The UN has made great efforts to move towards gender balance and to improve the status of women working within the UN system. However, despite the progress in several areas, the UN still has a long way to go before it can say it is gender balanced. ■
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