UN Reform Issues on All Fronts, Challenging Stronger Gender Equality Architecture

By June Zeitlin, Executive Director

Last month, the Secretary General presented his views on the Coherence Panel’s recommendations in a report to the General Assembly.   The General Assembly needed to formally receive this report before beginning its own discussions of the Panel’s recommendations.

In his presentation, the SG reiterated his support for a stronger, consolidated women’s agency.  He underscored that gender equality continues to be the mandate of all UN entities and that he will recruit “competent” women to his senior team. He also announced that the Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro will oversee the implementation of the Coherence Panel recommendations.

In her introduction of the SG, the President of the GA, H.E. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, noted that at the March GA thematic debate on gender equality and women’s empowerment, many speakers highlighted the need for a stronger and effective, better-resourced gender entity.  She also urged governments to take action on the gender architecture recommendation.

Following the presentation of the Secretary-General’s report, it was anticipated that the President of the General Assembly would appoint facilitators—generally ambassadors—to address the various recommendations in the report, including one on gender equality.  This process, which was used very effectively in the lead up to the World Summit in 2005, is meeting with some resistance.  At the opening debate, G-77 and NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) jointly expressed their views that the report should be considered as a whole and should be the subject of extensive consultations.

During the last several weeks, the President of the General Assembly has been conducting extensive consultations with member states.  So far the G-77 and NAM continue to insist that there be an open debate on the entire report rather than separate working groups on various topics.  These consultations are continuing and to date, no facilitators have been appointed.

Essentially, this means that all Panel recommendations that require intergovernmental approval by the General Assembly, including the consolidation of DAW, OSAGI and UNIFEM into a single new entity, are currently stalled. No action is being taken. 

Keeping the Momentum
On 2 May, WEDO joined sixteen other civil society groups and NGOs for a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Ashe Rose Migiro to discuss the Coherence Panel report. Co-hosted by UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), the meeting provided NGOs an opportunity for the first time for such a dialogue on the UN Reform recommendations

WEDO and other women’s rights groups—Center for Women’s Global Leadership, DAWN and WILPF—stressed the urgent need for a stronger, higher level and better resourced women’s agency and the danger of maintaining the current fragmented and under-resourced system. We reiterated the importance of appointing an Under-Secretary General with gender equality expertise and vision through an open, transparent and competitive global search process.  We underscored our view that the gender equality component of the report (known as the GEA proposal) could be a ‘quick win’ for the Secretary-General and the UN and for women worldwide. 

Women are also mobilizing at the national level to keep the momentum going.  For example, the Asia Pacific Women’s Watch http://apww.isiswomen.org/ organized a two-day regional consultation this month in Bangkok, hosted by Thai Women Watch.  “Strengthening UN-NGO Cooperation in Promoting Gender Equality in Asia Pacific” featured panelists from several UN agencies—UNESCAP, UNIFEM, UNDP, UNFPA and ILO—who exchanged their views with representatives of NGOs from all sub-regions of Asia Pacific.   Following this meeting, women’s groups undertook further discussions with their Foreign Affairs ministers, briefing them on what’s at stake for women from developing countries if the GEA proposal is not adopted and implemented. These women’s groups are lobbying their governments to encourage their various missions in New York to participate actively in the G77 and General Assembly discussions.

Women Insist on Action:  Break out the Gender Equality Proposals
Women have worked hard to ensure that gender equality is on the UN Reform agenda and that the Coherence Panel recommended creating a stronger better resourced women’s entity.  This is necessary to deliver on the promises of the Beijing Platform for Action that the UN and governments made more than ten years ago.  We cannot lose the momentum for change that women around the world have created….or find that the United Nations and our governments again fall short on delivering results on women’s rights and gender equality.  WEDO and partners will be talking to governments and the Secretary General about different approaches to achieve creation of the new women’s entity this year.