WUNRN
GEAR - UN Gender Equality Architecture Reform
GEAR Campaign Meeting With UN Deputy Secretary-General
On November 12, 2009 GEAR representatives met with the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Asha-Rose Migiro, and delegates from the principle women’s agencies. The meeting took place on the occasion of the General Assembly adopting a resolution, which endorsed the creation of the new gender equality entity to be headed by a new Under Secretary General (USG). The resolution has three paragraphs focusing on the consolidation of the four women specific entities, the appointment of an Under Secretary General, and asks that the Secretary General provide more information regarding organizational structure and other details in a report that is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009. Civil society and the DSG scheduled this meeting to discuss how the process will move forward and to share intelligence about UN reform.
The first issue that the GEAR team raised was that civil society participation in the new gender entity must be meaningful throughout the transitional process and once the entity is arranged. The GEAR reps emphasized that historically civil society has brought expertise, critical information, and diverse voices to assist the UN and member states in addressing global challenges. Secondly, GEAR spoke about how this is a transformational moment where we are not just creating an organization that is the sum of its parts but rather a significant leap forward in women’s human rights. GEAR also welcomed the General Assembly’s decision on the composite model and stated that this is a step forward for the UN. Finally, GEAR noted the importance of a robust national country presence for the new gender entity’s operational side. The representatives made clear that GEAR regional focal points are strongly in support of a powerful field presence. The USG criteria, the GEAR Campaign created, was also presented to the DSG for further discussion and insight about a possible timeline for the appointment.
The DSG thanked everyone for their presence and shared excitement with the women in the room about the new entity. She stressed the importance of GEAR’s political support during this process where there are many distractions in the path to gender equality at UN. She expressed that the UN is at a “critical juncture” as they are currently preparing the proposal for the composite entity while noting the need for civil society involvement. The process is moving forward very quickly and the proposal will be a clear starting point and base for the establishment of the new gender entity. The DSG stated that, “we are building an entity with normative and operational strength, diversifying the research, increasing the UN’s leadership on gender, reducing not only duplications but also gaps. We want the entity to take a fresh, dynamic, empowering, coherent approach.” She also insured the GEAR team that the UN has been holding meetings with states from the five regional groups and will continue this type of engagement throughout the process. The SG in December will submit the proposal to Member States so they will have it for the start of the intergovernmental negotiations in 2010. The DSG thanked GEAR for the USG criteria and shared that the groundwork for the USG appointment is in progress and they will be in consultation with Member States and civil society in the coming weeks. Finally, she concluded her presentation by expressing that, “reform of gender architecture needs our collective wisdom and cooperation. Please always seek to raise the bar and apply pressure where it is needed. We need your energy – and your ideas, most of all.”
The meeting concluded with a discussion between the GEAR representatives and the UN women’s agencies principles from OSAGI, DAW, and UNIFEM. The consultant working on the proposal, Sally Fegan-Wiles, spoke about the UN’s desire for strong engagement with civil society and that currently the focus is on country presence and headquarters. She also highlighted the crucial need for civil society to put pressure on governments throughout this process and that she will continue to communicate with GEAR as they progress.
The GEAR team will continue to share next steps for advocacy and communicate more information with you once the report is made available.
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