WUNRN
UNITED NATIONS DAY - WOMEN NEED FOR
"A BETTER WORLD:" EQUALITY, RIGHTS, JUSTICE
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon (centre) and Vuk Jeremić (right), President of the sixty-seventh
session of the General Assembly. Credit: UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz
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Despite adopting scores of pious resolutions on gender empowerment over the
last 67 years, the 193-member General Assembly has failed to practice in its
own backyard what it has vigourously preached to the outside world.
So far, the U.N’s highest
policy making body has elected only three women as its president since 1946:
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit of
"It is a pity that the U.N. has kept 50 percent of humanity out of
consideration for its highest position." -- Ambassador Anwarul K.
Chowdhury
In a letter addressed to over 160 world leaders, who
were at the United Nations last week, the New York-based Impact Leadership 21
has called for meaningful steps in establishing “the rights of women and the
equality of their participation at all decision-making levels”.
More specifically, the letter makes a strong case for
a woman as the next U.N. secretary-general (UNSG) when Ban Ki-moon finishes his
current term at the end of 2016.
The all-male UNSGs were Trygve Lie of
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, a former permanent
representative of
At this point of time in human progress, he said, it
is a shame that in the 69 years of its existence, the United Nations was not
able to elect a woman to lead.
Not only that, there has been no candidate even
nominated to be considered for election, he complained.
“Notwithstanding all the U.N. resolutions, treaties,
declarations and pronouncements asserting the equality of women, it is a pity
that the U.N. has kept 50 percent of humanity out of consideration for its
highest position,” he added.
The organisation is undoubtedly poorer as it
restricted its choice only to the half of the potential candidates, said
Chowdhury, a member of the Global Advisory Council of Impact Leadership 21,
described as a movement and a platform committed to transforming women’s global
leadership at the highest level of influence in the 21st century.
Yasmeen Hassan, global director of Equality Now, told
IPS her organisation has been advocating for a woman UNSG since 1996.
“We started an action in 2011 but Ban Ki-moon was very
quickly re-elected for a second term,” she said. “In fact, a woman UNSG has
been feasible and realistic since Eleanor Roosevelt played an essential role in
the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.”
Encouraged by the newly-created U.N. Women, Impact
Leadership 21 has urged world leaders to commit themselves and the countries
they represent to work to achieve four objectives:
First, the appointment of a woman as the next UNSG,
come January 2017.
Second, the nomination and election of women as future
presidents of the General Assembly.
Third, the election of more women as heads of various
U.N. governing bodies (which have been led mostly by men).
And fourth, the appointment by member-states of more
women as ambassadors to the United Nations in
Chowdhury told IPS that without peace, development is
impossible, and without development peace is not achievable.
“But without women, neither peace nor development is
possible,” he added. “We should never forget that when women are marginalised,
there is little chance for the world to get sustainable peace in the real
sense.”
Barbara Crossette, a former U.N. bureau chief for the
New York Times (1994-2001), told IPS the time is overdue for a female
secretary-general and very long overdue for more women as General Assembly
presidents.
“But the choice should not be made on that ground:
finding a woman. They are out there – good ones – but that doesn’t mean a good
one would be chosen under the current system, and if the job criterion seems
token,” said Crossette, a longtime chief correspondent for the New York Times
covering Southeast and
She also pointed out that countries will always have
different ideas about what kind of UNSG they want, “and I think that is
important to remember”.
“But this choice should not forever be made under the
table, behind closed doors,” she added.
And that includes the gambit of claiming geographic
distribution or rotation and then naming someone less than the best they have
to offer.
“If the best people – both men and women – were to
compete in some way openly [such as] a debate before the General Assembly, the
whole world would get a chance to think about this. It would also draw huge
attention to the U.N.,” she noted.
Crossette said when Louise Frechette of
And many government never even answered her request,
Crossette said.
Chowdhury told IPS the United Nations has been in the
forefront of a continuing endeavour for equality since its inception.
The U.N.’s last women’s summit held in
The landmark 1325 U.N. Security Council resolution in
2000 on women and peace and security has made the realisation of women’s equal
participation at all decision making levels obligatory on all members of the
United Nations.
Hassan of Equality Now said it has always advocated
for Security Council members to develop a fair process that seriously considers
women candidates, as well as encouraging people to put pressure on their own
country’s mission to the United Nations.
“By any standards, there are many women who are
qualified for the post and it is past time for the U.N. to live up to its
rhetoric on gender equality by electing a woman as UNSG,” she said.