WUNRN
INCREASINGLY MORE WOMEN AS UN NYC
DIPLOMATS - IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP - CAREER ROLE MODELS
By Mirva Lempiainen - April 30, 2014
Joy
Ogwu, the Nigerian ambassador to the United Nations and the president of the
Security Council in April 2014, shown in her office. JOE PENNEY
As
increasing numbers of women embark on careers as diplomats, the United Nations
headquarters in
Of
the UN’s 193 member countries, about 30 women currently represent their nations
as permanent representatives, a record of 15 percent. This Group of 30, as they
are nicknamed in UN circles, may not appear seismic, but at the world body, a
male bastion since its start in 1945, it is a meaningful number. As more women
have been assigned to the UN as ambassadors for their countries, they have
become a larger presence on the Security Council, the UN’s most important
body. Of the 15 council members, five are now women, representing
“It’s
quite a significant development,” said Joy
Ogwu, the Ambassador of
Ogwu
as president marks the third month in a row that a woman has been leading the
proceedings of the Security Council, which is addressing such sticky situations
as a rebellion in South Sudan and a risk of genocide in the
The
rise of women at the UN has been noticed. “It seems the world is fascinated by
this phenomenon,” Ogwu said during an interview in her office, near the top of
Ogwu
said that the media first started paying attention to the increasing numbers of
women diplomats in 2010, when the Security Council had three women for the
first time: Ogwu; Susan Rice of the
Since
2010, the percentage of women in the Security Council has risen to 33 percent.
“We do hope that this is a trend, actually,” Ogwu said.
The
trend of female leaders is evident globally, as the number of female parliament
members has been going up, often through national quotas, which has helped more
women get elected into high office.
That
number peaked at 33 from 2000 to 2009, but it has since dropped to 19,
according to the National
Democratic Institute, a nonprofit group in
In
1960, just three women were heads of state or government; since then, a total
of 94 women have been leaders of 67 countries. Regionally, Europe claims the
most women who have served in the highest office (39), followed by Latin
America and the Caribbean (18), Asia (16), Africa (15), Oceania (Australia, New
Zealand and Pacific Island nations, at 3), Middle East (2) and North America
(Canada, 1).
At
the Security Council, the female ambassadors sometimes consult together about
their work, Mark Lyall Grant, the UN ambassador of
This
type of closeness does not happen nearly enough, Ogwu noted. “We don’t see
ourselves as a collective,” she said of the women in the council, adding that
she would like to see real change come from women’s increased presence in the
UN.
“We
have to make a conscious effort as a collective to apply the inherent
attributes of women,” she said, singling out such instincts as being protective,
nourishing, tender, nurturing and loving — traits that could be perceived as
weak and stereotypical by some leaders from other cultures.
It’s
not that men don’t possess these attributes, Ogwu said. “They do, but most
times they are reluctant to exhibit it. It’s unmanly to exhibit it.”
Ogwu,
who has been a UN ambassador for nearly six years and has raised four children
during her career, is not suggesting that men should be pushed aside. “In any
case, we cannot do anything without them,” she said. “Complementarity is the
key word.”
“If
they are alienated, we will have more problems in our hands,” she continued.
“But if we bring them along, side by side, working with us, we’ll have a better
world.”
Sylvie
Lucas of
Women
are “frequently highlighting the need to make women fully participate in the
negotiations surrounding peacekeeping and peace-building efforts,” Flies said.
Given that the council passed a resolution in 2000 mandating such roles for
women, this goal should be automatic. Yet only one formal peace negotiation has
women participating so far, the
Lyall
Grant noted a similar change of emphasis reflected in the council. “In a
post-conflict situation, men are focused on why the conflict took place; women
focus on getting life back to normal,” he said, adding that both viewpoints are
necessary.
Some
council members prefer to play down the increased presence of women, emphatic
that diplomats are first and foremost representatives of their country.
“I
think it’s more that question of symbolism: that women can do things, they do
things, as good as anybody,” Murmokaite of Lithuania said in an interview in
the East Lounge of the UN in February.
Murmokaite,
who speaks in a soft but firm voice in her British-inflected English, said she
found great importance in more women becoming ambassadors and thus serving as
role models for younger women who are trying to figure out their careers.
“Showing
that a woman can reach that level and can make a difference is extremely
important for somebody who is looking for a path in life,” she said, adding
that combining a high-profile UN career and a family can be difficult.
“This
position takes a lot of your time and it wouldn’t be easy to balance,”
Murmokaite, who is single, said. “I respect those that balance it all out.”
Murmokaite
noted, however, that 5 of the 15 Security Council ambassadors being women is
not a cause for celebration. Instead, “it does show that there’ a long way to
go, and that the Security Council temporarily is in a better position than the
whole membership of the UN.”
Ogwu
agreed on the value of having strong, articulate women in power — but not just
as emblems for girls.
“Even
our sons need to see us as models,” she said. “They have to see us as vital
contributors to the stability of one — the family; two — the community; and
three — the world.”
“As
usual, as women, you have to prove yourself many, many more times over,” Ogwu
added. “Let’s face it, it’s still a patriarchal world.”
To
get their points across, she said the women come to the Security Council
extremely well prepared, revealing their thorough knowledge about the issues at
hand.
In
reality, women often occupy more than a third of the Security Council seats,
Lyall Grant said, as many countries have a woman as a deputy ambassador or as a
political counselor.
These
people sit in for the permanent representative, or P.R. as they are called,
when the ambassador cannot make it to a high-level meeting. The deputy of
Samantha Power, for example, is a woman: Rosemary DiCarlo, a longtime member of the UN mission.
She was president of the council in July 2013, after Rice left for
“It’s
only been on three occasions that all 15 P.R.s have been in the same room,”
Lyall Grant said of his four years in the Security Council. In a normal
meeting, about three to six permanent representatives are absent — on holiday
or ill.
Murmokaite
said she had been in the council chambers with up to six women at one time.
“For me personally, the numbers don’t matter that much. It’s the substance,
what they bring as individuals,” she said. “Definitely, every single woman that
is in that room is a strong personality and brings a lot of very pertinent
issues to the discussion.”
Contrary
to stereotypes, emotional displays are not confined to women at the council
table.
“Men
can be as emotional about some issues as women, particularly when it comes to
the horrible things we are discussing there. You know, hundreds of thousands of
lives lost. It just touches a nerve for everybody,” Murmokaite said.
As
for the gender balance of the council in the future, Lyall Grant said he
had no doubt that the trend of having more women on board will last. “There
will become a time, for sure, when there will be a majority women P.R.s. That
will be a milestone.”
Ogwu
can’t help but wonder about the ramifications of that moment. “What would
happen? Would attitudes change, would there be less conflict in the world?” she
asked, unable to answer.