WUNRN
Bahrain Women Association For Human
Development
June 11, 2015
SUPPORT FOR APPOINTMENT OF A WOMAN
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Although charters and treaties of the
United Nations (UN) include the importance of gender mainstreaming in
international bodies and conventions, and it calls to limit discrimination and
to secure gender
equality, yet the highest UN position “Secretary General”, since its founding 70 years ago was
occupied by males only, which draws attention to the existence of clear
contradiction between UN perspectives and actual practice.
In addition, the bargaining between
the major powers - based on the political interests - that underpin the
selection criteria for the position of UN Secretary General plays an important
role in the process, resulting in the loss of integrity and objectivity of the
selection, which is the most important factor for candidates appointed to an
international post.
By the end of this year, the mandate
of current Secretary General of United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, will end, many
women organizations and bodies from various directions believe it’s time to
push forward towards woman to hold the top position. Antonia Kirkland, legal
advisor at "Equality Now" stated “The selection process for the next
UN Secretary-General is a great opportunity to bring us a step closer to gender
equality globally".
We believe that nomination of women
for the post of UN-Secretary General will not only be a step towards gender
equality, but it is the best needed right now, in a world facing conflicts,
lack of security and peace. As most of the women are peacemakers and peace
builders by nature, because they possess an innate "motherhood"
emotion that flourishes with values of love, giving, peace and tolerance, and
also because women are most affected by consequences of wars and conflicts, it
makes them more inclined to executing and spreading peace.
On the other hand, we emphasize that
the demand to appoint any individual man or woman in the UN highest position
should not be in isolation from ethical, competency and merit standards.
Achieving values of equality should be in parallel movement towards greater
comprehensive reform for all. Women's presence in this international forum may
not make a genuine change towards desired peace and security, unless she
exerts her “motherhood” energy and humanitarian values of sacrifice, love,
peace and responsibility, as they are the fundamental pillars for inspirational
ethical leadership. Thus woman work with love
and passion to serve the world and humanity with its diversified religions,
ideologies and ethnicities, and realizes her responsibility in achieving real
peace away from media sphere fabricated by false. Also, she should not take
sides, but to the values of justice and human dignity, regardless of her
predispositions and personal desires. This is the supreme
motherhood/maternity values according to their broad meaning which expands to
reform the world and are not limited to the little house framework and good
children upbringing.
Time has come for women to be in this
vital and important position, for the power they can comprise in peace keeping,
peace building and advancement of Nations, and we as civil society
organizations urge international organizations to apply the following
criteria for both sexes when drawing up lists of candidates: efficiency,
determination, and responsibility, in order to move forward to achieve justice
and human dignity.
As women or women's organizations,
what we aspire to, is the appointment of a woman who has the determination to
achieve reform and justice and eliminate injustice, competent enough to occupy
this international post, and do not hesitate saying "NO" with courage
whenever ‘United Nations’ word and decisions are not in harmony with ethical
standards and supreme human values.