By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 8 2013 (IPS) - 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 India (1953),
Angie Brooks of Liberia (1969) and Sheikha Haya Rasheed al-Khalifa of Bahrain
(2006).
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 Norway, Dag Hammarskjold
of Sweden, U. Thant of Burma (now Myanmar), Kurt Waldheim of Austria, Javier
Perez de Cuellar of Peru, Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt, Kofi Annan of Ghana
and current incumbent Ban Ki-moon of South Korea.
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, a former permanent
representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations and a onetime U.N.
under-secretary-general, told IPS the most important “reform” needed for the
choice of the U.N. leader is in the mindset of member-states.
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 New York and to U.N. missions in
Geneva.
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 South Asia.
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 Lousie Frechette of Canada was deputy
secretary-general, “She told me once how painful it was to see governments not
take her seriously in nominating stellar women for good U.N. jobs when she asked
them for names.”
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 Beijing in 1995 made
the boldest and most forward-looking call for equality.
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.
Article: courtesy of the OTHER NEWS
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