He or she said he was determined to move forward with steps to end all forms of discrimination, which includes sexual harassment. Away from the main offices, in humanitarian education and peacekeeping operations, he said “ improvement has been slow, and in some cases, we now have gone backwards . You should be particularly concerned by a reduction in women recruited into basic Secretariat positions in the field. This may have a serious impact on prospective customers for parity in the future. ”
Solid improvement
He said this was “vital for the Un to represent the beliefs it stands for – the values enshrined in the Charter – and to lead simply by example. Gender parity in our personnel is the only way to achieve gender equality in our work . ” The particular UN chief outlined 3 areas for improvement. Very first, a focus on gender and geographical variety as complementary goals. “Just 36 percent of professional staff from your Africa region in the Secretariat are women, and this must change. ” He reiterated that gender parity was essential, “ to meet the anticipations of the people we provide, and to build a more environmentally friendly, just, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous world for all . ”
‘Gaps remain’
Second, we will strengthen efforts to recruit women in order to field missions , he or she said, and third, the UN must double upon our policies and equipment, to make it a more attractive employer for women . Secretary-General António Guterres was talking at a meeting of the UN Group of Friends on Gender Parity Marking the 5th Anniversary of his Sex Parity Strategy – a key priority of his first term in office, that remains so now. Parity was reached in 2018, among the 130 Citizen Coordinators, and the representation of girls at headquarters locations has now reached parity, while the number of UN entities with at least 50 percent women staff, has risen from five in order to 26. “And it is really an area that requires the acceptance of the General Assembly and am count on this group of close friends to be very active in that regard because it is a key instrument to get women in professional positions in the field”, said Mr. Guterres.
Talent pipeline
He added that overall, “we have come a lengthy way”, and achieved some notable firsts, such as reaching parity within the senior leadership group, for the first time in UN history, two years ago. Workplace culture also needs to advance, he mentioned. And if stereotypes and place of work bias is left uncontrolled, sexism and racism tolerated, “we will fail people we serve. ” Secretariat staff overall should be close to parity among “professional” grades, in 2025, which is three years before the deadline, but that figure disguises the fact that it will take until 2028 pertaining to there to be parity in the field. That’s also true now among heads and deputy mind of peace operations. 5 years ago, the proportion of ladies in those roles was just 25 percent, he observed.
Space for improvement
That means that the overall Strategy, must now focus on sustaining progress in the field, he said. “We will continue to assistance the Senior Women Skill Pipeline, which has led to the appointment of nearly 60 senior women, mostly during a call, since 2014”, and assist in the transition of Common Service staff and National Officers, to the Professional work categories. “At the same time, spaces remain”, he cautioned. “We will continue to work closely along with Member States and city society, particularly from the Worldwide South, to ensure that we reveal all countries and areas, at all levels of our Organization. ”
