Addis Ababa — United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says gender equality and women's participation and leadership are essential to conflict and crisis prevention and for building and sustaining peace.
Speaking during a high-level breakfast meeting on equal access of African women in high level positions in the African Union and the United Nations Sunday, Mr. Guterres said women's leadership, at all levels, will also be crucial for implementing the joint UN-African Union Framework for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and Agenda 2063, which he signed yesterday with the AU Commission Chairperson.
"Gender equality is essential for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063. Having more women in senior leadership leads to a beneficial diversity of priorities, perspectives, strategies and decision-making," said Mr. Guterres, while acknowledging that it was not easy for generally for women to get into positions of authority.
"I am committed to continuing to empower women leaders within our organizations, so we can truly lead by example and leave no one behind."
The UN Chief said Sunday's meeting was timely, especially with the recent appointment of the former African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Ms. Bience Gawanas of Namibia, as his Special Adviser on Africa.
With this appointment "I have been able to ensure full gender parity within our 44-member Senior Management Group. You will also be interested to know that there are six Africans and four appointed by me".
He said the African Union has also seen good progress on women's leadership, with gender parity being consistently attained at the level of AU Commissioners.
"But gender parity is a long journey, and we have a long way to go. In the United Nations system, although women comprise 42.8 per cent of the professional levels and higher in the UN system, they represent just 26.8 per cent of its highest levels," said Mr. Guterres.
"I understand the African Union is also behind in achieving gender parity across all the key decision-making organs of the Union, including within the Regional Economic Communities."
"Achieving gender parity in the UN system is a key opportunity for Africa. The implementation of the UN's new System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity, which I launched last September, and a renewed drive for geographical diversity across the UN, offer a chance for experienced African women to take up senior positions in the UN system," he said.
In addition to the new Special Adviser on Africa, several African women have been appointed to key leadership roles in the UN.
Together with the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mahommed, these appointments include Ms. Leila Zerrougui (Algeria) who heads the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and there are 14 African female Resident Coordinators, six of whom were appointed by Mr. Guterres. Of the 18 members of his High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation, three are African women: Ms. Leymah Gbowee (Liberia);
Ms. Graça Machel (Mozambique); and Ms. Asha Rose Migiro (Tanzania).
"These newly appointed African women leaders have the potential to impact change, both in Africa and at the international level, and to help drive the agenda for peace, security and development," said the UN Chief.
Many of these appointments, he said, were supported by the African Women Leaders Network, launched jointly last June by the UN and the AU Commission, through the Offices of UN Women and of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security.
He said everyone was better off when they opened doors of opportunity for women and girls in all aspects of life: in classrooms, boardrooms and houses of Parliament, in banks, in military ranks, and at peace talks.
"It is up to us to create and implement policies that will clear a pathway for young women all the way to the top. That means not just appointing women in leadership positions but eliminating bias in appointment bodies and creating conducive working environments for women that are free from harassment and promote standards such as provisions for maternal and paternal leave etc," said Mr. Guterres.
"It is also up to us to support the adaptations to culture that foster supportive and enabling male peers. For our organizations to be efficient, impactful and credible, we need to create working environments that demonstrate female leadership, that embrace equality, and that eradicate bias and are inclusive of all staff."
AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo Addo, and AU Chair and Guinea President, Alpha Conde, also spoke in support of the need to ensure there were more women in position of authority within the UN and the AU.
