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Women in Diplomacy

 
Security Council Meeting on Women, Peace and Security
 
Date: 25-26 August 2011
Venue:Conference room C, United Nations Headquarters, New York
 
Coordinator: Ms. Helene Gandois
 
To register, please visit the catalogue page.
 
Objectives:

 
Historically, the participation of women in international affairs and diplomacy has been limited. Until recently, women occupy only a small share of senior leadership positions in the United Nations system and in government hierarchies, including the diplomatic services. In an effort to achieve gender balance, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for the entire United Nations system to “redouble its efforts through adopting new policies where none exist and more rigorously implement existing ones”. Since 2007, the number of women holding positions at senior management level in the United Nations has increased by 40%. With regard to female ambassadors to the United Nations, the share has increased from 5.7% in 2000 to 12.5% in 2008, still remaining low overall.
 
The under-representation of women has been recognized by the international community, amongst others, through the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), urging Member States to amplify the voice of women on issues of peace and security by increasing their representation at all decision-making levels. The Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing stresses that the active participation of women in decision-making positions, coupled with the incorporation of women’s perspectives at the policy formulation level, are indispensable components to achieving equality, development and peace. These developments mark an opportune time for female diplomats to assess challenges faced by women in aspiring to leadership positions in the diplomatic context and to identify and train skills suitable to address such gender-specific challenges, in particular in the area of negotiations and leadership.
  
This workshop aims to 1) create a space for reflection on challenges women face in advancing in institutional hierarchies; 2) promote career development of women in junior and mid-level positions through skills acquisition; and 3) provide participants with insights and experiences from other female diplomats. 
 
At the end of this workshop, participants will have:
  • Acquired an overview of different gender approaches;
  • Analysed gender specificities and gender differences in negotiation, leadership, and communication styles;
  • Addressed the cultural and institutional challenges facing women in aspiring to senior-level responsibility in the multilateral context;
  • Enhanced relevant skills to assume leadership positions and active roles in multilateral diplomacy. 

Organization:

Organized over two full days, the workshop will take an interactive, participatory and practice‐oriented approach, involving practical exercises, case studies, interactive lectures, and peer‐to‐peer learning. The workshop will be conducted in English and facilitated by Ms. Florrie Darwin, Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School, and Ms. Constance Morris Hope, Certified Trainer and Facilitator. Ms. Bachelet, Executive Director, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) will open the workshop. Other prominent guest speakers from the United Nations system, academia and Member States will contribute perspectives on gender-approaches to negotiation, leadership and communication. A workbook with reference documents will be provided to all participants.
 
All participants who successfully complete the workshop will receive a UNITAR Certificate of Participation.  
 
Participants:
 
This workshop is intended for female delegates of permanent missions to the United Nations in New York. Registration is limited to 25 persons, with priority given to delegates from developing and least developed countries, and to delegates who have completed UNITAR’s module I course on “Effective Negotiation in Multilateral Conferences” or comparable offers. Selected participants are requested to regard their participation as a firm commitment.

Related Documents:

Agenda

Information note