11th May, 2018
The UN has said that it has achieved gender parity among the leadership of the organisation around the world.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement by his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric that the feat was the first time in UN’s history.
“The Secretary-General is pleased to announce that for the first time in the history of the United Nations, there is now gender parity among those nominated to fill the position of UN Resident Coordinators – the UN’s team leaders on the ground around the globe.
“These latest appointments also increase the regional diversity of this group, showing that the goals of gender parity and regional diversity can be pursued in parallel,” he said.
Guterres said UN Resident Coordinators were pivotal to the success of the United Nations in supporting countries to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
According to him, increasing the proportion of women in these positions is essential to reflect and respond to the interests of the broad range of people we serve.
“This milestone builds on the achievement in gender parity among the UN Senior Management Team.
“Taken together, that means that the UN’s top leadership both at headquarters and the country-level is now 50-50,” Guterres said.
The Secretary-General said he regarded gender parity at all levels of the UN to be a priority, “not only to improve the effectiveness of our work, but to end the power imbalances that contribute to sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse”.
The Secretary-General said he would continue to press for fast progress on gender parity at all levels across the UN system.