Director-General's remarks on the occasion of International Day of Women in Diplomacy

International Day of Women in Diplomacy 

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Recognizing Female Diplomats’ Contributions within the UN System

Monday, 24 June 2024 at 1.15 p.m.

Room XX, Palais des Nations

Ambassador Zniber,

Ambassador Macdonal Alvarez,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

It is a great honour to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations to celebrate for the first time the International Day of Women in Diplomacy. 

First of all, I would like to thank the Office of the President of the Human Rights Council, the Human Rights Council Gender Focal Point and UN Women for organizing this event on such an important and timely topic. 

The theme of this celebration, "Shattering Glass Ceilings: Recognizing Female Diplomats’ Contributions within the UN System”, reminds us of the persistent barriers women have faced and continue to face, but also of the extraordinary strides they have made in overcoming these obstacles.

Changing the gender mindset cannot happen overnight. However, history teaches us that it is feasible. The world of international politics had long been an exclusive area of male dominance. However, in the 20^th century, we witnessed a gradual evolution of the gender perspective: if previously women were rather permitted to participate in political life both at domestic and international levels, today we hear more and more often about the necessity to include women in the political decision-making processes. 

At the time when the United Nations was created almost 80 years ago, the topic of gender equality in multilateralism was quite marginal. The presence of both genders at the negotiating table was rare. In 1945, only 4 out of 850 delegates at the San Francisco Conference were women. Their participation was indeed meaningful: thanks to female delegates of the Conference, the principle of equal rights for men and women was proclaimed in the Preamble of the UN Charter as one of the basic tenets of the United Nations. 

The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was another milestone in the recognition of women's rights. And here again, women left their mark on history. For example, Eleanor Roosevelt, who was the Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights regarded her role in drafting and securing the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as her greatest achievement. Other women delegates who participated in the negotiation of the Universal Declaration also made history. For example, Hansa Metha, the Indian delegate to the UN Commission on Human Rights, insisted on rephrasing the line "All men are born free and equal" to "All human beings are born free and equal" in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration. In doing so, she ensured a more gender-sensitive language in this crucial document. 

Since the creation of the United Nations and the recognition of the principle of gender equality in its Charter, the international community has come a long way towards affirming the rights of women around the world. These achievements include the creation of the Commission on the Status of Women - the principal intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women - and the adoption of various international agreements and policy documents, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The upcoming 30^th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action presents an important opportunity to take stock of what has been done and what more must be done to achieve the full and equal participation of women in decision-making in political and public life. 

Gender stereotypes are especially resistant to change. However, practice shows that even deeply entrenched ideas about female leaders can change. When the United Nations was established, a woman Head of State or Government was unheard of. Nowadays, 28 women serve as Heads of State and/or Government. The world of diplomacy is also witnessing a mindset change: for example, here in Geneva, out of 205 Missions, which includes Observer Offices and Non-Member States, 65 female Ambassadors are currently serving as Heads of Missions. 

Promoting gender equality is one of the highest priorities of the United Nations. The system-wide Gender Parity Strategy, launched by the Secretary-General in 2017, aims to create a more diverse, inclusive and gender-balanced United Nations. To date, gender parity has been reached in the senior management group of the Secretary-General and among UN Resident Coordinators. Today, the UN has the highest number of women as of Heads of Missions and Deputy Heads in peace operations in its history. As for the UN Office at Geneva, we have reached gender parity overall and in all higher professional categories. 

Geneva is also the birthplace of the International Gender Champions, a leadership network that brings together female and male decision-makers determined to break down gender barriers and make gender equality a working reality. To date, the network comprises over 330 active champions and 340 Alumni in several multilateral hubs who have been role-modeling concrete and often joint actions to advance gender equality within their organizations and through programmatic work. 

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is in our power to challenge the deep-rooted gender stereotypes and make women in diplomacy a new norm. On this International Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to gender equality not just as a distant aspiration, but as a concrete and urgent priority, for building a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world for all.

Thank you.