The 2005 World Summit

From 14 - 16 September, more than 170 heads of state gathered in New York at the 2005 World Summit, also called the Millennium + 5 Summit. In addition to celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations, UN delegates reviewed the 2000 Millennium Declaration and reached compromises on UN reform. The women's and gender right's movement closely monitored developments leading up to the Summit. They found that reform proposals and reports failed to incorporate a comprehensive gender perspective. In the wake of the Summit, disappointment prevailed among delegates over the outcome document. Many women's groups, on the other hand, were left satisfied. The outcome document calls for specific strategies to achieve gender equality, including a call for greater women's participation at decision-making levels in promoting peace and security. As Charlotte Bunch reaffirms, "in a space that was not women-specific, we kept women as a political factor at the forefront of the UN." See also [Millennium]. 
Read the Heinrich Boell Foundation's publication about gender perspectives of [UN Reform]


   Reforming the UN's Institutions: A Brief Overview

In a March 2005 report, Kofi Annan laid out his plans for reforming the UN's institutions. These include, a reform of the Security Council, the Human Rights Commission, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, as well as the establishment of a Peacekeeping Commission and Peacebuilding Support Office. Annan's plans largely mirror the suggestions made in the report of the High-level Panel. Neither report contains sufficient gender analysis nor considers institutional reform from a gender perspective. The Annan report also fails to mention the importance of gender equality for conflict prevention and peacebuilding in post-conflict situations. The High-level Panel report does mention gender in relation to conflict, yet portrays women as victims rather than as agents involved in peacebuilding efforts.
In March 2006, international women's organizations met in New York to discuss the implications of the UN Reform on women. Find out more [here].


   Improving the UN's Record on Gender Equality through Reform?

The creation of new UN bodies (i.e. Peacebuilding Commission) and the reform of existing ones (i.e. Security Council, Human Rights Commission) can strengthen the importance of gender equality in the UN system. It is vital that reform proposals and outcomes of the September Summit reinforce commitments that member states have made in other UN agreements, i.e. UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the Bejing Platform for Action, and CEDAW. Gender-specific demands for institutional reform read as follows:

• For Security Council reform, national/regional interests should not overshadow the greater purpose of making the Council more democratic (i.e. by consulting regularly with women's NGO's) and effective in responding to and preventing conflicts (i.e. through the full implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325). This includes questions like: How firmly are potential new members committed to Resolution 1325? How can women's representation as key-decision-makers on the Council be strengthened?
• For the new Peacebuilding Commission, gender analysis and expertise shall accompany all stages of conflict analysis and monitoring.
• For reform of the Human Rights Commission, membership should be conditional upon member states' regard for women's rights. A stronger Commission also means improved cooperation with the CSW and UNIFEM.

As the UN gears up to respond to the threats and challenges of the present and future, the importance of gender equality for conflict prevention and development can no longer be avoided. Read the Heinrich Boell Foundation's publication on the gender perspectives of UN Reform [here]. See also [UN 1325] and [Beijing +10].

• Article on UN Reform by June Zeitlin, Executive director of Women's Environment & Development Organization
• Report on Gender Equality in UN Reform Released
• A Female Secretary General?
• No Reason to Fight? European Women and UN Reform
• Peace Building Commission Opens
• Women's Groups Lobby UN "Coherence Panel"
• Heinrich Boell Foundation Washington D.C. Hosts Event on Women and UN Reform
  

"UN Reform Stalled on All Fronts, Endangering Stronger Gender Equality Architecture" By June Zeitlin, Executive Director of Women's Environment & Development Organization WEDO Enews & Views: May 2007 Last month, the Secretary General presented his views on the Coherence Panel's recommendations in a report to the General Assembly. The General Assembly needed to formally receive this report before beginning its own discussions of the Panel's recommendations. In his presentation, the SG reiterated his support for a stronger, consolidated women's agency. He underscored that gender equality continues to be the mandate of all UN entities and that he will recruit "competent" women to his senior team. He also announced that the Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro will oversee the implementation of the Coherence Panel recommendations. In her introduction of the SG, the President of the GA, H.E. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, noted that at the March GA thematic debate on gender equality and women's empowerment, many speakers highlighted the need for a stronger and effective, better-resourced gender entity. She also urged governments to take action on the gender architecture recommendation... Read the full article on the website of [WEDO]

Report on Gender Equality in UN Reform Released The Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance, and the environment released its report, "Delivering as One," on November 9, 2006. UNIFEM welcomes the Panel's recommendation for stronger and more coherent UN delivery on gender equality. The Panel, which was co-chaired by Prime Ministers Shaukat Aziz of Pakistan, Luísa Dias Diogo of Mozambique, and Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, was established following the 2005 World Summit which gave momentum to a number of initiatives for United Nations reform. Some key recommendations in the report related to gender equality include: Consolidate three of the UN's existing gender institutions — Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI), Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), and UNIFEM — into one gender entity. The gender entity will be entrusted with a dual mandate combining normative, analytical and monitoring functions and policy advisory and targeted programming functions. The Executive Director of the gender entity should have the rank of Under-Secretary-General, consistent with heads of other agencies. The gender entity must be fully and ambitiously funded. The commitment to gender equality is and should remain the mandate of the entire UN system. The report will be deliberated informally by member states during the remainder of this year and taken up by the General Assembly for deliberations and negotiations in 2007. Download the Report as a >>  PDF File

A Female UN Secretary-General? The Outcome Ki-Moon Ban began his term as the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2007. Seven candidates applied for the position. The position of Secretary-General is informally governed by a regional rotation principle, according to which the next Secretary-General should come from a country in Asia. The UN Security Council followed this principle in recommending Ki-Moon Ban. The General Assembly agreed with the Security Council’s recommendation. The Cause Women’s rights activists and organizations sprang to their feet during the nomination process. Appeals, petitions, and campaigns were launched to raise awareness on the need to strengthen women’s role within the United Nations and the importance for gender equality worldwide. The Process The third straw poll, a series of which are part of the election process, took place on September 28th, 2006. In this poll the only female candidate, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, came in third place. Not only was she the only woman candidate, but also the only non-Asian candidate. Following the straw poll on October 3rd, 2006, South Korea’s foreign minister Ki-Moon Ban was seen as the most promising candidate; he was the only candidate who did not receive a single veto. The other candidates withdrew their candidacy in light of the overwhelming support for Ki-Moon Ban. General information to the nomination and election process of the UN Secretary-General can be found on following website: United Nations Secretary General Commentary and Reports regarding a Female Secretary General Time for a Woman at the UN Article by Jessica Neuwirth Vaira Vike-Freiberga Homepage of the President of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga In this interview, Vaira Vike-Freiberga explains why she is qualified for the position. [UN News Center]

No Reason to Fight? European Women and UN Reform In a recent article, Franziska Brantner, a fellow of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, urges European women to get involved in the institutional changes being made at the UN. Not only does the UN's institutional setting underline the struggle for women's rights, "European feminists are part of the global struggle," writes Brantner. Read the entire article >> Download PDF

Peace Building Commission Opens  The UN reform process moved a step forward on Friday, June 23rd, 2006 at UN Headquarters in New York, with the inaugural meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), a new 31 member intergovernmental advisory committee. The role of the Commission is to facilitate collaboration and coordination among political, military, humanitarian, development and UN actors to help countries during the fragile transitional period between war and lasting peace. Tanya Roberts-Davis discusses various perspectives and critiques in this article published by the IWTC. Read the [article]. Thelma Ekiyor wrote a briefing paper for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which highlights the potentials of the Peacebuilding Commission of Resolution 1325: "Engendering Peace. How the Peacebuilding Commission can live up to UN Security Council Resolution 1325." Download the paper from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's website as a >> PDF File

Women's Groups Lobby UN "Coherence Panel" A large group of women's groups have intervened in the work of the new UN High-Level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence. The Panel's main task is to make recommendations by August 2006 on how the UN can work effectively and meet the Millennium Development Goals. The panel only contains three women. Women's efforts through the Open Letter to Kofi Annan (see below), however, have already been effective: the Panel must now also make recommendations on strengthening the UN's gender architecture and gender mainstreaming processes. Learn more women's demands to the Coherence Panel, as well as how to get involved, in this [Briefing Note]

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Aktualisiert: 13.08.2007, kra