Dr. Bachelet, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), gave the opening speech of the workshop. She encouraged women to speak up, no matter what the situation. A panel on “The Creation of UN Women and the Role of Women Diplomats” brought together Ambassador Puri of India, Ambassador Ogwu of Nigeria, Ambassador Burgstaller of Sweden, Ms. Charlotte Bunch of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership and Ms. Sarah Taylor of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. The session on UN Women was chosen as a case-study to understand how a resolution can be negotiated and adopted at the General Assembly.
Two other panels punctuated the two-day workshop. Ms. Sigrid Kaag, UNDP Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant Administrator, summarized the obstacles to women political leadership: culture, child care, cash and confidence, - the four “C”s. The Experience Sharing panel brought together Ambassador DiCarlo of the United States, Ambassador Flores of Honduras, Ms. Cheng-Hopkins, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support and Ms. Rima Salah, Officer in Charge for the Deputy Executive Director in UNICEF and former Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for MINURCAT. The core of the workshop, however, focused on negotiation training. Florrie Darwin, Lecturer on Law and Negotiation at Harvard Law School and Constance Morris Hope from Carapace Coaching and Consulting made available a set of tools for delegates to transform any negotiation situation into a win-win situation.
The Nigerian Permanent Representative, Ambassador Ogwu shared her insight for women’s empowerment: “I believe in incrementalism, I don’t believe in revolution because it is very costly.” Indeed, this workshop was instrumental for promoting a viable role for Women in Diplomacy.
More women in diplomacy for a more equitable world - UN radio interview.
(in French)
Les questions de la participation de la femme à la société et de la défense de ses intérêts sont non seulement importantes par principe mais aussi parce leurs dividendes bénéficient à tous. Lorsque l’on éduque une fille, par exemple, elle a de fortes chances de mieux gagner sa vie, d’avoir des enfants plus tard; mais aussi que ceux-ci soient en meilleure santé, vivent mieux, et qu’ils soient à leur tour éduqués..read more
For more information on the UN Women and their activities, please visit the UN Women website.