Geneva Gender Champions Discussed at 30th Session of the Human Rights Council

Geneva Gender Champions Discussed at 30th Session of the Human Rights Council

Michael Moeller


The Human Rights Council this afternoon held its annual panel discussion on integrating a gender perspective throughout the work of the Human Rights Council and that of its mechanisms, with a focus on gender parity on September 15, 2015. Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, announced the launch of the new leadership network, International Geneva Gender Champions, which aimed to enhance synergies and broaden the mainstreaming of gender equality in the work across international Geneva and beyond.  If the effort to include women in the implementation of global policies was serious, they should be included in defining policies and actions.  The new initiative thus aimed to reinforce the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan for the implementation of the United Nations System-Wide Policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women (UN SWAP).

MICHAEL MØGenderPerspectiveLLER, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that with the aim to generate concrete, measurable action, he had decided to launch a new leadership network of International Geneva Gender Champions.  All members of the network committed to three specific annual activities aimed at bringing greater gender equality in their work.  All commitments under the initiative would be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and trackable (SMART).  A great interest among Permanent Missions in Geneva had already been registered.  Mr. Møller expressed hope that all heads of Permanent Missions would join the initiative for a truly global Geneva impact.   One of the actions that members of the initiative committed to was the Geneva Gender Parity Panel Pledge.  Mr. Møller underlined that if the effort to include women in the implementation of global policies was serious, they should be included in defining policies and actions.  Accordingly, there should be parity on panels and there should not be any panels made up of solely one gender.  Only 30 per cent of the senior leaders across the United Nations system were women.  Therefore efforts to include women should be more intense.  The Gender Champions Initiative thus aimed to reinforce the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan for the implementation of the United Nations System-Wide Policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women (UN SWAP).  The Initiative would start reaching out to civil society from January 2016 onwards.  Mr. Møller said he expected to see a broader implementation of the many good ideas and steps to encourage gender parity.  At the Geneva level, the International Labour Office was the first to monitor the representation of women and men within delegations.  The aim of the network was to enhance synergies and broaden the mainstreaming of gender equality in the work across international Geneva and beyond.  - Read the full press release.