On 25 March 2021, during the 65th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Latvia together with Canada, Liberia, the Maldives and Norway, held an online panel discussion, “Role of Women Leaders: How to increase Women’s Participation in the Military and Peacekeeping?”
The event was opened by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, and its participants were Uza. Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Maldives; Colonel Ilze Žilde, Defence Attaché of Latvia to the USA; Brigadier General Lise Bourgon, Canadian Forces; Brigadier General Geraldine George, Deputy Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia; Commodore Solveig Krey, Acting Head of the Operations Division in the Norwegian Armed Forces Defence Staff; and Anna Timmerman, General Director at a non-governmental organization, “PAX”. The discussion was moderated by Andrejs Pildegovičs, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to the United Nations.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations confirmed that increased participation of women in the UN’s peacekeeping operations is one of the top priorities of the UN Department of Peace Operations. Mr. Lacroix recognised that regardless of common efforts in the field of gender equality, progress remains slow. The Under-Secretary-General highlighted the collective efforts, support and political will of the UN member states in promoting gender equality and the agenda of Women, Peace and Security. Mr. Lacroix expressed conviction that anyone regardless of gender should be involved in promoting gender equality.
The Latvian Defence Attaché to the USA, Ilze Žilde, spoke about Latvia’s best practices in promoting women’s rights and empowerment, as well as a considerable representation of women in senior political positions. Colonel Žilde underlined that since Latvia regained independence and the national Armed Forces were established, military service is open to both men and women. As the result, women comprise 16% of active duty force, which exceeds NATO average. Colonel Žilde underlined that a comprehensive involvement of society is needed in peacekeeping and conflict resolution; in view of this, a full, effective and meaningful participation of women in the peace process is indispensable.
Uza. Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Maldives, pointed out the role of men in facilitating women’s participation and underlined the need for eliminating stereotypes and preventing professional segregation in order to enable women to assume not only administrative but also combat positions.
Brigadier General Lise Bourgon of the Canadian Forces pointed out that it is important for the defence sector to cooperate with society, and diversity and inclusive leadership is a source of strength at the tactical, operative and strategic levels alike.
Brigadier General Geraldine George, Deputy Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia, recognised that despite women’s representation in the Liberian Armed Forces being minimal, the country is making an effort to break stereotypes.
Commodore Solveig Krey, Acting Head of the Operations Division in the Norwegian Armed Forces Defence Staff, complemented thoughts voiced before by, underlining the special need to address girls at an early age inspiring them to break stereotypes and assume challenges of a military career.
Anna Timmerman, General Director at a peace organization “PAX”, noted that the importance of women in peacekeeping and conflict resolution should not be underestimated. The General Director of PAX underlined that gender stereotypes still present a challenge restricting women’s chances to assume senior functions in peacekeeping and conflict resolution. Ms Timmerman called for an integrated approach: the first step could be the strengthening of gender equality in education and training.
Andrejs Pildegovičs, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to the United Nations in New York, underlined the importance of closer partnerships between the UN, regional organisations, member states and civil society to ensure that women play their full, equal and meaningful role in peace processes. The Ambassador pointed to the need for strengthening the efforts to empower women and facilitate their participation in peacekeeping and conflict resolution.
For a full record of the event see here
Background information
On 14 September 2020 in New York, Latvia was elected to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for the period from 2021 to 2025. The UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was established in 1946. It is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
PAX is an international peace organisation working in 15 conflict-affected countries with a special focus on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.