Achieving gender parity is a key element of the Secretary-General's vision for the UN System.
"What we need is to have both competent women and competent men with equal opportunities in the Organization”, said Secretary-General António Guterres at the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York (see video below).
The Commission on the Status of Women (SCW) presented a unique opportunity to scout for female talent and to showcase the United Nations commitment to 50/50 gender parity within its workforce.
As part of outreach efforts to showcase careers and types of positions available at the United Nations worldwide, representatives from the Office of Human Resources Management organized an information booth to engage with CSW participants at the UNHQ Visitors Lobby on 15 March. Over 90 representatives from various organizations and NGOs - who are part of important networks in their countries - visited the booth to educate themselves about careers at the UN.
Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed stopped by to show her support for 50/50 in the UN System workforce. "It is important to promote the careers to our own talent inside the Organization and also externally", she noted.
One of the key ingredients to a successful recruitment process is a strong and diversified application and talent pool. However, today, fewer job applications are received from women than from men, especially for senior level positons.
To make gender equality and parity within the UN a reality, the senior management established a UN System Taskforce to develop a holistic roadmap towards this goal.
As the Secretary-General has stated, "For the UN, gender equality is not only a matter of staffing. It relates to everything we do."