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Beyond the White Man's Burden

Alyson Zureick

U.N. to create new body on women's issues

By Alyson Zureick - 10 months ago

Earlier this month, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution mandating the establishment of a new UN body focused on women's empowerment. Is this a step forward for the world's women or just more bureaucracy?

It's been a long time coming, but just last week the U.N. General Assembly voted in favor of the establishment of a new agency on women's rights and empowerment. This agency, as yet unnamed, will be the equivalent of UNICEF or the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and will be headed by an undersecretary general who will report directly to the Secretary General. The change means that existing offices dedicated to women's issues, most prominently UNIFEM, will be merged into this new, more comprehensive agency.

Advocates hope that the creation of a new gender agency will attract greater attention and, crucially, funding to women's issues around the world. Currently UNIFEM, the main women's agency, operates from within UNDP and has significantly less funding. However, the creation of a new agency is no silver bullet. The new resolution establishing the agency requires the Secretary General to release a report addressing a few crucial issues, including the agency's mission, structure, funding and oversight structure. This is no small task. It remains to be seen whether the agency will be an effective advocate for women or another layer of U.N. bureacracy. But we should all be rooting for it to succeed.


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Labels: Human Rights, International Law, Institutions and Diplomacy, Public Institutions

4 Comments

 
Post #1
Yamily Camacho Aburto Yamily Camacho Aburto - 10 months ago

Hi Alyson: Very informative posting!

I have always felt that some UN agencies work better than others; in fact, I think some of its programs and resolutions are pretty much ignored. Fortunately, I know that some agencies really provide help and relief to many in need.

In this case, I think it will be very positive to consolidate under one “roof” all the bodies dealing with women’s issues. It remains, however, to see at least the proposal specifying the composition of this entity, its mission, and more important the funding for the new body. Until then, I remain skeptic.

 
Post #2
Michael Middleton Michael Middleton - 10 months ago

Hi Alyson, thanks for bringing this to our attention. I have a couple of general questions that I was hoping to get your thoughts on. First, what do you feel are the most prominent womens issues today and why do you think that this new organization will be more successful than its predecessors in addressing them?

 
Post #3
Alyson Zureick Alyson Zureick - 10 months ago

Hi guys, thanks for the comments! Mike, in terms of the most prominent women's issues today, I think that sexual and gender-based violence, particularly in conflict zones, is in the limelight today. The issue has been steadily gaining attention in the international community for years, and last year the UN passed Resolution 1820, which addresses sexual violence in wartime. Secretary Clinton helped bring the issue to the attention of the general public with her visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo a few months ago. Other issues that are getting a lot of press (relatively) include preventable maternal mortality (Nick Kristof) and girls' education (Kristof, Clinton Global Initiative). 

Also, I am not necessarily convinced that the new UN body will do a better job of addressing women's issues, but it could if set up right. Really, it all depends on how well defined the body's mission and mandate are and whether it received adequate funding. Hopefully it won't just cause more coordination problems or turf battles between UN agencies.

 
Post #4
sasha grate sasha grate - 6 months ago

in developing country facilities for pregnant women

are not sufficent

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