Let me thank the Vice-President of GERWUN, Ms. Barbara Tavora-Jainchill, for her kind words of introduction. I also wish the GERWUN President, Ms. Mia Jose, a speedy recovery and I thank her for her active participation on this issue. It is a real pleasure for me to join you all today and I am delighted to have this opportunity to not only speak with, but also listen to this Group on Equal Rights for Women in the United Nations. I am very much here today in listening mode to hear your concerns and thoughts. I am grateful that Ms. Mehrotra and Ms. Haji-Ahmed are also on-hand in that regard and I look forward to a fruitful discussion.

For almost forty years now, GERWUN members have been steadfast advocates for the promotion, within the United Nations, of mutual respect and understanding between women and men. Tackling gender inequalities in our Organization in areas such as recruitment, conditions of employment, assignments and training; GERWUN has been a constant champion of equal rights. Indeed, your work reminds management and staff alike of the standards and principles which are enshrined in the United Nations Charter, and to which we have all signed up to. I applaud you for your work and I thank each of you for your personal dedication to this cause.

It is fitting that I speak to you at a time when the General Assembly is debating the reform of the Gender Architecture of the United Nations. Our colleagues in the Division for the Advancement of Women, INSTRAW, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, and UNIFEM have all been resolute in promoting women's rights and empowering women and girls throughout the globe. And I should add that this work is helping empower men on this issue.

There are however weaknesses in the present system's capacity to support action on gender, including the lack of a recognized driver and its fragmentation. Reforming this architecture would enable Member States to more fully mobilize women's creative and productive potential.

I am hopeful that the progress made in the past months by Member States will enable them to muster the political will needed to agree, during the current session, to the creation of the proposed composite entity, and to fund it properly.

Yet we cannot simply promote gender equality outside our walls, if we do not implement it inside them. Indeed, it is a sad reality that a group such as yours is still needed as we continue to strive to ensure that gender equality is practiced and parity achieved within our Organization. GERWUN's very existence shows that there is still some work to do.

The General Assembly mandated specific goals to achieve gender parity within the United Nations. In 1995 it called for 50/50 gender distribution at senior levels and in 1996, it stipulated that this distribution was to be reached at all levels in the Professional category and above by 2000. Nine years past the deadline, the General Assembly still needs to reaffirm this 50/50 goal.

As you may know, there are multiple historic and legislative bases for the mandate to achieve gender equality such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Yet despite the Organisation's commitment, progress has been slow. Some departments have made notable progress towards achieving gender parity. However let us be honest that, overall, the numbers are gloomy.

I need not repeat for you the statistics. I wish to simply highlight a couple: First, the percentage of women by level ranges from almost 51 per cent at the P-2 level and steadily decreases to 20 per cent at the USG level. And second, simple projections show that based on data from 2007-2008, we would achieve gender balance at the P4 level only in 2024. This is disappointing, to say the least.

So what are the causes of the slow progress within the United Nations? It is certainly not for want of trying or for lack of commitment at senior levels. As you may be aware, Secretaries-General and heads of Management and Personnel departments have made efforts to improve on the situation.

? As a consequence of the Beijing Plan of Action, the Secretary-General appointed a Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women;

? Within the Secretariat, a system of special measures for the advancement of women staff was introduced, and departmental focal points were made ex-officio members of appointment and promotion panels to ensure that qualified women candidates received full consideration.

? More recently, the terms of reference of the departmental focal points were updated and strengthened. And I am pleased to see that many of those focal points join us today and I thank them for their contribution.

? Also, a gender balance strategy has been jointly developed by OSAGI and OHRM to encompass measures that are simultaneously forward-looking and feasible to implement. This will soon be promulgated.

? In conjunction, a gender scorecard has been designed to enhance and encourage both accountability and implementation of gender relevant policies and indicators such as the use of flexible work arrangements, the functioning of the focal point system per department and the more traditional statistics per level and matters such as attrition.

It is expected to be used to report twice yearly to the Management Committee, which I personally chair. And I promise that I will be following up on this closely.

? And finally, the Secretary-General has sought to improve the system for dealing with sexual harassment. He has shown zero tolerance for anyone who would engage in such acts and issued a bulletin to all staff to improve our system of accountability in such cases. Due to efforts undertaken, there are thankfully fewer cases now than in the past. Earlier this month, our new internal justice system began its work in dealing with such matters. I hope that it will provide the level of fairness and accountability that is needed.

Whilst I admit the need to solidify all of these tangible building blocks, I also recognise that much remains to be achieved. Clearly we are working against a complex set of factors that exist both within and outside the United Nations.

We know, for instance, that women tend to be under-represented in the more substantive fields such as political and peace-keeping, a fact often attributed to the stereotyping of women and their situations and capabilities. While this needs to be changed still, we must remain optimistic and note that the Secretary General is insisting on progress, and the issue is gaining momentum where it was lacking before. We must renew our commitment, overcome whatever fatigue may have set in, remind ourselves once again of our obligations and reinforce anew our resolve.

Dear friends,

Dear sisters, indeed dear brothers,

The modern workplace is a testing and demanding environment. Combining a career with family life is difficult. I know that finding the right balance between professional advancement and motherhood, between work and life, is the toughest challenge we face, not least because we have to admit that we cannot achieve a perfect balance. However, this should not make any person feel guilty. One must recognize that attaining objectives has its “price” so to speak! But this “price” has to be borne by females and males alike, in partnership for their common good.

My daughter was only two years old when I decided to go to Germany to pursue my PhD, which was part of the requirements to enter an academic career. As you can imagine, it was not easy to leave a small child behind. I am lucky to have a husband who was very supportive. However, you and I know that nothing compensates one emotionally for being far from one's family. As Minister, I also had to spend long periods of time away from home which was another tremendous challenge.

As a working mother, I know the difficulties. I have felt the despondency. I see the challenges. And that is why I care deeply about this issue.

That is why I encourage us as an organisation to embrace those opportunities for change which come our way: the Capital Master Plan and the Pandemic Preparedness exercise both provide fertile and economical grounds to encourage flexibility as a work method. Increased staff mobility will also provide complementary opportunities for new learning experiences.

Achieving gender equality is an integral part of the reform of our United Nations, and will undoubtedly help build a staff that is mobile, multi-functional, flexible and accountable –one which lives up to the highest ethical standards. The United Nations must both be on the cutting edge of change and practice fully what we preach. Only then can we be the strong and the moral force we must be, and which the world expects of us.

An effective gender balance strategy requires strong commitment and leadership from the top, as well as information-sharing to ensure that managers and staff at all levels are made aware of the strategy and the actions expected from them. The Secretary-General is committed to ensuring this. All managers must get on board. All staff must play their role.

Gender equality is about women and men, and is absolutely imperative for achieving sustainable development in its entirety. This is the rationale for Millennium Development Goal number three. You cannot have full development without full empowerment and provision of equal opportunities for both women and men.

I can assure you of the Secretary-General's personal commitment, and mine, to achieving gender parity at all levels and in all categories of posts throughout the organization.

Dear colleagues,

We, however, can only do this together with other partners such as your Group. I urge you therefore, to strengthen your advocacy within the house, become agents of change yourselves and draw to our attention, through the appropriate channels, those situations which you think need addressing. Let not the silence of the majority overcome the noisy resistance of the minority, if and where it may exist.

Let us be neither silent nor inactive. GERWUN is neither, and for that I commend you.

Thank you very much.