With the view to reaffirm women’s participation, and equal footing with men at all levels, the United Nations (UN) came up with International Day of Women in Diplomacy on June 20, 2022 and commemorates the day every year on 24 June. The day is believed to provide an opportunity for the world to recognize and applaud the work of women diplomats.
Currently, of the 193 United Nations member states, only 34 countries have women as elected heads of state or government. Despite the progress that has been made in many countries, there is still a long way to go in terms of increasing women’s representation at other levels of global political office, according to UN report.
As to this same report, at present, women make up 21 percent of the global ministers, 26 percent of national parliamentarians and 34 percent of elected local government representatives. In fact, it is a recent experience that diplomacy has been dominated by men and the profession was considered a “male” job and thought that men to be more credible than women.
The undeniable fact, however, is that women for centuries have been playing and are still playing a critical role in the diplomacy arena, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. Luckily, these days several women; by breaking the stereotypes attached to them and beating the barriers; are making a difference in the discipline of diplomacy.
Thus, it is about time to recognize and celebrate the ways in which women are breaking barriers and making a difference. In the same sense, Ethiopia has also marked the International Day for Women in Diplomacy under the theme “Let’s recognize the contribution of women diplomats and pledge to support the efforts of creating valuable, inclusive and equitable gender representation in the field of diplomacy “on June 24, 2023.
At the event observed at the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Sahle-Work Zewde was the chief guest of honor, while scores of ministers, Addis-based ambassadors, high commissioners, representatives of international organizations and diplomats attended the event.
During the occasion, President Sahle-Work shared her more than three decades of experience in both the bilateral and multilateral diplomacy with female diplomats from MoFA, the AU, UN and diplomatic missions as well as members of the International Community.
She also highlighted the value of women’s equal participation in the diplomacy field and its paramount importance as other disciplines. The President noted that women in diplomacy matter and should not remain complacent. Thus, she urged young women diplomats and ambassadors to show perseverance and persistence in their work and never get discouraged.
Noting that diplomacy has been dominated by men despite women’s significant contribution, she said most of the time women’s contribution remains in the dark; and their equal representation in diplomacy has become the order of the day. Hence, Sahle-Work stressed the significance of representing women in diplomacy and other international stages which is a fundamental step towards ensuring gender inclusiveness. The historic resolution adopted last year is meant to address the gap as women are underrepresented in diplomacy, as to her.
By the same token, Minister of Women and Social Affairs Ergoge Tesfaye (PhD) applauded the UN General Assembly‘s(UNGA) decision last year to observe 24th June as a day to honor women’s role in diplomacy. International Day for a Woman in Diplomacy is important to educate and reinforce achievement citing numerous Ethiopian female diplomats who represented the country at international level.
There are a number of strong women diplomats across the world and have played significant roles in diplomacy. Women bring immense benefits to diplomacy. “Women are great diplomats, negotiators, peace makers and prove across many studies. Women’s exclusion is a roadblock to a sustainable path to peace and security,” she underscored.
“Diplomacy, foreign affairs and peace and security have lagged behind in achieving gender balance, especially in leadership positions. We need to work aggressively to change this reality. Women remain underrepresented in diplomacy,” she stressed.
She went on saying: “Gender equality as well as women empowerment remains on the top agendas of the government of Ethiopia. Gender equality and social inclusion are also amongst the pillars of the ten years development plans and Ministry of Women and Social Affairs’ long-term blueprint and achieving prosperity which is aligned to the sustainable development goals.”
State Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Birtukan Ayano on her part mentioned that Ethiopia is celebrating the first ever International Day of Women in Diplomacy stressing the significant importance of women representation in the global stage. Women diplomats have dual responsibility of taking care of family and discharging their role at leadership positions and it is in that way that inclusiveness is ensured, she remarked.
Moreover, she shared her experience on the time she was serving as an Ethiopian Ambassador to Canada as well as the chairperson of women diplomats in the country. Such engagements have helped her to learn from the experience of others and enabled her to forge solutions to challenges, she added.
Former Ethiopian Ambassador Konjit Sine-Giorgis also shared her experience and seasoned knowledge. Similarly, panelists at the event concurred that a lot can be learnt from the half a century old experience of veteran diplomats like Ambassador Konjit Sine-Giorgis.
It was learnt that a panel discussion where the Ethiopian veteran diplomat and Ambassador Konjit Sine-Giorgis, the UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Hanna Tetteh, AU Commissioner Josefa Sakho, and Acting Director General of Women and Social Affairs Office/MFA Lula Nur participated and discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by women in diplomacy, shares their personal experiences and how women can support each other in their work, was also held. The International Day of Women in Diplomacy was officially declared at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on June 20, 2022. And Ethiopia marked the day one year after the adoption of the resolution.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 6 JULY 2023
