Encouraging female leaders in peace and politics

Working in politics and international relations is not only about posts at the headquarters of foreign ministries or international organizations, where policies, resolutions and negotiations are undertaken. A main part of the work is in the field, whether on missions abroad or on peace operations. While women today work in foreign ministries at different levels, with few at the very top, it is the shortage of women in field missions that stands out. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we should evaluate women’s presence and role in foreign affairs and international security, considering the positive effect women have on issues of peace and security.

Research has consistently shown that gender equality contributes to peace, as women’s involvement in peace negotiations leads to a higher chance of sustainability and effectiveness because women focus more on outcomes rather than positions and gains. Overall, research shows that gender diversity supported by gender norms and regulations in social, political and economic life leads to better productivity and the exchange of diverse views.

However, gender discrimination remains an obstacle in the professional careers of women, while men have an easier path to leadership positions.

Despite recent progress in several countries and multilateral organizations, women remain largely underrepresented in politics, especially in foreign policy and international security. In 2020, only 60 out of 190 countries (31 percent) surveyed by the Inter-Parliamentary Union had a woman as foreign minister, while 20.7 percent of ambassadors worldwide were women in 2021.

In Saudi Arabia, the number of female ambassadors has now increased to five. The Kingdom’s first female ambassador, Princess Reema bint Bandar, was appointed to her post in Washington in 2019. In the very short time since Vision 2030 — which includes among its objectives accelerating women’s empowerment and employment — was launched in 2016,  Saudi Arabia has made rapid progress in appointing women to leadership positions as ambassadors and in the Foreign Ministry.

At the world’s largest and most important international organization, the UN, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced a gender parity strategy in 2017. On the fifth anniversary of the strategy in December last year, he said “gender inequality is fundamentally a question of power,” and to change the culture of male domination and bring balance, “we need equality between men and women in leadership, decision-making and participation at all levels.”

While the gender gap remains, progress in gender parity has been achieved in the Senior Management Group of the UN secretary-general (heads of departments, offices, funds and programs) and among the resident coordinators (representatives of the secretary-general in member countries and leaders of UN country teams). Women today have about 36 percent of overall peacekeeping leadership positions, up from 13 percent in 2016. In 2019, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs gained its first female head. However, in 2022, there was a loss of nearly 20 percent of women in leadership positions in the organization.

Some of the responsibility lies with member states, which should present more women candidates for high office at the UN. Appointments to the position of assistant secretary-general or undersecretary-general are political, but nurturing female talent to P5, D1 or D2 levels (the highest professional non-appointed ranks) is what the UN needs to work on to achieve gender parity across its entities. Guterres has frequently called for nominations to expand and diversify the talent pool among senior staff, but to date only 80 member states out of 193 have nominated a woman to field operation posts.

The UN chief outlined three areas for improvement: gender and geographical diversity, strengthening efforts to recruit women to field missions, and making the UN a more attractive employer for women. He has committed to support the UN Senior Women Talent Pipeline, which was launched in 2014 with the aim of ensuring gender parity at the senior level through a dedicated talent pool of female candidates who are qualified for leadership positions in UN peace operations. I was privileged to be selected in this year’s cohort, as one of the 80 candidates — and the only Saudi — accepted out of more than 750 applications from women leaders across the world.

Women’s involvement in international security and foreign policy is not just a matter of equal representation. Research shows that including women in peace and security processes contributes to the success and sustainability of peace agreements and the durability and quality of peace. This is because women are often perceived to be “honest brokers” during peace negotiations, are better at being inclusive and are able to harness their societal roles and responsibilities to foster dialogue. Women often take a collaborative approach to peacemaking and organize themselves across cultural and sectarian divides to address the concerns of different groups affected by a conflict, which increases the prospects of stability and reduces the likelihood of resumed conflict.

The occasion of International Women’s Day is an opportunity to highlight the achievements of women and address the obstacles they still face in all fields, especially those traditionally dominated by men, such as politics. It is not about numbers, but impact, and a selection process that is based on merit even among women candidates.

• Maha Akeel is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. Twitter: @MahaAkeel1