UN under-secretary-general calls for preventing sexual harassment, disparity

UN under-secretary-general for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has urged the United Nations (UN) members to take steps to prevent sexual harassment and eliminate discrimination against women in the UN peace operations.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix made the call while addressing the concluding session of the two-day UN Peacekeeping Ministerial (UNPKM) Preparatory Meeting on Women in Peacekeeping at a hotel in Dhaka on Monday. Dhaka hosted the first preparatory conference ahead of the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting (UNPKM), to be held in Accra, Ghana in December.

The theme of the Dhaka meeting was Women in UN Peacekeeping. Speakers at the event emphasised creation of equal opportunity for women in peace missions.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix said a meaningful participation of women must be ensured in every sector at the national level and peace operations. A safe, fair and dignified work environment must be ensured to increase female participation.

All must be united to identify the barriers to establishing equality, he said adding, a significant change is essential to the contemporary situation of military and women, and this change must also take place in the UN peace operations.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix further said the UN urged the member states to follow the five issues that the UN has prioritised.

These five issues are; firstly, collecting data and evidence on obstacles that women face. At the preparatory meeting several countries set good example by identifying obstacles and taking steps. Other countries may follow them and developing countries may seek financial assistance to solve these problems.

Secondly, equal opportunity of training, recruitment and promotion must be created for women; thirdly, creation of gender-friendly and safe work environment at the national level and UN peace operations; fourthly, other countries may follow the strict measures that the UN takes to remove sexual harassment, violence and discrimination towards women; and finally, lessons must be learned from national level, and countries may follow and implement the project that UN takes in various sector for women.