October 30th marks 20 years since the adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSC Res. 1325 ). The resolution urged Member States to increase the participation of women at all decision-making levels -- national and international alike -- in the sphere of peace and security. The first five operational clauses of the resolution “urge” (a strong word in UN terms) more women to participate in peace process negotiations; in conflict resolution; in field-based UN peacekeeping efforts; and call for more women to fill senior UN leadership positions. 

UNSC Res. 1325 is a clear statement from the leading UN body that women should be at the table wherever decisions are made; that women must be in position to make meaningful contributions to political processes.

I believe there are two complementary aspects to gender equality: Protection and Participation. The first aspect, protection, is well known: protection against violence, rape, sexual harassment, discrimination in the world of work, etc. Protection is important and necessary as it deals with dire and immediate needs, real danger and palpable obstacles. That said, the concept of “protection” fits also neatly into the old order of patriarchal thinking, where women are considered a weak and vulnerable group in need of protection.

In contrast, participation is less comfortable for many, as it demands the sharing of power and therefore for the traditional male patriarchy to relinquish some of its power. Participation poses bold, unapologetic questions: how many women are in your government, how many in the army, how many women advisors are there to the prime minister? Given these dynamics the majority of UN resolutions on gender equality remained over the years focused solely on the issue of protection. 

That being said, the UN system has made a meaningful effort to comply with the call of UNSC Res. 1325. For instance, eight of the 17 current UN  Special Representatives of the Secretary-General are women, and several reforms have been adopted to increase women’s participation in UN peacekeeping. Nonetheless, it still seems, 20 years later, that the UN and Member States remain more comfortable with adopting and implementing decisions focused on "protection" rather than on crucial “participation” at the highest levels. Indeed, the last UN Secretary-General report summarizing 20 years since the adoption of Resolution 1325, deals almost exclusively with protection. In fact, of the 14 key findings noted in the report, only two deal with the status of women’s participation. 

The Groups of Friends of the UN Women, Peace and Security Agenda are ideal platforms to accelerate this change in the multilateral arena. In addition to the work done in promoting the Zero Tolerance Policy, and in supporting accountability for the violations of women and girls rights, the Groups of Friends should deepen its area of work focused on participation. Israel, as  a member of the Group of Friends both in Geneva and New York, is committed to take an active role on that matter.

Additionally, I was pleased to see the quick development across UN hubs of the International Gender Champions Initiative – which was originally launched in Geneva in 2015. This initiative calls for equal gender representation in panels and events, as well as working in other ways to ensure that women are at the decision-making table. 

In Israel, we are proud of our international involvement and contributions on the issue of women’s protection. Israel played a key role in the drafting of the groundbreaking ILO Convention on the prevention of sexual harassment in the world of work; offers international training for developing nations on women’s empowerment, and has progressive laws on sexual harassment and domestic violence. On the participation level, an honest overview reveals a mixed picture. In the Israeli judiciary system 51% of the judges are women, including Israel’s Chief Justice. In addition, a recent October 2020 cabinet decision has set a goal that 50% of Israeli civil service most senior staff should be women. However, currently only 11% hold this rank and the Israeli ministerial cabinet is still predominately male (80%). I am also one of only 17 female Israeli ambassadors around the world, out of 103 Israeli heads of mission. I am happy to share that this is changing, as the latest MFA cadet courses had seen the enrollment of a majority of talented women. It gives me hope for the future