MIAMI. – International Women’s Day in Multilateralism is celebrated every January 25. It is a date to recognize female participation in foreign policy and in cooperation mechanisms between countries.
This anniversary was adopted by the General Conference of the UNESCO on November 23, 2021: highlights “the essential role that women have played in promoting human rights, peace and sustainable development within the multilateral system.”
Multilateralism represents the form of cooperation between at least three States. “But, it is not simply a question of the number of agents involved, but rather the adhesion to a common political project based on respect for a shared system of norms and values. In particular, multilateralism is based on founding principles such as consultation, inclusion and solidarity,” underlines the HIM.
The United Nations advocates for “greater representation of women in key decision-making positions that shape and implement the agenda to ensure that multilateralism works for women and girls through gender-transformative actions and agreements.”
Dialogue between women
At the same time, UNESCO points out that this anniversary is key to providing a global platform to promote dialogue intergenerational: it is encouraged between women leaders within the multilateral system and a new generation of future women leaders within global governance.
To highlight the role of women in these tasks, the UN recalls that several women from all over the world participated in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). In the group were, among others, Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States, the Pakistani Begum Shaista Ikramullah, the Danish Bodil Begtrup, the French Marie-Hélène Lefaucheuxt and the Indians Hansa Mehta and Lakshmi Menon.
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Source: United Nations / UNESCO
