Ulaanbaatar, June 21, 2023 /MONTSAME/. The International Day of Women in Diplomacy Commemorative Event was held on June 19 at the UN headquarters.

The event was co-organized by the countries that initiated the resolution on “The International Day of Women in Diplomacy”, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2022.

Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly, delivered opening remarks to the Event. In his remarks, Mr. Csaba Kőrösi noted, “Women have played a central role in the history of the United Nations ever since the signing of the UN Charter. In particular, ensuring gender equality in diplomacy is imperative to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  The latest Women in Diplomacy Index shows that, in 2023, still only one-fifth of all ambassadors in the world are women. Out of the 78 people elected to my role, President of the General Assembly, only four have been women. Moreover, only 1 in 4 Permanent Representatives are women. As a starting point, I strongly encourage you to examine the underlying causes of this inequity.

In my own Office, women account for two-thirds of the team. The experience in recruiting the staff of my office is telling and compelling, that the task is not complicated. Simply, take the best. And you’ll see the results – including the composition of the team. So did we.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia B. Battsetseg and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sports Dominique Hasler attended the event online.

Minister B. Battsetseg briefly presented the upcoming “Women Foreign Ministers’ Meeting,” which will be held on June 29-30 in Ulaanbaatar, underscoring the significance of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy,

Noting that the next Secretary General of the UN should be a woman, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said, “If we just look at numbers, women in parliament today continue to be no more than 26 percent. Moreover, we know that there are only 25 women foreign ministers and only 28 countries have female Heads of State or government. This is indicative of where we are and how much work we still have to do.”

The representatives who participated in the event emphasized that it is necessary to work closely with all parties, such as scientists, young people, and political leaders to increase the participation of women in diplomacy, rather than just celebrating this day.