Former female leaders of multilateral institutions have called out the hypocrisy of the global system, which they say preaches gender equality yet still upholds the deep-seated biases and systems that have hindered the full and equal participation of women.
Speaking at the Women Deliver conference on Thursday, leaders from the Group of Women Leaders Voices for Change and Inclusion presented a report on women's leadership in the multilateral system. Since 1945, women have led 33 of the most important multilateral institutions for only 12% of the time, according to the report.
“Voluntary action often doesn't get you very far very fast,” Helen Clark, the former president of New Zealand and former UNDP chief and one of GWL Voices’ founders, told Devex in an interview. She added that introducing rules around affirmative action “would certainly hasten things up.”
About the author
Rumbi Chakamba
Rumbi Chakamba is a Senior Editor at Devex based in Botswana, who has worked with regional and international publications including News Deeply, The Zambezian, Outriders Network, and Global Sisters Report. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of South Africa.
