Women Hold Up Half the Sky

Women Hold Up Half the Sky
(Something I read this morning with reference to those who either do not see the problem, or are actively fighting against us--those people live under a different sky)

3/7/2023 by U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee reflects on several inspiring examples of women overcoming differences and leading movements for peace, gender equality and women’s rights.



United Nations assistant secretary-general for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee. (U.N. Photo)

In 2015, I became Ghana’s first female ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, I reflect on this life-changing experience. I remember feeling the thrill of this new recognition in my career, which was applauded by many in Ghana—but also my dismay at the number of people expressing surprise at seeing a woman take on this post. They thought New York would be too difficult for me—irrespective of my training in multilateral diplomacy and 26 years in the Ghana Foreign Service—and that it should be a male ambassador instead. In much of my career, I have had to go the extra mile, and perhaps double of what my male colleagues did, to be recognized as capable. I strongly believed I could bring the same determination and confidence to bear on the task of representing my country at the U.N. It took five years of hard work in New York but was well worth it.

But the challenges for women do not start or end at the workplace. As the United Nations assistant secretary-general for Africa, I know the immense challenges women face in conflict situations. But I also have firm belief and appreciation of the important role they play in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and lasting peace. Yet women face many barriers to their participation in political and peace processes. Some are cultural and others are the result of institutions not making room for them to participate, let alone to lead. This means women are often shut out from conflict resolution and peace negotiations.

In my role at the U.N., I have had the opportunity to visit several countries in Africa affected by conflict. During one such visit to visit Bamako, the capital of Mali, I met women from all over the country who shared with me their experiences and the challenges in making their voices heard. In the country’s initial peace talks in 2012, women were not invited, but they demanded a seat at the negotiating table. This courageous step paved the way for a very different situation today, where women make up 38 percent of the Peace Agreement Monitoring Committee in Mali.

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Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee (right) has been serving as assistant secretary-general of the United Nations since 2021. (Twitter / Assistant-Secretary General of Africa)

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You may also like: Seeking Peace, a new podcast series co-produced by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Department of Peace Operations, which explores women’s role in bringing lasting peace to communities—whether it be through grassroots activism, peace negotiations, journalism, politics or as uniformed peacekeepers. Episode 2 (below)—featuring U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee—examines the role that women play as mediators and advocates in peace negotiations and in the implementation of peace agreements.


https://msmagazine.com/2023/03/07/united-nations-women-peace-security-politics-war/