Women’s meaningful participation in security institutions: Right to family life and care work responsibilities

This webinar hosted by DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, UN Women and ODIHR will explore best practices and solutions to guarantee the right to family life and care work support in security institutions.

A panel of practitioners will explore and share their personal experiences on the following issues:

1. How do care-related constraints in security institutions impact women and men’s opportunities to join, remain and advance within the security sector, including their ability to meaningfully participate in peace operations?
2. How can security institutions address these gaps in their policies and practices?
3. How would interventions in these areas feed into the creation of inclusive, gender-equal and diverse security institutions?

Speakers

• Ms. Beate Schmidt, Chief inspector / Deputy Intermediate Manager, German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) / Ministry of Internal Affairs – Federal Police 
• Mr. Emmanuel Jacob, President of EUROMIL (European Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions)
• Ms Dorothy Nyambe, Chairperson of the Zambia Police Service Women's Network
• Mr. Jared Rigg, Deputy Chief, United Nations Security Sector Reform Unit and founder of ConnectedApart.com

Background

A lack of work/life balance and the absence of support to pregnant women and parents of young children is among the main reasons for people to leave the armed forces, as explained in the DCAF, ODIHR and UN Women’s Gender and Security Toolkit. Similarly, findings from DCAF´s Elsie initiative related research (The Duty of Caring) show that care work and caring responsibilities within the household are a significant barrier to women’s meaningful participation in peacekeeping.  Further, ODIHR and DCAF’s Compendium of Standards, Good practices and Recommendations on the Human Rights of Armed Forces Personnel calls on the armed forces to recognize the right to family life of serving personnel, including to promote the recruitment, representation and career advancement of women.

The webinar is part of a series of toolkit-related online events organized by ODIHR and DCAF, together with UN Women, since 2021.

Participation

To join the webinar, please register here.

Interpretation will be available in English, French, Russian, Spanish and Georgian.