Discussion with the Equality Commissioner, Josie Christodoulou, and the US Ambassador, Julie Fisher, at the University of Nicosia on women's participation in politics
The importance of women's participation in the fields of diplomacy, of security and defense were underlined on Monday by the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Josie Christodoulou and the US Ambassador to Cyprus, Julie Fisher, who were among the speakers at an event at the University of Nicosia.
“To maintain security and stability in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean region, we need the best, both men and women, in the service of the most critical sectors – in the Ministry of Defence, the National Guard, the police,” said the Ambassador of the USA who participated as a guest in a discussion on “Women in Diplomacy: Shaping Foreign Policy, Security and Defense”, organized by the Diplomatic Academy of the University of Nicosia. The introductory presentation at the event was given by the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Jozi Christodoulou.
During her speech, the American Ambassador referred to the challenges that women had to face in the last 50-60 years to be able to participate in decision-making centers in these areas. Ms. Fischer underlined the importance of UN resolution 1325, stating that it calls for the increased participation of women at all levels of decision-making, in national and international organizations, regarding issues of peace and security.
The Mr. Fisher also noted that “more women must be willing to come forward on the issue of hard power if we want to have more women in leadership positions in the future” and added that “it is imperative to recognize the contribution of women in traditionally male-dominated spaces', among others, in military command and intelligence gathering.
Referring to issues of security and stability, Mrs. Fisher underlined Cyprus' “excellent reputation in the field of maritime search and rescue”, while making special reference to the Search and Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, pointing out that it “hosted the collaborative efforts of more than 20 countries by the end of 2023' for contingency planning in light of regional conflicts.
In her opening speech to the debate, Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou noted that this is an area where “small countries like Cyprus have the opportunity to have a disproportionately large impact” and even “become best practice cases for other states that will follow their path”.
Mrs. Christodoulou mentioned that currently in Cyprus, out of 166 diplomats, 55 are women, while 10 women are heads of Diplomatic Missions and, for the first time in history, a woman is the head of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the UN, in New York.
He also said that four women head key departments of the Foreign Office, such as the Directorate of Political Affairs, the General Secretariat for European Affairs, the Directorate of Cyprus, Turkey, British Bases and Maritime Policy, as well as in the Protocol Address.
The Commissioner also spoke about the “critical role” of UN resolution 1325, saying that “women bring enormous benefits to diplomacy” and adding that “the absence of more women from decision-making centers has a significant impact as the global economic, health and regional insecurity affect women and men in different ways, with women being the most affected.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nicosia, Konstantinos Fellas, presenting the topic of the debate, noted that our institutions and societies cannot function properly, without the participation of everyone and underlined that closing the gender gap is not only a matter of human rights, but also a matter of efficiency and economic productivity, as women have to offer 50% of the talents available.
Dr. Konstantinos Adamidis, Deputy Head of the Department of Political Sciences and Management at the University, noted in his speech that there is still a lot of room for development for women in these areas and he said that some countries need more female participation than others.
Petros Petrikkos, PhD candidate presented some milestones for Cyprus in relation to Resolution 1325 UN, such as the first gender studies program at a university in 2012, the establishment of a gender advisor position at UNFICYP in 2017 and a gender advisor position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2019, as well as the National Strategy for Gender Equality in 2024 .
