Suchergebnisse

Som valgt medlem av FNs sikkerhetsråd i perioden 2021–2022 hadde Norge mulighet til å utgjøre en forskjell og yte innflytelse i verdens mektigste organ. I rollen som pennefører for Afghanistan gjorde Norge nettopp det. I løpet av medlemskapsperioden vedtok Sikkerhetsrådet å forlenge mandatet til FNs politiske oppdrag i Afghanistan (UNAMA), samt vedtok flere presseuttalelser og presidentuttalelser om situasjonen i Afghanistan. Bakteppet for den krevende jobben som pennefører var Talibans maktovertakelse i Afghanistan i august 2021 og Russlands angrepskrig mot Ukraina fra februar 2022. Med utgangspunkt i praksisteori og på bakgrunn av intervjuer med norske diplomater som forhandlet på vegne av Norge i FNs sikkerhetsråd, samt diplomater fra andre faste og valgte medlemsland, ser vi i denne artikkelen nærmere på den uformelle penneførerrollen i FNs sikkerhetsråd og Norges innsats som leder for arbeidet med Afghanistan. Artikkelen konkluderer med at penneførerrollen i FNs sikkerhetsråd er en av de sterkeste verktøyene for å oppnå innflytelse i enkeltsaker for valgte medlemsland, men er betinget av medlemslandenes diplomatiske kapital. Videre utgjør den uformelle praksisen også en mulighet til å fremme egne prioriteringer i Sikkerhetsrådet.
Abstract in English:Penholding in the UN Security Council: A Window of OpportunityAs an elected member of the UN Security Council between 2021 and 2022, Norway had the opportunity to achieve results within one of the world's most powerful institutions. As a penholder on Afghanistan, Norway accomplished several important press statements, presidential statements and the 2022 extension of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The context for this work was the seizure of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan in August 2021, and the invasion of Ukraine by the veto power Russia in February 2022. Based on interviews with Norwegian diplomats, and other elected and permanent members, this article investigates the informal penholder system in the UN Security Council. Furthermore, it looks into Norway's role and experience as the penholder for Afghanistan. Practice theory brings insight to how an informal practice like penholding in the UN Security Council can provide influence for elected members if they know how to take advantage of this role. The article concludes that penholding is an important role for elected members in order to achieve influence in a specific case, but also to promote one's own priority areas. However, influence through penholding is still conditioned by the country's social capital, and goodwill from permanent members of the Security Council.

• Women appear to be disproportionately affected by Covid-19 • Pushback on global commitment to gender equality • Gender equality and human development are correlated: focussing on gender equality will have a catalytic effect on the SDGs • The increasing strain on peace operations is likely to have a negative effect on the WPS agenda. ; publishedVersion

More women are needed in UN peace operations, both on the grounds of equality and performance. March 2020 survey data and empirical evidence from the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON) highlight the importance of greater gender parity in UN peace operations for missions to successfully achieve their mandated tasks, stressing also the impact of context-specific obstacles and how the absence of enabling and supportive systems means that neither male nor female peacekeepers can perform at their best. Survey findings also point to the risk that the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda – including gender equality in peacekeeping operations – may be treated as a second-tier concern if set against other pressing issues. In the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic and an evolving global recession– this risk is intensified. A continued political and financial commitment to increasing numbers is a prerequisite for achieving greater gender parity and equality. However, in terms of discourse, we need to move beyond having to prove the added value of female participation, which places an extra burden on those concerned. ; publishedVersion

Gender parity at all levels in the UN, as a means towards gender equality, is a two-decades old commitment, reflecting core values as old as the UN itself. Despite this, progress on increasing the number of female peacekeepers has been slow and uneven, particularly in uniformed roles – but also in peace processes. This is due to a number of reasons, but in particular a lack of political will, financing and accountability, and resistance to gender equality. We argue that a paradigm shift is needed, both on performance diversity grounds but also on normative equality grounds. To implement already agreed upon benchmarks and resolutions, the UN and its member states need to focus more on the operational value of diversity in fulfilling the tasks at hand, both for national security forces and in peace operations. Gender should be considered a central component in this required diversity. In the current situation where we witness a pushback on support to women's rights; ensuring diversity should not only be considered a key priority, but also a national and international security imperative. ; publishedVersion