VCDNP Research Fellow Louis Reitmann analyses recent pushback against established language on gender equality across the multilateral forums in Vienna in a new paper, published by the Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy (GCNP) initiative. The paper received contributions from VCDNP Research Intern Alexander Hoppenbrouwers.
While gender equality language has been anchored in the UN system since the unanimous adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, opposition to this language has obstructed multilateral decision-making and prevented the adoption of several outcome documents at the international organisations in Vienna since September 2023.
Drawing on the insights and experience of diplomats from a diverse range of countries, the paper establishes a record of relevant events at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and other forums.
As the first comprehensive analysis of this development, it examines the causes and drivers for this pushback and its impact on multilateral diplomacy on the important issues handled in Vienna, from nuclear non-proliferation to the peaceful uses of outer space. The paper reviews reactions to this pushback and offers seven concrete recommendations to support efforts to preserve consensus language on gender equality and reduce disruption to daily diplomatic business in Vienna.
The paper was launched at a hybrid event on 12 September 2024, hosted by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) in Washington, D.C. A recording of the event is linked below.
The report was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
