In the coming weeks, UN agencies, NGOs and the member states interested in 1325 will be involved in a host of formal and informal events. The head of the Dept. of Peacekeeping Operations will be making his speech to the Council, outlining his commitments to 1325.

But the UN is as good as its member states, and they - our governments - have been slow to respond.  There are efforts under way to get national action plans for 1325, but they will take time.  

I think we need to mount another very specific campaign at the national level, with one specific demand... that member states of the UN prove that they are submitting equal numbers of women and men for senior UN positions to the Secretary General.  The UN system claims that senior personnel, for example Special Represenatives heading peace missions, are political appointments that must be nominated and approved by member states. If the states don't give women's names, the UN is hard pushed to appoint them.  

If we can target governments to submit lists with 50% or more qualified women, the UN will no longer be able to use that excuse, nor will they be able to reject qualified women, simply because the handful they have are not endorsed by their governments.   Can we do it ladies??