Natural Democracy

Status of women represented in the United Nations Secretariat

Dad felt that equal representation is essential for world peace. However, as of this writing, only 29.2 percent of the United Nations governing body (the Secretariat) are women. This imbalance should be corrected soon. We certainly have had enough wars since Dad's passing.

Women have been involved in the United Nations since 1945 when the UN Charter was signed and drafted. However, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has only elected four women as President in its 77-year history. The UN Secretariat has also been concerned with the representation of women in managerial and decision-making positions since 1970. It has issued five-year action plans to improve women's status since 1980.

Since 2000, the world has witnessed numerous wars and regional conflicts, some of which are ongoing. Here's a list of the major ones:

Major Wars:

• War in Afghanistan (2001-2021): Initiated by the US and its allies after the September 11 attacks, this war aimed to overthrow the Taliban regime and dismantle al-Qaeda.
• Iraq War (2003-2011): A US-led invasion of Iraq based on claims of weapons of mass destruction, leading to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and a protracted insurgency.
• Syrian Civil War (2011-Present): An ongoing multi-sided conflict involving the Syrian government, various rebel groups, foreign powers, and terrorist organizations.
• War in Darfur (2003-Present): A conflict in western Sudan characterized by ethnic violence, mass displacement, and humanitarian crisis.
• Yemeni Civil War (2014-Present): A complex conflict involving the Yemeni government, Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia-led coalition, and various other factions.
• Russia-Ukraine War (2014-Present): Started with Russia's annexation of Crimea and expanded into a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Regional Conflicts:

• Second Congo War (1998-2003): A conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo involving multiple African nations and various rebel groups.
• Mexican Drug War (2006-Present): An ongoing conflict between the Mexican government and various drug cartels.
• Boko Haram insurgency (2009-Present): An ongoing conflict in northeastern Nigeria and neighboring countries involving the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.
• Sahel Conflict (2012-Present): A complex conflict in the Sahel region of Africa involving various jihadist groups, government forces, and international actors.
• Libyan Crisis (2011-Present): Ongoing political instability and armed conflict in Libya following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

Other notable conflicts:

• Kivu conflict (2004-Present)
• War in North-West Pakistan (2004-Present)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002-Present)
• Somali Civil War (1991-Present)

This list is not exhaustive, and there have been many other smaller conflicts and insurgencies around the world. You can find more detailed information on Wikipedia:

• List of wars: 2003–present: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars:_2003%E2%80%93present

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Secretariat#:~:text=Representation%20of%20women%20in%20the,achieving%20gender%20parity%20remained%20slow.