OSCE marks International Women’s Day 2017

On the 8^th of March, the OSCE joins governments, organizations and individuals worldwide to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) – a day for celebrating the socioeconomic, cultural and political achievements of women. At the same time, the day is also a yearly reminder of gender equality challenges and gaps and it is a good occasion for a renewed call to action for promoting it.

Though progress has been made globally to improve the position of women in society, the gender gap still exists in every country in the world. This is why International Women’s Day still matters in 2017. 

Addressing the gender pay gap

Though women’s labour market participation has increased globally in the past decades, women still make 76 cents for every one euro a man makes.

More efforts are needed to achieve equality for the work women do, since at the current pace, we still have 170 years to go before closing the gender pay gap.[1]

Women’s economic participation essential for security and stability

The OSCE is strongly committed to promoting equal opportunities for women in the economic sphere, as women’s participation contributes significantly towards economic recovery, sustainable growth and the creation of cohesive societies, and thus is essential to the security and stability of the OSCE region[2].

Join the OSCE this year on International Women’s Day to promote gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

In 2011, the OSCE participating Sates adopted Ministerial Council Decision No. 10/11 on the promoting equal opportunity for women in the economic sphere.

Using the language of music to promote diversity

An orchestra brings together a delicate balance of different voices to create a beautiful whole. In the same way, gender equality is about accepting the unique individuality that each of us brings to our common humanity, says world-renowned Italian flautist Luisa Sello.

Italian flautist Luisa Sello in concert with the Croatian National Theatre, Udine, 2011.

In chamber music, if you don’t co-operate you cannot play, nothing comes out. Every one of the players, each of them soloists, have to be modest, to give space to the others - so that the their identities combine to make a new one. Music can be a language of co-operation, because you have to deal with others, respect the other, if you want to have a result. In this sense, music is a perfect ideal expression of the dialogue taking place in the OSCE.

The Music of Peace Interview with Luisa Sello, world-renowned Italian flautist.

Read the full interview here

Connecting Gender Equality to Peace and Security

OSCE monitoring officers serving as Gender Focal Points within the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) talk about their daily contributions to gender equality and why the SMM is determined to connect gender equality to sustainable peace and security efforts.

Olga Scripovscaia, who from Donetsk leads the largest SMM team, has been instrumental in introducing diversity to male-dominated meetings with security actors.

The SMM Gender Focal Points promote gender equality within their teams and the mission and throughout the communities in which they work. The network includes members of both sexes who advise and support their SMM colleagues to ensure both men and women’s contributions and concerns are captured in mission reports and activities.

Read the full story here