The NATO leadership runs for Gender Equality

  • 23 Apr. 2016 -
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  • Last updated: 27 Apr. 2016 15:27

On Saturday 23 April 2016, the NATO Headquarters hosted the first solidarity run “She Runs, He Runs, We Run” to raise awareness for the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women Peace and Security.

Almost 200 participants from 17 NATO Nations and two partner countries took part in the run. Among them were ambassadors, military representatives and members of the NATO Staff. Leading the way were the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel, Lieutenant General Jan Broeks, the next Director General of the International Military Staff, and Ambassador Marriët Schuurman, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women Peace and Security.

NATO supports Gender Equality and is committed to removing barriers for women’s participation in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building.  NATO has adopted an Overarching Policy which is based on the key pillars of UNSCR 1325 and related Resolutions. This Policy aims to ensure that a gender perspective is mainstreamed throughout NATO policies, activities and efforts aimed at conflict prevention and resolution. 

Since taking up his post as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Pavel has been at the forefront of the NATO Gender Equality movement, supporting many events and speaking out on this issue. One his first contributions as Chairman was to support the UN Women HeForShe Campaign in July 2015, where senior NATO military leadership and staff joined the movement and made a campaign video.

The concept for the run was presented by Ambassador Marriët Schuurman, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women Peace and Security and Olympic Champions Katerina Neumannova and Eva Samkova on 8 March 2016, the International Women’s Day. On the same day, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg  welcomed NATO member and partner countries to a “Barbershop Conference” on leadership engagement in gender equality, hosted by Canada and Iceland. General Pavel attended the event and pledged “the integration of gender equality into NATO’s peace and security work”.