Portugal passes the position of Chair of the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives to the United States
On 23rd May 2023, the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff (IMS), Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak hosted the handover ceremony for the Chair of the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives (NCGP). Lieutenant Colonel Diana Morais (Portugal) handed the position over to the Chair-Elect Lieutenant Colonel Jane Male (USA).
The NCGP promotes gender mainstreaming as a strategy for making the concerns and experiences men, women, boys and girls an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and military operations. By promoting the integration of the gender perspective into all of the Alliance’s work as part of NATO’s commitment to the implementation of UNSCR 1325, the NCGP contributes to operational effectiveness in line with Alliance objectives and priorities.
Lieutenant Colonel Morais has been with the NCGP Executive Committee for a total of 6 years, including 2 years as the Chair and has done this alongside of her work as the gender adviser to the Portuguese Minister of National Defence and Head of the Equality Office at the Ministry of National Defence. During this time, she has chaired two annual conferences. The ceremony was an opportunity to acknowledge and sincerely thank Lieutenant Colonel Morais and Portugal for the commendable work and continued support to raising awareness of the gender perspective within the Alliance through the Committee.
The IMS Office of the Gender Advisor (GENAD) would like to thank Lieutenant Colonel Morais for her contributions to the NCGP over the past 6 years as well as her collaboration with the IMS GENAD office on the important topic of the integration of the gender perspective in NATO’s military operations, missions and tasks. The Office also welcomes the new Chair Lieutenant Colonel Male as she begins her new role in the US Military Representation to NATO.