Kvinner innen sikkerhet: et arbeid i fremgang?

Women in security:

a work in progress?

Are there enough women in security?

I don’t think

there has ever been a female

as the Head

of the Defence Department

or a security advisor,

that sort of thing.

Areas where warfare

is more central, I think,

are still relegated to men,

which is, you know, unfortunate.

Women in political positions do not

always represent women's issues.

And they shouldn’t be

voted in to do that.

But the more there are women of all

status at the decision-making table,

the more we can respond

to their concerns.

Overall there are more and more

women in leadership positions

in security and defence.

And it’s less and less written about.

And that’s important,

the fact that it’s just not newsworthy

anymore, and it shouldn’t be.

We looked at the women

in the armed forces,

where we had representatives

from the British armed forces.

One of the people

was a British female combat pilot,

a combat rescue pilot, who was

actually very highly decorated

as a consequence

of actions in Afghanistan.

I don’t suppose anybody

cared in the slightest

about the gender of the pilot

rescuing them.

How can men help

improve the situation?

I think men are critical

and I see men

as our allies in our struggle

to achieve equal rights

and opportunities for all.

I think their voice

and their engagement

is absolutely necessary

for us to be able to succeed.

I think you can’t change

issues like gender-based violence,

unless you engage men and boys.

Often they are perpetrators.

There’s also a role to be played

by men and boys as agents of change

in the same way

there's a role for women

to be playing as agents of change.

Do gender issues get

the treatment they deserve?

Gender is still considered

a separate item on the list,

whereas I think

everybody should be aware

when you go into operations,

when you plan for operations

that gender perspective is taken,

but not just by women

that are gender advisors,

but by the average military.

Let’s get away from:

Let’s address gender issues

once everything else is being solved.

That is often the answer.

That was the answer in the Arab

Spring. We hear that regularly.

Let’s address gender issues

from the beginning.

What difference could

existing initiatives make?

If the resolutions were implemented

as they were meant to be,

we would make substantial progress.

In women at the table,

combatting violence,

addressing crimes,

improving access to justice.

I think we would have lasting peace.

I believe that if we would

really have a strengthened role

of women in the peace negotiations,

but also in post-conflict settings,

that we could reach something,

which is more lasting than it is now.

The goal behind all those resolutions

and all those grand words

is to produce a fairer society.

And that would mean

a much better world.