INTRODUCTION
Since 2017, as mandated by the Standing Committee, the Secretary General presents annual public updates on gender mainstreaming within the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s policies and activities and the gender balance within the organisation.
This report therefore reviews how the Assembly has mainstreamed gender into its work in 2022 and the progress achieved towards a fairer gender balance within the Assembly.
At a time of profound upheaval, as Russia launched an unprovoked, brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, the NATO PA has continued to support the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. It bestowed the 2022 “Women for Peace and Security” award upon Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, a role model of Ukraine’s remarkable resistance. The Assembly also urged Allied leaders to incorporate a strong commitment to the WPS agenda in the Alliance’s new Strategic Concept. The NATO PA itself continued to mainstream a gender perspective into its reports, resolutions and activities.
Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam, President of the NATO PA, Kyiv, February 2023
Fairly steady progress towards a more gender-balanced Assembly membership has been made over the past seven years. As this report illustrates, the overall share of women in national delegations reached the highest level on record in March 2023 – at 19.9%. The representation of women among the NATO PA’s top leadership – Bureau and enlarged Bureau – continues to stand at remarkably high levels – close to 43%. Representation of women among the NATO PA staff also remains consistently high.
Women in national delegations
Women in the NATO PA top leadership
Other indicators have remained stable, and some have even decreased. As in previous years, the share of women participants in the 2022 annual session is slightly higher than the share of women in delegations, but its level is the same as 2021 – 23%. Only six delegations are led by women (seven in March 2022), and eight delegations are composed only of men (nine in March 2022) – numbers which have remained fairly stable in recent years. The Assembly’s elected Committee and Sub‑Committee officers (Chairpersons, Vice‑Chairpersons and Rapporteurs) are 23.6% women – a decrease from a 2022 peak at 27%.
NATO PA women Committee/Sub-Committee officers
SHARE THIS PAGE