During the morning of the eighth of January, the committee of the Youth Assembly received the illustrious presence of Angelika Muller, the Head of the Official Relations and Correspondence Unit in charge of the International Labour Organization governance. They were able to hear the voice of experience on an extremely important issue in the current global context: gender equality in organizations such as ILO or the UN. During the debates, the delegates were able to discuss with Mrs. Muller, the different ways that the youth can be part of a process of change, to achieve gender equality and relate to multilateralism.
An enriching interview with Mrs. Muller
During this exchange, we had the opportunity to understand what we can do to improve gender equality in organizations such as the UN or the ILO. In her words : “ At the ILO, we focus not only on the substance of gender equality, but also on monitoring participation. We prepare gender infographics for all ILO events to track, at all times, the percentage of men and women participating in international organizations and conferences. We have seen some progress, but in most cases, women’s participation still does not even reach 40%. Therefore, there is still a lot of progress to be done.”
What stands out from this discussion ?
In conclusion, the debate with Mrs. Muller emphasized that achieving gender equality requires not only institutional reforms, but also the participation of young people. By promoting dialogue and inclusive policies, the Youth Assembly reaffirmed the role of the youth in advancing equality and contributing to a more fair and representative system. As future actors of multilateralism, young people are not only observers of this process, but key stakeholders in ensuring that equality becomes a standard rather than an objective still to be reached.
Ana Luisa Franzen and Leah Gonzalez