The UN Security Council and Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation

The brief examines gender representation among individuals invited to brief the UN Security Council between 2015 and 2021. While the period remained male-dominated overall, the proportion of male briefers fell from 77% in 2015 to 52% in 2021. Women are more frequently represented when briefing as members of civil society organizations (CSOs) or government institutions, whereas men dominate the UN system and other multilateral organizations. The authors note a positive trend in the consultation of women's CSOs, which have moved from being primarily invited to thematic Women, Peace and Security (WPS) debates to briefing on a wider array of country-specific issues, including Afghanistan, Colombia, the DRC, Libya, and Mali.

• Between 2015 and 2021, the UN Security Council's invited briefers were predominantly male, though the gender gap narrowed significantly over the period. Male briefers accounted for 70% of all recorded briefers, but their proportion decreased from 77% in 2015 to 52% in 2021.
• There is a distinct gender divide based on the organizational affiliation of the briefers. Men primarily represent the UN system and other multilateral organizations, while women are more frequently found representing government institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs).
• The UN system is the most dominant source of briefers, accounting for 63% of all individuals. Within this group, there is a strong male imbalance, with 78% being men and 22% being women.
• Women's CSOs have seen an increase in both the frequency of their invitations and the diversity of the topics they address. In 2015, women's CSOs were invited to brief five times, mostly for WPS meetings; by 2021, they were invited 16 times, covering 12 different topics including 10 country-specific meetings such as Afghanistan, Colombia, the DRC, Libya, and Mali.
• The representation of women varies significantly by meeting topic. Women were consulted more frequently than men on eight specific topics, including Haiti, the Middle East, and Women, Peace and Security (WPS)—the latter of which had no male briefers. Conversely, men dominated deliberations on Sanctions, Mali, and Israel/Palestine.

APA

Olsson, L., & Obermeier, A. M. (2022). The UN Security Council and Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/dc34d77c-7f71-40a2-9448-76c4054eedc7/Obermeier and Olsson - The UN Security Council and Womens Full Equal and Meaningful Participation GPS Policy Brief 1-2022.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Olsson, Louise, and Anna Marie Obermeier. The UN Security Council and Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2022. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/dc34d77c-7f71-40a2-9448-76c4054eedc7/Obermeier and Olsson - The UN Security Council and Womens Full Equal and Meaningful Participation GPS Policy Brief 1-2022.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Olsson |first1=Louise |last2=Obermeier |first2=Anna Marie |title=The UN Security Council and Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2022 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/dc34d77c-7f71-40a2-9448-76c4054eedc7/Obermeier and Olsson - The UN Security Council and Womens Full Equal and Meaningful Participation GPS Policy Brief 1-2022.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{olsson2022security, author = {Olsson, Louise and Obermeier, Anna Marie}, title = {{The UN Security Council and Women’s Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2022}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/dc34d77c-7f71-40a2-9448-76c4054eedc7/Obermeier and Olsson - The UN Security Council and Womens Full Equal and Meaningful Participation GPS Policy Brief 1-2022.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }