A board of experts has been appointed to help mainstream a gender equality perspective across the priorities, initiatives, and mandates of the 76th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. The Board was first established by the previous UNGA presidency, and has now been expanded to include more experts, representing UN Member States, UN Secretariat bodies, and stakeholders.

On the purpose of the Board, UNGA President Abdulla Shahid said advancing gender equality has taken on new urgency as COVID-19 is challenging the achievement of SDG 5. The Board is intended to “facilitate critical thought and advice on gender issues” and “help mainstream a gender perspective” across the priorities, initiatives, and mandates of UNGA 76.

Shahid announced the members on 20 October 2021. They include the two co-chairs of the Group of Friends on Gender Parity – Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar, and Valentine Rugwabiza, Permanent Representative of Rwanda – as well as a member of the previous UNGA President’s Board of Advisors, Jukka Salovaara, Permanent Representative of Finland, and the Co-coordinator of the Circle of Women Ambassadors, Egriselda Aracely González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador.

The other members are:

• Thilmeeza Hussain, Permanent Representative of Maldives and Special Envoy to the UNGA President
• Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women
• Ilze Brands Kehris, Head of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights-New York Office
• Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
• Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of UN Global Compact
• Patricia Torsney, Permanent Observer of the Inter-parliamentary Union
• Soon-Young Yoon, UN representative of the International Alliance of Women, and Chair of the Board, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

The observers to the Advisory Board are Catherine Pollard, UN Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, and Jayathma Wickramanayake, Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.

The Board held its first meeting on 28 October 2021. Shahid said gender inequality is “an embarrassment and moral failure for which we can no longer make excuses”. He cited specific goals on which he seeks advice from the Board, including to ensure gender parity in all panels, and to enhance the services of the ‘Family Room’ at UN headquarters as a possible day care service. A summary of discussions at the meeting is forthcoming from the President’s office. [Remarks at first meeting of Advisory Board]