The UN General Assembly consultations on System-wide Coherence continued on 16 May 2008, when UN member States met at UN headquarters in New York, US, to discuss the gender dimension of system-wide coherence.

Deliberations focused on the establishment of a new UN gender entity and the creation of an Under-Secretary-General post on gender and women’s rights, with some countries supporting the creation of a new body, and others favoring further discussions before any decision is made. Co-Chair Paul Kavanagh (Ireland) stressed the importance of addressing gaps within the UN system and asked the UN Secretary-General to submit a non-paper on the current status of gender within the UN system. Delegations were informed that a debate to address the gender issue on a more programmatic level is scheduled for the beginning of June 2008. Also planned for early June is an information session to learn more about the undertakings within the Chief Executive Board.
Links to further information
Center for UN Reform Education press release, 19 May 2008
Co-Chairs Mahiga and Kavanagh’s letter, 12 May 2008