Support for women’s leadership in the defence sector continues
Date:
Women are a minority in the defence sector. Thus, supporting their promotion to leadership and decision-making positions is an important task for the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. UN Women in Georgia is actively working in this area and, along with various initiatives and in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), is implementing the Women in Defence Leadership Programme at the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
The programme aims to promote the empowerment and career advancement of women in the defence sector so that they can overcome the barriers encountered against their promotion to leadership positions. In addition, it contributes to the formation of a more inclusive, effective defence sector in Georgia. The programme includes workshops and online sessions, during which the participants will deepen their knowledge in different areas and acquire relevant skills as well.
A two-day workshop held on 19 and 20 September within the programme was devoted to the topic of mentorship. Mentorship is one of the most efficient ways of helping women overcome career challenges and difficulties in less traditional fields, particularly through collegial solidarity and experience sharing.
The workshop also supported the participants in increasing their self-confidence in order to maximize their opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in their current work and to pave the way for higher leadership positions. A total of 21 participants (19 women and 2 men) attended the workshop. Among them were representatives of both the Ministry of Defence and the Georgian Defence Forces.
“Gender equality training is extremely important for personal development. In addition to knowledge, such meetings give us self-confidence and self-belief,” said Lieutenant Mariam Ambokadze, Acting Head of S-1 of the Staff of the 1st Infantry Brigade, 16th Support Battalion, after the workshop.
The Women in Defence Leadership Programme is implemented within the framework of the UN Women project “Accelerating Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Georgia”, which is funded by the Ministry of Defence of the UK Government.