Integrate a gender perspective into the Commanders daily work

SWEDINT – 12 December 2014 kl: 17.04
Archived news

The Commanding Officer Seminar on Gender Perspectives was conducted the 2-4 of December, 2014 at the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations (NCGM).The Seminar aimed to increase Commanding Officers’ knowledge of how a gender perspective can be integrated into the daily work at operational and tactical level and also provide practical examples how gender functions can assist commanders and staff. 

Commanding Officer Seminar, NCGM, Swedint
Commanding Officer Seminar, NCGM, Swedint
Chairman Col. Christer Tistam, Sweden and Subject Matter Expert Maj. Ulrika Rosenkilde Photo: Thorsten Hagelberg, SWEDINT
Commanding Officer Seminar, NCGM, Swedint
From left: Col. Stéphane Bellamy, France, Ms. Julie McKay, Australia, BrigGen. Michael Claesson, Sweden and Col. Roel Been, Photo: Thorsten Hagelberg, SWEDINT

On the first day participants were provided with background, terms and definitions in combination with practical examples on how gender perspectives have been integrated into military operations. The second day highlighted the important issue of Conflict Related Sexual Violence. Participants also discussed how the different gender functions can be used as a resource to the Commanding Officer. The third day concentrated on practical examples on how gender perspectives have been integrated within NATO and UN. All lectures were tailored for commanding officers and followed by round table and panel discussions. The most valuable parts of these days were undoubtedly the discussions where participants shared their own knowledge, experience and challenges.

Participants from eight countries, both civilian and military attended to the seminar. One of the participants commented the seminar saying: “I am now aware of background, references, what other countries are doing and real examples of how to implement the gender perspective”. Another participant stated that the seminar was “a great venue and opportunity to learn about the topic and share experiences”.

The seminar is an annual event with the next scheduled for 24 – 26 of November 2015.