Women leaders in the UN System: Strategies for advancement

Excellencies,
The Director General of UNIDO,
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me first start by thanking Ms. Debbie Landey, Director of UNDOCO, for inviting me to be part of this important event.

Let me also recognize the contributions that women make in providing leadership in various corners of the world, from being Presidents of countries, heading up international, regional and local institutions, and to most of you assuming the responsibilities of Resident Coordinators in the UN  system.  Each one of these positions have challenges and opportunities in different ways.

The theme of this year’s workshop is centred around equipping our staff, especially female staff, with clear strategies for advancement in a fast evolving world.

Today, traditionally male or female dominated jobs are more and more open to both genders.  We are also increasing the number of countries where women can vote, enter bars, hold land assets or have access to credit, though we still have challenges.

Women farmers, for example, grow crops, buy and sell products, cook, feed their children and manage the household chores including walking distances to fetch water several times a day for their families.  They perform the majority of the agricultural work and, on a global scale, women cultivate more than half of the world food supply, and yet, they are expected to carry on their chores in their households.

Despite the immense contribution to global food security, women farmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in development strategies, and smallholder farmers are still often wrongly perceived as “male” by policy-makers.  This kind of misconception still exists in various areas, from smallholder farmers to the corporate world globally.

The key to our successes is having the right skills and knowledge, motivation and performance in the right place at the right time.  We should strive for excellence at all times, seek opportunities, not be afraid to take on new challenges and be promoted and recognized based on our respective demonstrated merits.

While women have made great strides in the global workforce, they are still lagging behind in leadership positions and mid-level managerial roles.  The public sector has seemingly seen more women rise to the top than in the private sector.

The good news is that companies are increasingly seeing women as strong employees.  According to an Accenture study of senior executives in over 20 countries, 71 percent of respondents considered women to be more resilient workers than their male counterparts, overcoming challenges and often turning challenges into opportunities.

Quality is clearly one of the strongest determining factors of employee retention, particularly during any economic downturns, as the current global economic environment.  And while gender diversity continues to be a pressing issue across all workplaces, we will continue to see progress perhaps slowly but surely.

Let me share with you some personal experience.  I am Japanese but grew up in different countries of the world due to my father’s profession and the first time I was ever conscious of being a women was when I declared that I wanted to study Economics at University. 

My parents were fine, but my grandmother scolded my mother for failing to bring up her daughter properly because I should be learning flower arrangements, cooking and sewing so that I can be married off to a good man.  Interestingly, my grandfather, who would be 117 years old if he were alive today and a very educated academic professor of law, simply gave me one advice – “study what you would like but never forget that you are a woman”.  I took this advice only positively and till this day, I find it useful.

I continued into graduate school and eventually became a professional, married and had a daughter and continued with my profession.  In other words, I never gave up my femininity to advance in my career.  Also, what man would like to work in an office with a woman who acts like a man or tries to be like a man?

When I was in graduate school, Japan became a non-regional member of the Inter-American Development Bank, so I applied for a summer internship.  I was called for an interview to Washington DC but was not accepted because I did not speak a word of Spanish. 

The HR officer at the time however did not just reject me but told me that he would keep my resume and advised me to go and learn Spanish.  I had limited money and nothing to do during the summer, and every Spanish school I looked into were too expensive.  At the time, a very close Mexican friend got married to an American who was also a close friend and invited me to go to Mexico so that I can go to the University to learn Spanish with his wife.  Off I went and learnt Spanish, six weeks later, I dropped by IDB and gave the same HR officer my grades.  He was delighted and a year later, called me to be interviewed for the young professional programme. 

Wherever I worked, I listened to my boss’s advice and did my very best.  Later, I had to go back to Japan and started working for JP Morgan.  A few years later, I became pregnant.  When I went on maternity leave, I resigned the week before I was due back in my office because I could not bear to leave my baby at home.  Within 24 hours of resigning, I received calls from my bosses and the global head in NY.  This man said “why don’t you take an extra three weeks off to find a nanny for your baby, come back to work for one week and at the end of that week, if you still want to quit, I will respect your decision and will accept your resignation”. 

Essentially I had a free option, but above all, I was very moved by the offer for there was no better way to show appreciation of my work.  I went back to work as promised, and realized I could switch on and off from being a professional to a mummy without problems and never looked back.  And more importantly, I was so grateful to my boss that I worked harder to ensure I did not let him down.   This then led to promotions and further recognition and endless more opportunities.

In 2004, I had a new opportunity to become the Executive Vice President of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank Group, and now, the Vice President of IFAD.

When I joined the WBG, I was asked “don’t you think this is a wonderful diverse place to work?”  Yes, it was, but let me also tell you that I have never been reminded so often of the fact that I was a Japanese and a woman.  Sometimes we are over conscious of these things and I dream of the world when you stop being reminded or being conscious.  The private sector never made me conscious of these facts and I was just worried about “doing well and adding value”.

Overall, what got me where I am today are probably the following factors.  My education, perseverance and resilience, unafraid to take on new challenges, being at the right place at the right time, and having had the luck to be supported by the right people when I needed them most and listening to their advice.

So let me finish by sharing some points that I have learnt from experience:

Stay on top of your skill sets – one never stops learning and we have to keep up with new technologies and the evolving world.

Listen to your gut instincts and go for it.  When a good opportunity comes up, don’t hesitate to take it on.

Choose your boss rather than the institution and if you are already the boss, be a good boss – find a good mentor and be a good mentor.

Don’t let someone who gives you a good opportunity down.  The best way to thank him/her is to perform well and help him/her show that he/she was right in supporting you. 

Don’t stay in one place where you stop learning or stop adding value.

And don’t forget to be a woman – enjoy your family and don’t let maternity leaves or being a mother deter you. Instead, be a model for your sons and daughters.

Thank you for your attention.

21 June 2010