Committed to advancing gender equality: The CCP Women’s Network wins the 2022 UNOV/UNODC Gender Award

VIENNA (AUSTRIA), 25 MAY 2022 – On 25 April 2022, the first awards ceremony of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV)/United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Gender Awards took place in Vienna. The recently launched award recognizes the outstanding efforts of United Nations (UN) programmes in implementing the UNOV/UNODC strategy for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

As an organization that sets global standards, this award highlights the UN’s commitment to lead by example in areas of gender parity, and the provision of equal opportunities, rewards, and resources for women. The UN understands that greater gender representation not only supports the fundamental human right of gender equality, but also enhances organizational performance, and improves national productivity and economic growth. In short, supporting women supports everyone.

The 552 votes cast by colleagues at the Vienna headquarters are testament to the positive engagement of UN staff in recognizing the hard work and dedication of programmes in promoting gender equality within the organization. And our colleagues have spoken! The CCP Women’s Network is proud to announce that it is a winner of this new award, under the category of ‘strengthening gender inclusivity in UNODC mandate areas’, for its Women’s Professional Development Programme (WPDP) initiative. This award acknowledges the exceptional efforts of CCP personnel in contributing to the fight for gender equality and women’s empowerment within the customs and law enforcement sectors.

Working within a traditionally male-dominated industry, it is vital for women officers to be supported in their leadership journeys. In CCP Port Control and Air Cargo Control Units (PCUs and ACCUs) in the Asia Pacific region, 15% of customs and law enforcement officers are women. Moreover, women heads of units across both regions comprise 24% of all team leaders. The CCP knows that we can do better to encourage a more balanced gender representation. In this context, the CCP Women’s Network set out to inspire women officers and institutional partners alike in promoting the professional development of women working in these sectors.

Director-General/ Executive Director of UNOV/UNODC Ghada Fathi Waly presenting the UNODC/UNODC Gender Award

Implemented in partnership with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and RMIT University, the WPDP initiative provided a unique opportunity for 58 women PCU and ACCU officers in the Asia Pacific region to strengthen their leadership skills, build their international customs network, and engage with speakers from universities, governments, policy institutes, and law enforcement leaders from around the world. A 2022 follow-up workshop also enabled these original graduates to focus on their communication skills, public speaking, and emotional intelligence. On International Customs Day 2022, all women successfully completed this module, and have now gained credit points towards a Master of International Justice and Criminology or a Master of Global Studies. These women have gained a renewed sense of confidence and purpose to advance in their profession and encourage other women to join these sectors.

The CCP Women’s Network is grateful for the generous support of ABF and RMIT University, as well as the votes of our UNOV/UNODC colleagues, and offers special congratulations to all the other winners. Invigorated by this recognition, the Women’s Network will now turn its focus towards Eastern and Southern Africa, where a new version of the WPDP will be implemented in June 2022!

Let’s keep this momentum going and commit to supporting women leaders in all sectors and corners of the world. The time for equality is NOW.

Further information

Learn more about the WPDP and the people behind it: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/gender/news/2022-gender-award-winner_-ccp.html.

For more information about our fellow winners and their outstanding efforts to promote gender equality, please visit: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/gender/gender-award.html.