Organised by the Support Services, the meeting was chaired by the Logistic Commander, General S.A. Antonio Conserva.
Increase military personnel's awareness of Gender issues, foster the exchange of experiences, identify Best practice and concrete recommendations, develop strategies to integrate the Gender perspective within the scope of military policies and operations. These were the objectives of the seminar promoted by Support Services che, Thursday 20 June at the Fiumicino base of Technical Supplies Centre, brought together the Gender Advisor and Gender Focal Point of the main departments of the Logistic Command to discuss the state of the art of gender issues in the Armed Forces and share the High Command's next objectives.
The meeting allowed for a deeper understanding of various reference concepts in this regard, such as specific definitions of gender perspective, social roles, and the ways in which these are learned – family, school, popular culture, media; as well as analysing the birth and development of Stereotypes e prejudices and the connections that can be established between them.
Particular attention has been paid to the role of the Gender Advisor as an advisor to the Commander on issues relating to Equal opportunities, until Gender perspective and, in line with the UN Resolution “Women, Peace and Security” of 2000, to the adoption of this perspective in terms of analysis, planning and execution of peace and stability operations.
With regard to the matter, the Head of the Support Services, Brigadier General Francesco De Simone, in his opening speech at the seminar, highlighted how “The Gender Advisor is a fundamental strategic figure for the Commander, a transversal consultant who acts as a sensor, and performs a valuable sentry function within the Units.”
“I invite you, however, to consider your role not as a mere position to fill – continued the General, addressing the Gender Advisors present in the room – but rather to a node in a larger network, a network that covers the entire Armed Force. Today's meeting represents an important novelty – he concluded – It is thanks to initiatives of this kind that the Logistics Command is able to implement the gender perspective network down to the Armed Forces' peripheral bodies.”.
During the morning, the meeting continued with several significant contributions from key Armed Forces Officers in the sector – such as the Gender Advisor of the Logistics Command and Support Service – and of the Colonel of the Military Corps of the Italian Red Cross Gerardo Di Ruocco who offered the audience a significant analysis of the relationship between gender and the condition of International Humanitarian Law.
In his welcome address, the Air Force Logistic Commander, Gen. S.A. Antonio Conserva, while recognising the considerable progress made by the Armed Forces in recent years regarding gender issues, has nevertheless highlighted how “....The road ahead is still very long and so Cultural effort to be undertaken must be continuous, so that the gender perspective is not marginalised and sectoral but becomes systemic in peacebuilding processes and in maintenance of stability and security…”.
“…Through the promotion of events, initiatives and meetings such as today's – concluded General Conserva, expressing great satisfaction with the success of the meeting – sare we able to fully affirm the Gender perspective in a military context, not only within Armed Forces units but also in international missions. Indeed, adopting a gender perspective can and must play a key role in the conduct of military operations, in the interpretation and dispute resolution, and in the phases of reconstruction and of Prevention conflicts“.
