Tuesday, July 10, 2012

NATO: Boost Number of Women Troops


Jul 10, 2012
NATO countries should raise the number of women soldiers and improve promotion opportunities for its female security and defense chiefs, alliance officials agreed at a conference in Sofia on Tuesday.
"Whether it is ending a conflict, managing a transition or rebuilding a country, the world can no longer afford to continue ignoring half of the population," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Marie Yovanovitch said at the forum.
Over 90 top-rank defence and security officials from 21 NATO members and partners joined the conference, which highlighted the practical contributions women can make in the military, both as soldiers and as decision-makers.
Yovanovitch especially noted the unique role of women in peace negotiations and in resolving gender-related conflicts or problems linked to abuse of marginalised groups.
The U.S. official warned that as the number of women soldiers grew, it was important to open their way to decision-making positions by providing them with training and better promotion opportunities.
"Prejudices still exist among armed forces commanders about the number of women in their ranks and the positions they should be allowed to take," Bulgarian Defence Minister Anyu Angelov said, insisting that promotions should instead be based on merit.

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