Scandinavian countries are internationally renowned for being progressive, liberal, and trailblazing in terms of equality. Norway is no exception, and at its helm, Ambassador Tormod C. Endresen, Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations Office at Geneva, has pinpointed gender equality as a key issue to tackle. In an exclusive interview, we delve further into this topic for a deeper understanding of the steps this ambassador is making to empower women.
Tormod C. Endresen trained as a lawyer at the beginning of his career, before a series of postings in the foreign service. He had multiple bilateral postings all over the world from New York to China and Singapore. His last job before this was in the Norwegian Prime Minister’s Office in Oslo, which he admits gives him “a lateral background with knowledge of the real world.” Added to this, his wife is a Norwegian diplomat, so he has spent time accompanying her and their young family for three years in Athens when she was working at the embassy there.
When asked about his main priorities in Geneva as Ambassador of Norway, he states: “my mandate is to look for opportunities in multilateral work. It is a challenging time for multilateralism, but at the same time it is very important that we all strive to find those areas of overlapping interests.” Norway is certainly highly involved and invested in the UN, which Ambassador Endresen accredits to the consistency and dedication of the country to the UN system. As for his part in it, he remarks “I’m here to make sure that the glass is half full rather than half empty, and to be a constructive partner across regions and with other UN organizations.”
This work in multilateralism is one of the broader priorities for Norway, but the conversation soon focuses onto the topic of gender and gender equality. This is something that Ambassador Endresen feels passionately about, as he comments, “I think there is so much to gain from gender equality.” In his lifetime, he reflects that “gender equality has been the biggest accelerator of social and economic progress.” As a result of various schemes to increase gender equality, there have been huge economic advantages for Norway which have not been replicated in all other countries. The ambassador said this is because “we are currently living at a time with pushback against gender equality, which is hugely unfortunate.”
To push the agenda and “make sure that half the talent pool is being efficiently utilized,” as Ambassador Endresen says, is important from a “rights point of view,” but also because it propels economic growth. The Norwegian foreign service has a close to even split at Head of Mission level, which is extremely advanced in this sector, and “is an agenda we are trying to push globally,” the ambassador adds, as well as the representation of women in their domestic governments around the world.
Although there is a long way to go, Ambassador Endresen says there is hope, as “over the last few years, many talented female agency heads have been appointed in Geneva”, which has embedded a sort of “culture” fostered in Norway because of “deliberate political leadership which started with quotas and affirmative action.”
In terms of the initiatives driven at a macro level by the Norwegian ambassador, he insists it is a matter of addressing it at “a normative level,” from ensuring the language around gender equality remains intact to representation of both genders on boards, and going on diverse panels when doing talks. Another key to success is ensuring that there is a work-life balance for men and women and being conscious of colleagues’ family commitments.
Addressing the barriers to a normative approach to improving gender equality involves tackling stereotypes. Ambassador Endresen says “it is a matter of lived experience, as I have become used to a working environment surrounded by competent female colleagues.” Political and social leaders have a duty to continue this culture.
From a personal perspective, Ambassador Endresen has benefited from flexible employment contracts to cater to his family life. He took three years leave of absence to look after his children while his wife was working, which has been a source of enrichment to his family. This is a “distant dream for most of my male ambassador colleagues” he says, grateful for the opportunity to have the freedom to take that time and then get back on the career track which led him to the ambassadorship in Geneva. He adds that the team at the Norwegian Mission in Geneva “all work extremely hard, especially when there are negotiating processes, so to afford them the flexibility in quieter periods is key to happy employees.”
Ambassador Endresen, as father to two daughters, says he hopes to contribute to a better world that will provide them with the same opportunities as their male counterparts, which is also a world that we all stand to gain from, as Norway has proven through economic and social advancements.
Reflecting on the issue at large, the ambassador ends the interview poignantly stating that “we need to make sure the progress we have made will not go away.”
