Following the unsuccessful attempt to get a woman appointed as UN secretary-general in 2016 and the drop in women in senior posts in 2015, it appeared that gender equality at the UN was as distant as ever. Yet, gender equality within the Secretariat and UN system has been on the organization's agenda since 1970, with goals and target dates set for the level of women's participation and achievement. These have been met in some issue areas (for example, in so-called feminine portfolios) and organizations, but not others. As part of the special issue on “The United Nations at Seventy-Five: Looking Back to Look Forward,” this essay traces the evolution of efforts to increase the representation of women in the UN system and takes stock of their current representation therein, analyzing the data on the Secretariat and appointments to senior posts as well as in various operations and programs.

This article is written in memory of Judge Carl-August Fleischhauer, who died on 4 September 2005, aged 74, during the first year of his retirement after a long and rewarding career in the service of both his native country Germany and the United Nations. The first part of the article sketches Judge Fleischhauer's background and career before being elected to the International Court of Justice, the second part describes his contributions to the work of the Court, and in the last part the authors reflect on the significance of Judge Fleischhauer's contributions to international law.