Sophia Procofieff has worked for the ICRC since 1997 and has held the position of Gender Equality Advisor since 2008. She recently took the time to answer a few of our questions during a visit to Washington, DC: 
 
The position of Gender Equality Advisor is a specialized one at ICRC headquarters. Tell us how it came into existence.
 
In 1988, a member of the ICRC Assembly wrote the first report on the situation of women in the ICRC. Then, it was not until 2001, that the Gender Equality Advisor position was created. At this time, it was just a part-time position. In 2005, it became what we call an "80% position," but now that I occupy the post, I plan to make it a full-time one in the near future. 
 
In your role, what areas and themes do you concentrate on the most? 
 
In 2006, the ICRC senior executive team adopted a policy on gender equality, which set forth the need for a yearly assessment, and since then the gender equality advisor has conducted it. And today, we see that there is a persistent difference between the field and headquarters with respect to having women in senior management positions. This is where we need to analyze further the constraints of working where we work. Then we can take appropriate measures to increase the number of women in senior management positions in the field. Another theme that I work on is the issue of locally recruited staff. The 2009 assessment was the first for which human resources could provide me with data on locally hired staff due to the collection of data being centralized. Now we know just how many locally recruited women work for the ICRC and at what level. This will also enhance our understanding of field conditions and constraints.
 
What are the broad goals of the ICRC with respect to gender parity?
 
Well, first, let's answer the question, why do we want gender parity? It is because we are convinced that having gender-balanced teams helps the ICRC deliver better services to populations negatively affected by conflict. It gives the ICRC better access to beneficiaries and better understanding of the environment. At a senior management level, gender-balanced teams help the ICRC have a more creative and innovative management approach.
 
Now with respect to our goals, this is outlined in the gender equality policy. By the end of 2011, the ICRC aims to have at least 30% of positions held by each sex, at all management levels, and at least 40% by the end of 2016.
 
Why do we need these objectives? The data collected will help us to rebalance when there is an over or under-representation at one level or another. For example, there was a recent opening in one human resources division. The job solicitation indicated that all qualifications being equal, preference would be given to a male candidate. This was because this division is currently 95% female. The head of the division believed that a more balanced team would ultimately better serve the ICRC.