PeaceWomen

1
PeaceWomen

• Monitoring Advocating for Implementation of
  Security Council Resolution 1325
• Women, Peace Security

Y-WILPF Gertrude Baer Seminar 2006 Peace, Power
ParticipationThe PeaceWomen Project, WILPF UNO
2
The PeaceWomen Project Resolution 1325

• The PeaceWomen Project was developed by WILPF in
  response to the unanimous adoption of United
  Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on
  women, peace and security in October 2000.
• PeaceWomen monitors and advocates for the full
  rapid implementation of this Resolution 1325
• What is Resolution 1325?

3
WHAT IS RESOLUTION 1325?

• A Security Council Resolution dealing with issues
  of women armed conflict which
• addresses the disproportionate and unique impact
  of armed conflict on women
• recognizes the contributions women make to
  conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict
  resolution and peace-building
• stresses the importance of their equal and full
  participation as active agents in peace and
  security
• 1325 is effectively international law it is
  binding upon all UN member nations
• 1325 is historic and unprecedented but it does
  not stand alone
• Many resolutions, treaties, conventions,
  statements and reports preceded it and form part
  of its foundation and inform our work with it

4
Founding Documents of Resolution 1325

• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
  Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), 1979
• Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995
• ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions on Gender
  Mainstreaming, 1997
• Security Council Presidential Statement
  (Bangladesh), March 200
• Windhoek Declaration and the Namibia Plan of
  Action on Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in
  Multidimensional Peace Support Operations, May
  2000
• Outcome Document of the UN General Assembly
  Special Session Women 2000 Gender Equality,
  Development and Peace for the 21st Century
• We continue to use instruments such as the
  Beijing Platform for Action CEDAW and engage in
  related processes (the Commission on the Status
  of Women CEDAW sessions) to ensure that issues
  of women in armed conflict are raised dealt
  with appropriately

5
Who is responsible for Implementation?

• Security Council
• Secretary General
• UN Agencies
• Member States
• Armed Groups National Militaries, Rebel Groups
  etc
• Humanitarian Development Agencies
• Mediators Negotiators in Peace Processes

6
Key Commitments in 1325
Increased Representation of women at all levels
of decision making
Gender Perspective in UN Programming, Reporting
and in SC Missions
Attention to specific protection needs of women
girls in conflict
Gender Perspective in Post-Conflict Processes
Gender Perspective in UN Peace Support Operations
7
Increased Representation Participation of Women
at all Decision-Making Levels

• The Security Council Must
• Take gender issues and womens rights into
  account in their Missions
• Consult with local and international womens
  groups
• Member States Must
• Increase number of women in all decision making
  institutions and mechanisms for the prevention,
  management resolution of conflicts
• Provide candidates to SG for appointments in the
  UN system
• The Secretary General Must
• Appoint more women as Special Envoys
  Representatives
• Increase womens participation in peace processes
• All Actors (including parties to armed conflict)
  Must
• Support local womens peace initiatives
• Involve women in negotiation and implementation
  of peace agreements post-conflict reconstruction

8
Attention to specific protection needs of women
girls

• The Security Council Must
• Address protection needs in Security Council
  resolutions peacekeeping mandates
• Consider the potential gendered impact of
  sanctions
• All Actors (including parties to armed conflict)
  Must
• Respect international law relating to the rights
  protection of women girls
• Take special measures to protect women girls
  from sexual and gender-based violence and other
  violence in armed conflict
• End impunity, including for sexual and
  gender-based violence
• Respect civilian humanitarian character of
  refugee camps
• Account for the special needs of women girls in
  the design running of refugee camps

9
Gender Perspective in UN Reporting and in SC
Missions

• The Security Council Must
• Consult with local and international womens
  groups
• Include reference to 1325 when drawing up
  objectives, terms of references SC Mission
  Activities
• Member States Must
• Support and promote the inclusion of gender
  perspectives in all reports submitted to the
  Security Council in SC Mission activities
• The Secretary General Must
• Report on women, peace security issues
• The UN System Must
• Contribute to implement System-Wide Action
  Plan on 1325

10
Gender Perspective in UN Peace Support Operations

• The Security Council Must
• Include a gender perspective in Peacekeeping
  mandates
• Member States Must
• Ensure gender HIV/AIDS awareness training
  (including pre-deployment training) for all
  military civilian personnel
• Increase funding for gender training
• The Secretary General Must
• Provide members civilian UN staff with training
  on protection, rights and needs of women
• Increase womens participation in peace processes
• seek to expand the role and contribution of women
  in UN field-based operations, and especially
  among military observers, civilian police, human
  rights and humanitarian personnel

11
Gender Perspective in Post-Conflict Processes

• All Actors (including parties to armed conflict)
  Must
• Adopt a gender perspective during repatriation,
  resettlement, rehabilitation, reintegration and
  post-conflict reconstruction
• Involve women in post-conflict reconstruction
  processes
• Consider the different needs of female male
  ex-combatants and dependants in planning for
  disarmament, demobilization and reintegration
• In peace agreements include measures that ensure
  the protection of and respect for human rights of
  women and girls, particularly as they relate to
  the constitution, the electoral system, the
  police and the judiciary

12
Strengths Weaknesses of 1325

• Strengths
• It is effectively international law
• Global Constituency 1325 Advocates around the
  world
• Civil Society Groups grassroots organizations,
  international NGOs
• Academia
• UN Headquarters field level
• Governments
• Cross-Sector collaborations
• It does not stand alone other supporting
  instruments
• Weaknesses
• Weak Language
• Lack of political will among member states and
  within the UN system
• Education training needed in the UN system
• People arent aware it exists

13
Implementation to Date At the UN

• Varies across agencies departments.......here
  are some examples
• DPKO gender advisors in place, action plan
  ongoing, staff training
• DPA staff training, gender is 2 priority in
  dept strategic plan, ad hoc work, increase in
  gender perspective in reporting
• UNFPA gender training with military in LAC,
  rehabilitation program with ex-combatants in
  Sierra Leone
• UNIFEM womenwarpeace Web portal, projects to
  increase womens political participation, support
  to women ex-combatants, assistance in gender
  sensitive design of truth commissions
• OSAGI coordination of 1325 system-wide action
  plan

14
Implementation to Date National Level

• A few governments (Canada, UK, Norway, Fiji,
  Sweden, Denmark) have developed national action
  plans or strategies which include
• Establishment of consultative working groups
  (Friends of 1325)
• Focus on training for Peacekeeping
• Attention to representation of women in UN Posts
  decision making at national levels
• Discussion of audits to identify existing
  practice gaps in policies and programming
• Support of womens civil society groups and
  initiatives
• Ensuring a gender perspective in foreign policy
  engagement at the UN

15
What does PeaceWomen do to advance Implementation?

• Maintaining and expanding PeaceWomen.org
• Producing and circulating 1325 PeaceWomen E-News,
  a bi-weekly e-newsletter that compiles the most
  current women, peace and security news, analyses,
  statements, resources and events featured on
  PeaceWomen.org
• Collaborating with UNIFEM through a web
  partnership on their Women, War and Peace Web
  Portal, which was launched October 2003
• Coordinating a 1325 Translation Initiative (since
  February 2003) which includes compiling existing
  translations and calling for new translations of
  Resolution 1325
• Engaging in outreach efforts on Resolution 1325
  and related women, peace and security issues,
  including presentations, seminars and workshops
  for high schools, universities, and other public
  fora
• Monitoring, advocating and providing
  recommendations to UN policy processes through
  our partnerships
• Exchanging views and strategizing best practices
  and collaboration on Resolution 1325
  implementation processes with civil society,
  government and UN officials, and academics

16
What You Can Do

• Organize workshops Seminars on Resolution 1325
  Women, Peace Security Issues
• Monitor your governments international Peace
  Security Efforts
• Is it providing gender training for troops?
• Is it developing a national action plan?
• Is it advancing the goals of 1325 at the UN?
• Support womens organizations initiatives in
  conflict affected countries
• Monitor media coverage of peace and security
  issues is there a gender perspective?
• Write letters to the editor
• Read the PeaceWomen E-News to keep track of
  women, peace security issues
• Translate 1325 into other languages share them
  with PeaceWomen

17
What Can Y-WILPF Do?

• How can Y-WILPF monitor advocate for the
  implementation of 1325 on a local, national
  international level?
• How can you incorporate 1325 into the work of
  your section?
• How can the PeaceWomen Project assist you in your
  work on 1325?
• How can you and your section contribute to the
  work of the PeaceWomen Project?
• What is the best way for us to collaborate and
  strengthen the work of WILPF in 1325?