Parliamentary Responsibility to Address Gender Equality in Peacebuilding

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Parliamentary Responsibility to Address Gender
Equality in Peace-building

• Ilja A. Luciak
• Virginia Tech

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Overview

• Importance of Gender Perspective
• Gender Dimensions of Peace-Making
• Engendering Justice and Reconciliation
• Gender and Political Reconstruction
• Gender and Economic Reconstruction
• Conclusions

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Key Arguments

• Parliaments benefit from integrating a gender
  perspective into their core functions
• Women and men are differently affected by
  conflict
• A gender lens helps to understand when and how
  the needs of men and women differ in crisis and
  recovery situations
• This recognition is the basis for the need to
  incorporate gender into parliamentary
  decision-making

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Gender and Conflict International Norms

• 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women
• Platform of Action
• Inclusion of women in peace negotiations and
  post-conflict decision-making
• 2000 Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women,
  Peace and Security
• Inclusion of gender perspective in all U.N.
  conflict prevention and resolution,
  peace- keeping and reconstruction
• Increased gender equality in decision- making

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Gender Composition of the Worlds Parliaments,
2006(Single or Lower House)

• Region Percentage of female MPs Percentage of
  male MPs
• Nordic Countries 40.0 60.0
• Americas 19.6 80.4
• Europe OSCE 19.0 81.0
• (Nordic countries included)
• Europe OSCE 16.9 83.1
• (Nordic countries not included)
• Sub-Saharan Africa 16.4 83.6
• Asia 16.3 83.7
• Pacific 12.0 88.0
• Arab States 8.3 91.7
• World Average 16.6 83.4
• Source Inter-Parliamentarian Union (February
  2006).

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Gender Dimensions of Peace-Making

• Negotiating Peace Accords
• Gender-balanced delegations
• Gender-inclusive process
• Informal Peace Processes
• Parliament as a forum
• Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration
• Gendered reintegration needs of combatants
• Social and economic needs of refugees

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Engendering Justice and Reconciliation

• Gender-based Violence
• Laws need to recognize and sanction GBV
• Truth and Reconciliation Commissions
• Gender-balanced composition
• Equal access for women and men
• Post-war Violence
• Reform of post-war justice system
• Security sector reform
• Gender composition of police and security forces

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Gender and Political Reconstruction

• Constitutional Reform
• Incorporation of CEDAW and other international
  instruments
• Gender quotas
• Electoral Reform
• Gender implications of electoral system
• Electoral gender quotas

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The Gender Composition of Post-Conflict
Parliaments

• Country Women Men
• Rwanda (2003) 39 48.8 41 52.2
• Mozambique (2004) 87 34.8 163 65.2
• South Africa (2004) 131 32.8 269
  67.2
• Burundi (2005) 36 30.5 82 69.5
• Afghanistan (2005) 68 27.3 181
  72.7
• Iraq (2005) 70 25.5 205 74.5
• Timor-Leste (2001) 22 25.3
  65 74.7
• Uganda (2001) 73 23.9 232 76.1
• Source Inter-Parliamentarian Union (February
  2006).

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Gender and Economic Reconstruction

• Gender Budgeting Initiatives
• Property Rights
• Inheritance Rights

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Conclusions

• Need for parliamentary transformation
• Gender caucus
• Alliance of parliamentarians for greater gender
  justice - women and men