|
RESOLUTION 1325
• Full text
• History & Analysis
• Who's Responsible for Implementation?
• 1325
Anniversary
TRANSLATING
1325
UNITED
NATIONS
• Women
and the UN
• Security Council (SC)
• Gender & Peacekeeping
• 1325 Monitor: Women &
Gender in the work of the Security Council
• Gender Focal Points
• PeaceBuilding Commission
WOMEN, WAR &
PEACE WEB PORTAL
• UNIFEM
• PeaceWomen
JOIN WILPF
|
Serbian
and Kosovar Women Call for End to "Religious Ownership"
of Kosovo's Churches and Mosques
AdvocacyNet
June 7, 2006 -(Advocacy Net) Kosovo's religious sites are not the
property of any one religion or ethnic group and should be managed
by independent professionals - otherwise they risk provoking ethnic
confrontation and violence. This is the position taken by the Women's
Peace Coalition, a new partnership between Serbian and Kosovar women
peace activists that formed in March to monitor the joint Serbian-Kosovar
negotiations on Kosovo's future status.
The new Coalition is a striking example of how women can unite around
common concerns across a bitter ethnic divide. It brings together
the Kosovo Women's Network (KWN), a grouping of 85 women's organizations,
and the Women in Black Network from Serbia. The two joined forces
after KWN and the Women in Black Network publicly criticized the UN
and their governments for excluding women from the status negotiations.
(See Advocacynet bulletin # 57, March 8, 2006).
The Coalition released its first bulletin on May 26 after negotiators
met in Vienna to review Kosovo's cultural and religious heritage.
While the Coalition agrees that all religious sites need protection,
it also insists that this will not happen if they are viewed as the
exclusive "property" of a religious or ethnic group.
The Coalition calls for the "establishment of independent professional
organizations to manage heritage sites owned by religious communities
in Kosovo" and says that "direct religious oversight would
lead to further degradation of cultural heritage."
The Coalition also warns the negotiators against using religious sites
"as instruments for gaining political clout," which it says
will "deepen divides between ethnic communities and could lead
to violence."
"We are saying - don't politicize this," said Igo Rogova,
Executive Director of KWN, in an interview. Ms. Rogova added that
the lack of transparency in the negotiation process makes it hard
to know exactly what has been decided.
The Coalition will meet next on June 20 in Belgrade to review economic
issues. As the negotiations progress, the two partners expect to focus
on women's issues and return to their original complaint that women
are excluded from the negotiating process.
All seven Kosovo negotiators are men, and KWN maintains that the UN
Mission in Kosovo has a mandate under UN Security Council Resolution
1325 "to ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making
levels." Stasa Zajovic, coordinator of Women in Black in Belgrade,
said that the Serbian team includes one woman but that her "right-wing
policies" do not reflect the views of all women in civil society
in Serbia.
Contacted by AP, Jetemir Balaj, chief executive officer for the Kosovo
Negotiation Team, said that the seven Kosovar negotiators had been
chosen in September 2005 by the late President Ibrahim Rugova. He
said that about 22 of the team's 70 staff and working group members
are women.
The Coalition could turn into a leading voice for inter-ethnic cooperation,
particularly if Kosovo emerges with independence from the negotiations.
Many feel that independence would cause a backlash from Serb nationalists,
who are fiercely opposed to the dismembering of Serbia.
The Coalition's approach has already drawn praise from conflict resolution
specialists. "Women can have a tremendous impact on peace negotiations,"
said Victoria Stanski, manager of network strategy and advocacy at
The Initiative for Inclusive Security (formerly Women Waging Peace).
"They bring an understanding of the root causes of the conflict
and focus on practical issues related to quality of life and human
security."
Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, KWN has criticized UN police
in Kosovo for injuring 33 women who protested the unannounced visit
of two former Serb residents to the village of Krusha e Vogel during
a UN war crimes investigation on May 25. The UN responded by accusing
the women of "attacking" the UN police and warning that
Kosovars must respect the rule of law if their demand for independence
is to be credible.
KWN is a partner of the Advocacy Project (AP) . AP has sent a graduate
from the American University in Washington, Barbra Bearden, to intern
with KWN this summer.
From:http://see.oneworld.net/article/view/134352/1/3260
|
|
NEWS
• 1325
PeaceWomen E-News
• Country News Index
• International News
• Peacekeeping News
RESOURCES
• Country
& Thematic
Civil Society, UN & Government
• 1325
Advocacy Tools
INITIATIVES
• In-country
• Regional and Global
• 1325 in Action
ORGANIZATIONS
• Country-specific
• International
LATEST
PEACEWOMEN UPDATES
PEACEWOMEN
NGO WEB RING
Women, Peace &
Security Community representing the diversity and depth of research, organizing
and advocacy on women, peace and security issues.
|
PeaceWomen