MEDIA RELEASE #4 ON BEHALF OF THE WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY COORDINATING COMMITTEE (FIJI)

December 3, 2003 – (femLINKpacific) “There is a link between human security and human rights,” says Sarah Maguire, a co-trainer at this week’s training workshop on Conflict Prevention and Early Warning at the Lagoon Resort, Pacific Harbour which is being organized by the Fiji Women, Peace and Security Coordinating Committee (WPS CC).

Whilst there is no internationally accepted definition of Human Security, the Commission on Human Security (which reports to the United Nations Secretary-General) describes it as ‘protecting people from critical and pervasive threats and situations, building on their strengths and aspirations’:

“(But) international agencies, including the United Nations have recognised the importance of human security, it is important to talk about human security now, and at this workshop also, because while it is a new concept, it is important that advocates for gender equality and human rights engage with it.”

She added that in today’s context, it is necessary to reject the hijacking of “security” for national interests.

Maguire, a human rights lawyer, also noted that women’s human security issues do not arise just when and where there is armed conflict, but also addresses the range of fears that women have to face, “from the home to the village to the city, the job market, education, everything!”
Human security, she added also ensures sustainable development because it takes into account the human side of development, and engages with all stakeholders.

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Also today, participants responded to a presentation by the UNDP Fiji Multi-Country Office on their Peace-building and Security Programme for the Pacific (PeacePac ) by calling for greater inclusiveness and incorporation of gender perspectives by regional agencies such as the United
Nations Development Programme, as well as the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat :

“We cannot leave it up to our governments. We need regional documents and agencies to take into account the commitments made in the Beijing Platform for Action, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, and other international commitments, including CEDAW, because women are vital actors for conflict prevention. There must be consistency, not only by the UN system but also regional agencies and governments.”

Participants also noted that even in the Pacific Island region, in recent times, women have been the first to and most active agents of peace, even when the conflict is at its most intense, when it comes to the peace agreements process they continue to be excluded.

The workshop participants have identified not only the Fiji Government’s Women’s Plan of Action’s commitments to decision making by women, but also the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 as the building blocks to ensuring equitable representation and inclusion of women in the design and implementation of conflict prevention programmes, at local and national level.

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Meanwhile, yesterday, in a session on media, the participants reiterated the importance of monitoring news media reports to identify early warning signs or indicators of conflict, in order to be more responsive to conflict prevention.

The workshop continues until Friday with participants, which includes representatives of national and local women’s groups, as well as the security sector, formulating recommendations to the Women Peace and Security Coordinating Committee for implementation in 2004, as well as preparing recommendations and submissions for the National Security Defence Review Committee.

Members of the WPS Fiji committee include: the Ministry of Women (Chair), Soqosoqo Vakamarama I Taukei, National Council of Women Fiji, the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA), Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, Fiji Women's Rights Movement, Young Women's Christian Association, Pan Pacific South East Asia Women's Association - Fiji Chapter (PPSEAWA Fiji), Fiji Association of Women Graduates, Catholic Women's League, Stri Sewa Sabha, National Council for Disabled Persons.

About the trainers:

Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini was born in Iran and moved to England as a young girl during the Iranian Revolution. She joined International Alert in 1996, and co-authored Civil Wars, Civil Peace: An Introduction to Conflict Resolution three years later. In 1997 she joined the Forum on Early Warning and Early Response (FEWER) as Managing Editor, and was involved in advocacy efforts relating to early warning, the development of an early warning manual and editing of numerous field based reports. In 1999 she was commissioned by UNIFEM, the UN Development Fund for Women to research and author Women at the Peace Table: Making a Difference. Throughout 2000 she was the Senior Policy Advisor on the global campaign Women Building Peace: From the Village Council to the Negotiating Table, advocating for the UN Security Council resolution on women, peace, and security. She has authored numerous other publications on conflict early warning and prevention, as well as the Ford Foundation report on Women's Leadership, Gender, and International Relations. She joined Women Waging Peace in January 2002 as the Director of the newly formed Policy Commission. The Commission is developing the first ever comprehensive field-based case studies on women’s contributions to peace processes. In July 2003, she conducted workshops on conflict prevention and advocacy in Iran. She is currently drafting a study on women’s contributions to security sector reform in South Africa. Ms. Naraghi-Anderlini holds an MPhil in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University and has twin girls aged 2 _.

has been an activist on women's human rights issues for decades - particularly on issues of violence against women and women's relationship to the legal system. She is an active member of a campaigning NGO in the UK on domestic violence and legal reform particularly relating to women who kill their violent male partners. Sarah qualified as a barrister in the UK in 1990, working in the fields of criminal defence, family and immigration and asylum law for 10 years before joining the UK Department for International Development (DFID) as Senior Human Rights Adviser. Currently, she is an independent human rights consultant, working largely with UNIFEM, DFID and others on issues of women's human rights, children affected by armed conflict and forced migration.

Please direct your media requirements to WPS Fiji Secretary Sharon Bhagwan Rolls on 9244871

“Unless the moment is seized, the opportunity will pass. We are all advocates of Resolution 1325 and we must ensure that rhetoric becomes reality” (1325 Enews September 6 2002)
Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was passed on October 31, 2000. For the text of the resolution please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/sc/1325.html