UN SCR 1325 INCORPORATED INTO THE COMMONWEALTH PLAN OF ACTION FOR GENDER EQUALITY

May 31, 2004 - (femLINK Pacific) As the 7th Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting got away in Nadi today, consensus was reached last night (Sunday 30 May) to incorporate the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 into the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action which has identified the issues of Democracy, Peace and Conflict as one of the key priority areas for the next decade (2005 - 2015).

Responding to the inclusion, the Chairperson of the Fiji Women, Peace and Security Coordinating Committee, the Acting Director of the Ministry of Women (Fiji), Mrs Kiti Makasiale said incorporating ‘1325’ into the Commonwealth Plan of Action is a major achievement: “For us in Fiji because this is something the Ministry of Women is working on and we have all our NGO partners on board on this, we felt like standing up yesterday and saying ‘hooray’ because it got in.”

The WPS Fiji Committee is a partnership approach to addressing peace and security issues for women, through the UNIFEM Pacific programme for Melanesia.

UNIFEM Pacific Regional Programme Manager, Amelia Kinahoi Siamomua welcomed the inclusion also: “This is excellent. It is really providing that linkage to all the frameworks and we can say the Commonwealth Plan of Action is not in isolation from the other international standards and frameworks have set out.”

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 titled ‘Women, Peace and Security’ was adopted ON 31 October 2000, and is a landmark resolution that not only recognises and incorporates the role of women as peacebuilders, but as active representatives in all levels of conflict prevention, as well as resolution, and ensures a gender mainstreaming approach to official peace and security processes, such as peacekeeping operations, disarmament programmes, humanitarian assistance, and other policy issues.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the 4th anniversary of resolution 1325: October 2004.

In consultation with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the UN Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) will be coordinating the inputs from the UN system, Member States and others working in support of women, peace and security.

In preparation for compiling the Secretary-General’s report, OSAGI sent a Note Verbale to all UN Member States and a Questionnaire to all UN entities, requesting information related to their work and reflections on Resolution 1325 since it was adopted in 2000.

The presidential statement (PRST/2002/32) marking the second anniversary of the adoption of Resolution 1325 “requested the Secretary-General to prepare a follow-up report on the full implementation of resolution 1325 to be presented to the Security Council in October 2004.”

From: /femlinkpacific/310504