1325 Anniversary Events in Canada
By Beth Woroniuk, Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security

The 2nd anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was recently marked by 2 events in Ottawa. On the morning of November 7th, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society and government officials gathered at a coffee morning‚ Hosted by Senator Mobina Jaffer - current co-chair of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security - the event took place on Parliament Hill. Despite the unseasonably cold temperatures, more than 45 people gathered to share a cup of coffee and discuss women, peace and security.

Senator Jaffer welcomed the many guests, including the High Commissioner from the United Kingdom. She provided background on Resolution 1325 and Canadian efforts to support its implementation. She also launched the ID Rom‚ that introduces the Gender Training for Peace Support Operations course now on line at http://www.genderandpeacekeeping.com (The ID Rom is a smaller version of a CD Rom that provides a visual and audio introduction to the Course and then links up to the website). Senator Lois Wilson (retired), the other co-chair of the Canadian Committee outlined the history of the Committee and its work on capacity building, training and advocacy.

A panel discussion on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security - Two Years Later: Accomplishments and Challenges was held in the afternoon at IDRC (the International Development Research Centre). Ayesha Rekhi (Peacebuilding and Human Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade) provided background on events in New York over the last month relating to women, peace and security and the position of the Canadian government. Beth Woroniuk (Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security) asked what have we gained in the last month‚ and presented a brief overview of the Secretary General’s study on Women, Peace and Security. Adeena Niaza (Executive Director, Afghan Women’s Organization) highlighted the obstacles and barriers to implementing Resolution 1325 using the example of Afghanistan. Darlene Rude (member of the review team) outlined the findings from a recent assessment of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children of UNHCR’s guidelines for the protection of Refugee Women.

Pamela Scholey from IDRC facilitated the panel. The discussion raised issues relating to strategies for Canadians to become involved, lessons from UNHCR’s experience, protection for women testifying at tribunals, how to raise the profile of these issues in Canada, and changing the perspectives of men.

The panel discussion was co-sponsored by IDRC, the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group of the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee (CPCC) and the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security.