INTERNATIONAL: Arms Trade Treaty - 3RD Prepcom has Significant Number of Government Women Representatives

One of the major commitments of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is to ensure the greater participation of women in decision-making processes concerning peace and security.

Estonia, Monaco, Saint Kitts and Nevis have an all-women delegation to the meeting. Jamaica and Luxembourg have 75% women participation. Guyana, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Trinidad and Tobago have 67% women participation while half of the participants from Barbados, Finland, Grenada, Guatemala, Mali, Mongolia, New Zealand, Serbia, Uruguay and Vanuatu are women as reflected on the list of participants.

The following States do not have women delegates on the list: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Belgium, Benin,, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Egypt, Fiji, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lesotho, Malaysia, Montenegro, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Although Fiji does not have a woman in its delegation, Fiji spoke in the meeting about the need to incorporate UN Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security in the Treaty's principles, as well as the need to include in the criteria that arms not be transferred if there is a substantial risk that they will be used to commit gender-based violence. Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia spoke about such need as well, in this third PrepCom.

During the 2nd PrepCom, the issue of gender has been brought up by many States in the discussions, among them Mali, UK, Spain, Nigeria, Norway and Australia, among others.

We are eagerly waiting for more delegates to champion this cause as arms such as SALW and ammunition facilitate widespread domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual violence both during and outside of conflicts.

It is about time that women count.

by Jasmin Nario-Galace, IANSA Women's Network
14 July 2011