WILPF 1325 Literature Repository

Forward from Madeleine Rees, Secretary General, WILPF 

Welcome to the WILPF Literature Repository, an online resource on Women, Peace and Security hosted on www.peacewomen.org.

Behind the adoption of the Security Council 1325 are 100 years and more of women working around the globe for sustainable peace. In 1915 some 1300 women from Europe and North America, came together in a Congress of Women to protest the killing and destruction of the war than raging in Europe. The women, who formed WILPF, issued 20 resolutions – to end the conflict, negotiate differences to reach peace, over time reduce conflict, prevent war and create sustainable peace through equality for all. These women, in a time when many still did not have the right to vote, called on neutral governments to press the belligerents to stop fighting and settle their differences through non-military negotiations. The women mobilized calling conferences of women to take place at the same time and same place as the 'conference of powers' that met at the end of the war to frame the terms of the peace settlement, and submit to the participating states their practical proposals to meet the conditions for a lasting peace. Such initiatives have continued throughout history, often smaller in scale but with the same demands and the same analysis, regardless of geography, culture or religion.The formal recognition of the Security Council of the importance of gender perspective in security policy has not translated into sufficient action over the last 10 years. Women around the world are still advocating and creating positive change through largely informal processes at their own initiative. It is predominantly civil society which has used SCR 1325 as a tool to  organize and take Action, to analyze and  make recommendations and demands, to try, yet again to insist that the participation of women, and the absolute requirement to address all forms of discrimination, is a fundamental part of Security.

Sharing the knowledge and wisdom of women increases understanding and the possibility of coherence in strategy. Women learn from each other and each others experience and move forward.

It is with this in mind that WILPF has launched the 1325 Literature Repository, and invite you to read through the research and stories and to add and contribute your own knowledge.

We hope that this will be a “living “ process so that we can constantly develop our knowledge, thinking and understanding of Peace and Security; and most importantly, find ways of making sure that our efforts have real outcomes and bring 1325 into life.

Thank you,
Madeleine Rees

Context

The year 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Building on the commitments of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (adopted at the 4^th World Conference on Women), the resolution acknowledged for the first time the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace building, and the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

In recognition of the important work being done by women and men around the world progressing this work, WILPF established the WILPF 1325 Literature Repository, an online resource, hosted on www.peacewomen.org.

Overwhelmed by the interest, a final 25 papers have been selected as the first additions to the WILPF Literature Repository. These papers reflect the critical analysis of progress and the challenges in this area with work from UN agencies, academia, civil society and local grass-roots organizations representing such geographical regions as Australia, DRC, and Bosnia Herzegovina.

Papers

Call for Papers

WILPF invites ongoing submission of papers on a broad range of issues around the implementation of 1325, as part of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. These papers can address gender/women in conflict or post-conflict; the implementation of SCR 1325; and/or women in the context of protection, conflict prevention and participation.  The papers can be are formatted as articles, case studies and toolkits. 

If you are interested in submitting a paper, no longer than 10,000 words, please contact 1325papers@wilpf.ch for more information.