DRC: Women suffer disproportionately during and after war: Told During Day-long Debate on Women, Peace and Security
Security Council Briefed by Peacekeeping Under-Secretary-General, Senior Gender Adviser for UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo
UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), ReliefWeb, 5 Nov 2003

Women and girls suffered disproportionately during and after war, as existing inequalities were magnified, and social networks broke down, making them more vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council today.

The Council met on the third anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), which expressed concern that women and children accounted for the majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict and reaffirmed the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. Thirty-seven Member States, including high-level government officials of Germany, Netherlands and Fiji, participated in the day-long debate.

Briefing the Council, Jean-Marie Guéhenno said that, over the past year, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations had taken concrete steps to implement resolution 1325 (2000), working on such issues as: increasing the number of women in peacekeeping operations; integrating a gender perspective in peacekeeping operations; training in gender awareness and HIV/AIDS issues; preventing and responding to serious misconduct by peacekeeping personnel; and trafficking. Currently, women made up 4 per cent of the total police personnel in peacekeeping missions, and figures were equally low for the military, he said, urging Member States to continue their efforts to provide more women for service in those areas.
Real progress in gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping operations had been made, he said, due to the presence of full-time gender advisers. There was, however, a long road ahead, and gender mainstreaming in post-conflict environment was not easy. Gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping must not be seen as an afterthought, but as the key to any peacekeeping mission's success, he said in conclusion.

Also briefing the Council, Amy Smythe, Senior Gender Advisor of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), said that in the law of the gun had devastated the condition of women in that country. In that context, a Gender Unit was set up in March 2002 to integrate a gender perspective within MONUC and to work with the Congolese population to bring the conflict's effect on women to the attention of decision makers. Among the Unit's activities were training and research, communication and dissemination of gender-sensitive information within MONUC, outreach to the Congolese population, capacity-building for women leaders, and advocacy, monitoring and evaluation of women's participation in the peace and transition process.

Among the key successes of her Unit, she said that it had built a foundation for gender considerations, and creative networking was leading to attitudinal changes. Priority action points that had emerged from her experience included that gender units must be appropriately staffed and supported; and personnel recruited for peacekeeping operations should consist of a substantial proportion of women. The Council should hold national governments accountable for implementing gender-related provisions in peace accords, and the culture of impunity must end.

In the ensuing debate, speakers urged the Council to ensure that mandates focused expressly on gender perspectives and that the necessary resources were made available. The Council must also ensure that women were involved in all aspects of decision-making processes regarding conflict resolution, they said. The appointment of an Interim Gender Adviser in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations was welcomed, but hope was expressed that the permanent position of Senior Gender Adviser would soon be filled. The Secretary-General was urged to appoint more women as his special representatives and envoys.

Some speakers drew attention to the sexual violence against women during conflicts and in post-conflict and crisis situation, including by humanitarian personnel, and called for an end to impunity for perpetrators of such crimes. In that regard, some said, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court recognized the specific impact of armed conflict on women by criminalizing sexual and gender violence, and put an end to impunity through ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of those crimes by the Court.

Kerstin Müller, Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office of Germany, said full and active participation of women in all political and economic decision-making, including peace processes, was a prerequisite for improvement of the current situation. Women were also indispensable agents in the process of building democratic structures and strengthening civil society.
She said gender implications must be an integral part of the analysis and decisions of the Council. Past Council resolutions, particularly those concerning the Middle East region, had too seldom included the necessary provisions. It must, sooner rather than later, be guaranteed that a gender perspective was fully integrated into Council resolutions and mandates.
Agnes van Ardenne-Van Der Hoeven, Minister for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, said gender must become part of the Security Council's day–to-day business. Member States must ask for feedback on the issue from the Secretary-General's special representatives, as well as in his reporting; they must put forward women candidates for key posts; they must strengthen the position of women in peace and security operations; and they must learn from one another's experiences.

Fiji's Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Kaliopate Tavola, speaking on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum countries, said experience in the Pacific had highlighted the importance of implementing the principles and framework encapsulated in resolution 1325 (2000). Highlighting the critical role played by women in promoting peace in the region, he said the contributions and leadership of women, both in traditional and contemporary settings, were critical to ensuring meaningful and sustainable peace.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Syria, Pakistan, China, Bulgaria, France, Spain, Chile, Mexico, Russian Federation, Cameroon, Guinea, Angola, United Kingdom, United States, Italy (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Australia, South Africa, Colombia, Bangladesh, Japan, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, United Republic of Tanzania, Ukraine, Philippines, Croatia, Canada, Azerbaijan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Timor-Leste and India.

Mr. Guéhenno and Ms. Smythe addressed questions and comments raised. The representative of Pakistan took the floor for a second time to reply to India's statement.
The meeting, which started at 10:15 a.m., was suspended at 1:20 p.m. The Council reconvened at 3:07 p.m. and adjourned at 5:50 p.m.