Norway on Woman Peace and Security
Ambassador Johan Ludvik Løvald, UN Security Council Open Meeting, 29 October 2003

Mr. President,

The adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 in year 2000, was a break-through in terms of putting ‘Women, Peace and Security’ high on the UN agenda. The resolution provides us with guidance and an instrument to ensure the full and equal participation of women at all levels of decisionmaking and implementation of peace processes, including conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction.

The adoption of resolution 1325 has undoubtedly increased our awareness and recognition of women’s contribution to peace and security around the world. Today a growing number of state leaders, policy makers, NGOs and international organisations are advocates of gender mainstreaming in conflict management and conflict prevention. The UN has played an important role in mobilising for such new norms and standards.

Mr President,

As important as it may be, time is ripe to move beyond the mobilising phase and look at where we stand in terms of implementation.

Security Council resolution 1325 requires from the Secretary-General that his reports to the Security Council should address the gendered aspects of the conflict situation in question. The Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) has recently conducted an analysis of 264 such reports - dating from January 2000 to present – in order to ascertain to what degree the reports meet the requirements of Security Council resolution 1325. The analysis reveals that 67 per cent of the reports make no or only one mention of women or gender issues. And the vast majority of the reports citing gender concerns mention the impact of the conflict on women and girls, primarily as victims of conflict – not as potential dynamic actors in reconciliation, peace building or post-conflict reconstruction.