The Role of Women in the Transformation of Violent Conflict

The Role of Women in the Transformation of Violent Conflict
Statement by the NGO Working Group on Women Peace and Security in support of the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325 - October 2003

“..the critical inputs of women in peace and security, poverty eradication, environmental protection and promoting democracy and effective governance must be recognized and actively promoted and facilitated”
[Secretary General’s report to the General Assembly on July 11th (A/58/135 para 58)]

1. The formal participation of women in peace negotiations and decision-making processes is key to the effectiveness of conflict prevention and the sustainable transformation of violent conflict. Since last October there have been both significant benchmarks for peacebuilding in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Liberia, matched with increased violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Afghanistan, including the pre-emptive attack on Iraq and the continued situation of instability in that country, sadly reflected in the recent bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad.

1.1 Representative women have not been systematically included in the formal processes underpinning conflict transformation and resulting agreements have been gender blind. In the context of each of these difficult and complex conflict transformation situations, the members of the Security Council are required to endorse actions to support peacebuilding and conflict
prevention, in line with Resolution1325 in which the formal participation of women is a priority.

1.2 We are encouraged by the numerous UNSC Resolutions, which make specific reference to 1325*; the budget allocation for a P4 gender position based at DPKO headquarters; the DDA Gender Action Plan and the OCHA initiative to also develop a Gender Action Plan; the swift advertisement for the P5 Senior Gender Adviser and proposed Gender Unit for the Mission in Liberia. We hope these positive ‘better practice’ initiatives will be systematized throughout the UN Secretariat, agencies and departments as an integral part of the commitment to gender-mainstreaming.

1.3 Emphasizing that, action plans need to be backed with appropriate financial and human resources at country level and UN headquarters level, coupled with effective monitoring and evaluation of implementation, which move sound proposals into practice.

1.4 Regretfully, in terms of gender balance in high-level decision-making positions within the UN system, the number of women SRSGs has still not increased beyond one in the mission in Georgia, despite the existence of OSAGI data-bases of appropriately qualified women candidates and gender experts. Equally we are concerned at the time lag for filling the permanent P4 position of Gender Advisor within DPKO headquarters and the D1 Gender Advisor position in Afghanistan, and the fact that the 30% quota target for women in the UN system set out for 2005 is not on track.

2. Bearing in mind available knowledge and resources, on the crucial role of women in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, as well as the need for explicit gender-awareness in all conflict analysis, we call upon members of the Security Council to:

2.1 Further promote gender-mainstreaming, awareness and action with committed and sustained funding through inter alia, initial quotas at UN and national/regional intervention levels; commencing with the swift appointment of a permanent P4 Gender Advisor within DPKO headquarters office, support for a parallel Gender Advisor within DPA and permanent funding for the Senior Social Affairs Officer – Women, Peace and Security within the Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues (OSAGI).

2.2 Ensure that gender posts are funded from the regular budget and not from trust or voluntary funds, as part of ensuring a sustained mainsteaming of gender in peace and security issues.

2.3 Mandate and establish a Sub-Committee on Women, Peace and Security to develop and monitor a measurable plan for the implementation of 1325, including: a) the integration of the relevant aspects of 1325 into all country-specific and thematic UNSC resolutions; b) the institutionalization of reporting mechanisms on gender concerns in SC reports; c) the systematic support and promotion of the inclusion of women as active agents and equal participants at all levels and phases of peace negotiations; d) make full use of the resources developed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Women, Peace and Security including check lists developed for SC Missions.

2.4 Establish an independent monitoring and response group to advise on gender-sensitive conflict prevention, with sustainable financial resource backing to monitor country level contexts. This group should address issues of gender-based violence and build on initial work done by NGOs such as International Alert and the Swiss Peace Foundation on gender-sensitive early warning indicators, highlighting the linkages of micro and macro levels of violence and the need for monitoring and early response.

2.5 Encourage and support the peacebuilding initiatives of women in particular in Afghanistan, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and Liberia in respect of SC Resolutions: S/RES/1493 (28 JUL) paras 8 & 9; S/RES/1483/2003 (22 MAY); S/RES/1478/2003 (6 MAY); S/RES/1468/2003 (20 MAR) para 2; S/RES/1445/2002 (4 DEC) paras 12 and 19; S/RES/1419/2002 (26 JUN) para 7; S/RES/1386/2001 (20 DEC); S/RES/1383/2001 and S/RES/1355/2001 (15 JUN).

3. The NGOWG further calls upon Member States to:

3.1 Integrate 1325 into domestic national and regional legislation with particular focus on the protection of women’s human rights in terms of address of sexual and gender-based violence, and gender-awareness in early education as part of violence prevention.

3.2 Mainstream gender-awareness training throughout their military and civilian security forces; along the lines of examples provided by the Scandinavian countries, the Canadians and the Dutch.

3.3 Ensure that all national peacekeepers are trained in gender-awareness and human rights protection, and fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with regard to accountability on engagement in UN peace support operations, failing this that there are at minimum clear and publicized lines of accountability for peacekeepers not currently falling under the ICC.

4. These recommendations are made in the spirit of Resolution 1325 and the Security Council’s desire to remain “actively seized” in the implementation of this resolution as an effective tool for the grounding of sustainable peace globally.

The NGOWG would like to close by reiterating the statement made by the Secretary-General in his Study on Women, Peace and Security (2002):

"Central to any transition process is the need to take account of the differential needs of women and men at all stages of rebuilding societies and the importance of concrete mechanisms to ensure that all people- women and men- enjoy freedoms and participate equally in rehabilitation and reconstruction."

*The UN Office of the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI) has compiled the “2002-2003 Security Council Resolutions with Analysis of Women, Peace and Security Issues” in a table format. For more information about this table, contact Jenny Perlman, Acting Coordinator of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, at: (212) 551-3140, or jennyp@womenscommission.org.