CENTRAL ASIA: Central Asian Women – Peace Activists Deliver to the UN General Secretary Regional Appeal Devoted to SCR 1325 On Women, Peace and Security

Date: 
Monday, November 29, 2010
Source: 
Gazeta.kz News
Countries: 
Asia
Central Asia
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
General Women, Peace and Security
Peace Processes

In the frame of his visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan to participate in Astana OSCE Summit, UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon is going to hold a meeting with the group of women-peace activists from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan who are also the members of regional initiative “Women for peace and security in Central Asia, the Ferghana Valley region”. The meeting will be also attended by the representatives of Central Asia civil society, academia and governmental bodies. The meeting will take place in Astana Rixos Hotel at 10.00 on November 30.

The objective of the meeting is to provide women of Central Asia with space and opportunities to voice their concerns over emerging security threats in Central Asian region; to explore possible mitigation measures and to bring constructive proposals to the attention of senior UN officials and call the governments of their countries for improved implementation of the UN Security Council (SC) Resolution 1325. Today there is growing recognition of women as ‘agents of change' skillfully reshaping and rebuilding communities affected by conflict.

The importance of Central Asia to regional and global stability has become increasingly apparent over the past several years. The three nations (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) sharing the Ferghana Valley have suffered from serious instability in the past two decades starting with Tajikistan's civil war of 1992-1997, which claimed up to 100,000 casualities, and with the most recent clashes in June 2010 in Kyrgyzstan which resulted in a humanitarian crisis affecting over a million people in the south of the country. This indicates that the Ferghana valley remains a powder keg, where violent contestation and “ethnic” clashes continue to rock the fragile foundation of Central Asia's nations.

It is expected that the participants of the meeting will hand over to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon the Central Asian Appeal where women's NGOs address to the UN Secretary-General and the UN Security Council to accelerate implementation of global policy commitments to promote Women, Peace and Security agenda and in particular, to take urges measures to address the issue of violence against women and girls during conflict and in post-conflict situations. They also calls governments for improved implementation of the women's human rights commitments made on international arena, including implementation of the UN SC Resolution 1325.

The Appeal was signed by the participants of national and cross-regional consultations on women, peace and security in conflict-affected areas organized within the 2010 UN Open Days initiated by Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Department of Political Affairs, UNDP and UNIFEM (part of UN Women) and held in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in June 2010.