BLOG: Reflections on UNSCR 1325

On Wednesday, October 20, 2010, the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna hosted and celebrated the tenth Anniversary of UN-Security Council Resolution 1325. Resolution 1325 was adopted unanimously on October 31, 2000. Inspired by Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, then Minister of Namibia, and recognizing that women are the majority of the victims of armed conflict around the world and are increasingly targeted by armed groups, the resolution called upon countries to increase the representation of women at all levels of conflict resolution.

The celebration of the anniversary of Resolution 1325 took place in Vienna, Austria. Supported by CARE Austria, the conference served to publicize the importance of including women in negotiations about conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace building.

Lesley Abdela, senior partner at Eyecatcher/Shevolution consultancy in the UK, spoke about the current status of women in peace negotiations. She commended the resolution, but lamented the fact that women continue to be excluded from peace solutions. According to Abdela, fifty percent of all conflicts are reignited after ten years as a result of poorly crafted and enforced cease fires or peace treaties–a problem that could be ameliorated if women had a greater role in conflict resolution and government. In addition, in most countries women still occupy only a small percentage of parliamentary seats and cabinet positions.

Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, a key leader of Africa's feminist movement, also spoke at the celebration. In her country report on Uganda, Ochieng stressed that resolution 1325 should be implemented more widely. Ochieng told the tragic, inspiring story of Anna Grace Nakasi, a young woman from Uganda who had been raped various times, contracted HIV, and was consequently banished from her village. Today, Nakasi is the elected leader of an important political party and has been able to use her political profile to raise awareness about violence against women. She has also pushed for the prosecution of war criminals involved in this violence and has achieved some success in this quest, something previously unheard of in Uganda.

Other speakers at the event included Edita Tahiri, Minister of Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo and the Chair of the Regional Women's Lobby of Southeastern Europe, Ursula Plassnik, Member of Parliament and former Foreign Minister of Austria, Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Director-General for Development Cooperation at the Ministry for European and International Affairs, and Indu Pant Ghimire, Women Empowerment Program Theme Coordinator for CARE Nepal. These luminaries had various recommendations about how to bolster enforcement of resolution 1325, including broadening educational and employment opportunities for women; the idea is that raising women out of poverty will help dampen radicalization and militarization in the first place.

What would the role of the international community be in helping to enforce 1325? Lesley Abdela suggested that the international community could punish governments or rebel groups monetarily. “If a country wants to receive monetary help, they must let women be part of peace talks.” Indu Pant Ghimire thought that countries should make binding promises with the UN to comply with the resolution.

While the consensus among the speakers was that vast advances have been made in various countries all over the world, much hard work remains to be done.

For an interesting study of sexual violence during civil war, see Dara Kay Cohen's work on the subject.