The Role of Women in Peacebuilding: Proposals for the Implementation of 1325 Resolution

In the year 2000 the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. It was the first time that this institution had discussed this issue and approved a document dedicated entirely to the link that exists between armed conflict, peacebuilding and the gender dimension. Even though the resolution's title refers to women, several points in the resolution make explicit reference to gender.

The approval of the resolution represented the formal introduction of the gender perspective and of women's needs and contributions onto the international peace and international security agenda, though this was not the first time that this issue had been considered in this field. Resolution 1325, which is the result of previous work carried out by networks of local and international women's organisations, represents the institutionalisation and acceptance by the United Nations and Member States of a considerable number of the demands and proposals made by women's organisations from civil society in the area of peacebuilding with a gender perspective. In turn, this institutionalisation has provided many women's organisations with a formal instrument to support these proposals. Following the approval of Resolution 1325, governments and the United Nations have developed its contents in different ways. The international organisation has approved three complementary resolutions, and annual monitoring reports have been published. Furthermore, some states have approved national action plans with the aim of steering the implementation of the resolution.