Mapping Women, Peace and Security in the UN Security Council: Report of the NGOWG Monthly Action Points, 2009-2010

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council recognized that international peace and security was dependent on a broad guarantee of women's security. In Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), the Council acknowledged that women are often peacebuilders in conflict situations, that women are often targeted for violence in conflict, and that women are often excluded from the political processes aimed at creating peace. The Council has since adopted three additional resolutions on Women, Peace and Security: resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), and 1889 (2009). Despite considerable progress in research and the development of positive policy language, tangible improvements for communities in conflict have been sporadic and insufficient.

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The NGOWG Monthly Action Points are produced every month with the input and expertise of the 14 Working Group members on a number of issues to be discussed by the Security Council. The analysis is primarily focused on Security Council oversight of UN field missions run by the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). Typical MAP recommendations seek to operationalize broad Women, Peace, and Security concerns in the most concrete manner possible: how country reports and mission mandate renewals can adequately address existing commitments on women and girls in conflict, what a gender perspective would look like with regard to thematic issues discussed by the Council, and how concern for women and girls can be addressed in urgent matters before the Council, such as recent events in Kyrgyzstan and Guinea. Each month, the NGOWG addresses pertinent issues on the Council's agenda, drawing on information provided by NGOWG members in the field about women's key concerns. The MAPs then provide recommendations on actionsthe Council should take, or that should be reflected in the Secretary-General's report on these country situations.

The MAPs do not reflect all issues the Council will be discussing in a given month; rather they present good practice
each month as to how the Council can meet its Women, Peace, and Security obligations on a wide variety of country and thematic issues.

Historically, elected Council members have played a strong role in Women, Peace and Security1. It is up to both permanent and elected Security Council members to take leadership on Women, Peace and Security. To this end, each MAP begins with an outline of the current Security Council President's stated objectives during its Council membership, and details a number of key treaty obligations that particular Member State has ratified. These treaty obligations include whether the Security Council member has signed/ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and its Optional Protocol.