STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Diane Jordan-Grizzard says Liberia's history of repression led to violence
• She says a settler elite dominated the nation until violent 1984 coup
• Eventually Charles Taylor, now on trial for war crimes, took control
• She says a movement for peace among women led to democracy, better leadership

“Equality under the law is not the same as equality in practice,” said Liechtenstein's Minister of Foreign Affairs Aurelia Frick as she set the tone for a panel on “Women in Peace-Building” last Saturday at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

I. Recent Activities

This year marks the 10th anniversary of a landmark piece of international law codifying the link between women, peace and security known as U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).

Excellencies, Distinguished Participants, ladies and gentlemen,

Ten years ago, the UN Security Council adopted the ground breaking resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Despite 10 years of efforts and progress, commitments towards the protection women and girls in conflict-affected and post-conflict situations have fallen short of the pledges made and worse, of the needs on the ground.

The ‘settlement freeze'—or moratorium on new building of Israeli homes in Palestinian territory—is set to expire on September 30. This is adding increased tensions to the already fraught peace talks being hosted by the United States.

The Palestinians are threatening to leave the peace talks if the freeze is not extended, and the Netanyahu government is giving no indication of what it plans to do.

Ora Garway is Liberia's only female newspaper editor and publisher, a crusader in reporting on major issues. Most female journalists in Liberia are relegated to rewriting press releases, she says. Garway credits interest in journalism to her father's encouragement and witnessing a civil war that killed 200,000 people.

On Saturday September 25th, Member States, UN Agencies and Civil Society gathered at the UN for the Ministerial Meeting on Security Council Resolution 1325 ,”A Call to Action.” The objective of the meeting, convened by the Mission of Canada and a number of co-sponsoring missions, was to pledge concrete, measurable and time bound commitments towards the implementation of the resolution.

On September 21, I had the privilege of making a presentation at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, WI on the importance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 as part of their celebration of the International Day of Peace.