10th Anniversary of SCR 1325 (October 2010)
- Only 2 weeks left: please add your name to the UNIFEM Petition: SAY NO TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT >>
- See PeaceWomen.org 1325+10 anniversary section >>
- Celebrate the anniversary with PeaceWomen in New York at the WPS Peace Fair >>
This 118 edition of PeaceWomen ENews features a special editorial from the co-chair of the high-level Civil Society Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security, Mary Robinson. This edition also includes featured women, peace and security news, events and resources from peacewomen.org, and updates on the 10th Anniversary of SCR 1325 (October 2010).
This month, the Women, Peace and Security community have an opportunity to reflect for a moment on the last 10 years: its obstacles, progress, and lessons for the future, but more importantly, we must push the agenda forward. Events are taking place around the world - from Fiji to Burundi, Austria to Colombia and to the United Nations in New York where the Security Council will mark the 10th year anniversary of UNSCR 1325 in an Open Debate on October 26th and an Arria Formula meeting on October 19th.
This occasion of the 10th anniversary is a defining moment when the Security Council is being presented with the tools it needs to build a pragmatic program of accelerated implementation of SCR 1325. We urge the Council to endorse the global set of indicators on women, peace and security, and to support the interagency plan developed in the Report of the Secretary General on Women's Participation in Peacebuilding (A/65/354-S/2010/466). In addition, the Council must systematically integrate women, peace and security into its daily work to maintain and support international peace and security. This aspect of the Council's works has been examined and monitored by the PeaceWomen Project and the NGOWG (see detailed analysis in the forthcoming PeaceWomen Women, Peace and Security Handbook and NGOWG MAP report).
The promise of resolutions SCR 1325 - and 1820, 1888, and 1889 - must be realized. And, furthermore, we must continue to look for new ways to realize these resolutions.
On 25 September 2010, I moderated and co-chaired a Ministerial-level Side Event on Women, Peace and Security, A 1325 Call to Action. We heard resounding messages from all speakers (Foreign ministers, heads of delegations, UN entities and civil society) that our achievements have not met expectations. The Secretary-General stated that there is a clear need to transform the rhetoric of 1325 into real actions.
At the event (organized by the Canadian Mission), the commitments initiative and database were launched, which aims to refocus the women, peace and security strategy using action-focused goals. Foreign ministers and heads of delegations joined UN entities and civil society in supporting the commitments initiative.
The voices of peace-makers and peace-builders must be heard on this anniversary to refocus the SCR 1325 agenda on making real progress in women's participation in peace processes and advancing human security. We welcome new initiatives within the UN system to move the agenda forward. For instance, a "Global Open Day for Women and Peace" will be held for the first time on October 21st. This event will present information from the 27 National Open Day dialogues held between prominent women and senior UN leadership in conflict-affected countries to the UN Secretary-General. The first of their kind, over 1,500 women met with Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys of the Secretary-General and Resident Coordinators on issues of peace and security.
We in civil society are also looking forward to UN Women leading on women, peace and security, providing technical assistance, and supporting coordination, coherence, and monitoring. UN women will be an essential and powerful partner to the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict in building the UN system's resolve and capacity on women, peace and security.
Ten years after the Security Council adopted resolution 1325, the promise of this resolution has not been realized. To date, we have seen successes in some areas including the number of Member States and regional organizations that are starting to take actions. There are now 23 National Action Plans on 1325 and that number is increasing; several Regional Action plans are being developed; and there have been innovative efforts at cross-learning and cross-border twinning. The Secretary-General has appointed 10 female SRSGs and DSRSGs and 2 Special Envoys in the last 3 years. However, much remains to be done to gain real results for women on the ground. Impunity for crimes against women in conflict-affected countries remains the norm; women face real security risks when they try to make their voices heard and are often excluded from the planning processes that determine their future. While today's women peace-builders are woefully underfunded, we look forward to the 10th anniversary as a moment in time when the necessary practical steps will be committed to and implemented.
By Mary Robinson
First woman President of Ireland (1990-1997), former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), President of Mary Robinson Foundation, Member of the Elders and co-chair of the high-level Civil Society Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security.
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
On this 10th Anniversary of resolution 1325, the NGOWG recommends the Security Council support a system of implementation that would build on and enhance existing monitoring procedures, act as an early warning system to prevent violence, and result in concrete consequences for flouting the Council's directives. This system would provide oversight and coordination, information analysis in real time, and could suggest action to prevent imminent or further infractions. We strongly feel that this recommendation is in line with the request from the Security Council itself, which has been reiterated by Council members; that it provides a system that could be implemented and developed to provide leadership as the indicators are developed and piloted; and that would provide a clear path for UN Women's engagement on this issue.
The key ingredients of a comprehensive and transparent system of implementation are:
· Oversight and leadership within the Security Council: provided by 1-2 Council members, such as the Council currently uses for sanctions committees and on other thematic areas.
· Consistent, meaningful information on the key areas of the women, peace and security agenda, delivered regularly to the Security Council: This would be the information provided by the UN's global indicators and from other sources as relevant to women, peace and security. All indicators would be reported on in all country reports, and an annual report would provide an overview and evaluation of the entire women, peace and security agenda. Thematic reports should include indicator information when relevant.
· Expertise and analysis to contextualize information/data from the field via a specialized women, peace and security section in UN Women.
· A clear set of options - particularly those that draw on current operational capabilities - for the Security Council and UN entities to fully implement women, peace and security obligations: these would include "good practice" for addressing WPS issues in SC missions, mandate renewals, Arria formula meetings, etc, and clarity on what needs to be enhanced in current toolbox, which could include sanctions, protection of civilians, and children and armed conflict.
Monthly Action Points (MAP)
The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security has released the October 2010 version of our Monthly Action Points (MAP) on Women, Peace and Security for the UN Security Council. For October,in which Uganda has the Security Council Presidency, the MAP provides recommendations on country situations such as Afghanistan, Chad & CAR, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, and Sudan. In addition, the MAP highlights the importance of concrete and substantive action on the 10th Anniversary of SCR 1325 in October and during the consideration of the Secretary-General's report on women and peacebuilding.
Launch: PeaceWomen's Women, Peace and Security Handbook
For the 10th anniversary of 1325, Peacewomen is launching the ‘Women, Peace and Security Handbook,' which examines the degree to which the Security Council has internalised the thematic agenda of Women, peace and security in its geographic work over the past 10 years, specifically in its country-specific resolutions.
Divided into thirteen thematic chapters, the handbook is a reference guide for both progress made and action to be taken on the Women, Peace and Security agenda.The analysis assesses the consistency with which Council resolutions reflect the language and intent of SCR 1325. Good practice extracts from resolutions are presented and critical recommendations are made.
This Handbook, like the 10th anniversary itself, is a call to action and a sincere effort to enhance the implementation of the Women, peace and security agenda. The recommendations call for the incorporation of more comprehensive language on women and gender in future country-specific resolutions.
Recent Open Debates
By Stephanie Bloom, PeaceWomen
PeaceWomen's Debate Watch tracks, compiles and analyzes women and gender language in statements made during the Security Council's debate to facilitate opportunities for advocacy and accountability.
Peace and Security - Terrorist Acts
September 27, 2010
Fourteen representatives attended the September 27th Security Council meeting on “Peace and Security- Terrorist Acts”. Each Head of State and Government made explicitly clear that terrorism poses a great threat to international stability and security and remains a large hindrance to worldwide peace. Although all were unanimous in their commitment to preventing and prohibiting terrorist acts, they were much more elusive on how terrorism impacts women; only Lebanon and the United States referenced women in their statements.
Maintenance of International Peace and Security
September 23, 2010
On September 23, 2010 the Security Council held a summit meeting on the “Maintenance of International Peace and Security.” Out of the nine Heads of State and Government and six ministers who spoke, only six made reference to women, peace and security: France, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. For those that did mention issues pertaining to women, peace and security, the references were mainly rooted in strengthening and reinforcing the implementation of UN resolutions.
Upcoming Debates:
October 13, 2010: Post-conflict Peace-building Debate.
The women and peacebuilding report will be discussed in the Security Council during its peace-building debate. Report of the Secretary General on Women's Participation in Peacebuilding (A/65/354-S/2010/466)
October 26, 2010: Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. Report of the Secretary-General on Women and peace and security (forthcoming S/2010/498.)
By Miruna Bucurescu, PeaceWomen
A compelling high-level Ministerial side-event of the 65th General Assembly, titled “A 1325 Call to Action”, took place on the 25th of September at the UN Headquarters in New York. The high-level attendance and the spirit of the event set the stage for the 10th anniversary of the Security Council Resolution 1325(2000) on Women, peace and security (Open Debate set to take place on 26th of October 2010).
The event was co-hosted by the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Lawrence Cannon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Michael Spindelegger, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Dipu Moni, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile Alfredo Moreno, the Minister of Gender and Development of Liberia Vabah Gayflor, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Namibia Utoni Nujoma, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone Zainab Hawa Bangura, the Minister for Africa and the United Nations of the United Kingdom Henry Bellingham and by Mary Robinson.
The event launched the commitments project, an initiative that aims to assess the degree of implementation of 1325. PeaceWomen hosts the Commitments Database, developed by UNIFEM (part of UN Women), which will feature commitments made by Member States, the UN and Civil Society to operationalize 1325 implementation. Actors can fill out and submit the commitments form. These S(pecific) M(easurable) A(chievable) R(elevant) T(imebound) actionable goals in the realms of policy, civil society engagement, monitoring, and financial commitments, are being compiled and cataloged to promote accessibility and transparency.
10th Anniversary SCR 1325
Overview
- October 19th is the Arria Formula, which provides the opportunity for selected NGOs to discuss issues of international peace and security with the Security Council.
- October 20th is the launch of the "No Peace - No Women" multimedia exhibition, Oct 20th, 6:00pm at UN HQ hosted by the Mission of Switzerland.
- October 21st (morning) is the Global Open Day. This is a UN event showcasing what they have done around the world after opening their doors to women peace activists and leaders in over 20 post-conflict countries.
- October 21st (afternoon)“From the Field to the UN Security Council: Evidence-Based Recommendations for Improving Women, Peace and Security Implementation”.
- October 25- 29 PeaceFair commemoration of the 10th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
- October 26th is the official Security Council's Open Debate on Women, peace and security.
- October 28th WILPF/PeaceWomen Panel at the PeaceFair from 3:00-4:30.
Peace Fair 777 UN Plaza (second floor), (Corner 1st Ave & 44thSt), New York City.
October 25th - 29th is the Peace Fair (all day, each day; open to all). There will be many women's groups and civil society represented, and a variety of different events. The PeaceFair is a Civil Society commemoration of the 10th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
The launch on the 25th will feature:
Peace Fair Co-Sponsors:
GLOBAL NETWORK OF WOMEN PEACEBUILDERS; INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY ACTION NETWORK; UNITED METHODIST WOMEN; HAGUE APPEAL FOR PEACE; PEACEWOMEN.ORG; PEACE WOMEN ACROSS THE GLOBE
CENTRO DE EDUCACION E INVESTIGACION POR LA PAZ
Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Program and former Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury, former Ambassador to the UN, who was President of the Security Council in March 2000, issued the press release that moved the idea of a resolution on women peace and security forward;
Andrei Abramov, Chief of the NGO Branch of the UN Dept for Economic and Social Affairs. In 2000 he was special assistant to Angela King, the Special Adviser of the Secretary General on gender issues, and was given the draft resolution as prepared by civil society and UNIFEM to edit for Security Council consideration the following day. The rest is history.
A real time cyber dialogue with women from conflict and post conflict countries who have used 1325 in organizing.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Peace Fair, please contact Michelle Reyf (michelle@peacewomen.org). We are excited to meet and work with peace women in NYC!
Continue to check back to the event website for updated itinerary.
Save the Date: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010: 3:00pm – 4:30pm. WILPF and PeaceWomen will be presenting a panel on the subject of conflict prevention, women's participation, and disarmament.
Annie Matundu Mbambi (Chair of WILPF-DRC); Theresa deLangis (former Women, Peace and Governance, UNIFEM-Afghanistan); and Madeleine Rees (WILPF Secretary-General).
Save the Date: On the afternoon of the 21st October, Switzerland and Liechtenstein will co-host an event on “From the Field to the UN Security Council: Evidence-Based Recommendations for Improving Women, Peace and Security Implementation”. This event will bring together experts from the field and from the policy arena in New York to discuss recent research and policy options to improve implementation of the Security Council's resolutions on Women, Peace and Security.
Discussion will include:
- Global Action's recent research and recommendations on what has worked in field and where challenges still remain, specifically focused on options for policy makers, as discussed in “Promoting Women's Participation in Conflict & Post-Conflict Societies”
- PeaceWomen/WILPF's analysis on how the Security Council's country resolutions (2000 to 2010) have reflected the language and intent of SCR 1325
- The NGOWG on Women, Peace and Security's recent findings on the Security Council's action on Women, Peace and Security from November 2009-September 2010
The NGOWG and PeaceWomen would like to thank the governments of Switzerland and Liechtenstein for generously supporting their research.
By Isabelle Cutting, PeaceWomen
The General Debate of the 65th General Assembly preceded the 10th Anniversary of SCR 1325. This year's General Assembly general debate took place from 23–30 September 2010, during which PeaceWomen monitored all statements for references to Women, Peace and Security. Relevant extracts and government statements can be found online by country and theme.
Prior to the opening of the Session, Member States met for the 2010 Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Secretary-General also announced the nomination of the former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, as Under-Secretary General of the new UN Women Entity.
During the General Debate, 100 Member States incorporated references to issues of Women, Peace and Security in their statements to the Assembly. Forty-seven representatives specifically highlighted the need for greater prevention of and protection from gender-based violence as well as the unmet potential for women's participation in politics and society.
Noteworthy mentions included Estonia and Ireland, which expressed their intention to implement National Action Plans on Security Council Resolution 1325, while Finland signaled a forthcoming joint initiative with Kenya on Women, Peace and Security. Furthermore, Trinidad and Tobago announced that they would table a resolution on "women, disarmament, arms control and non proliferation" to the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security.
Reaching Critical Will (RCW), similarly complied all references relating to disarmament, peace, and security by country and topic. In the context of the recent 2010 UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, RCW, on behalf of WILPF, urges UN member states and civil society to consider, what would you rather pay for:
- One year of the world's military spending, or over 24 years of the additional foreign aid required to reach the MDGs by 2015?
- One year of the world's military spending, or 700 years of the UN regular budget?
- One year of the world's military spending, or 2928 years of the new UN women's agency?