Historic Day for Women at the UN

Progress for Women Is Progress for All

UN Security Resolution 1325 - ten years on

September 2010

The 31st October 2010 is the tenth anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on women, peace and security. The resolution formally acknowledges women’s right to participate in all aspects of conflict prevention and resolution, post conflict reconstruction and peace building, and it recognises their right to protection, calling for an end to impunity for conflict-related violence against women.

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Although the passage of UNSCR 1325 was groundbreaking, its implementation has been slow and problematic. Women continue to be severely under-represented at every stage of peacekeeping, there is still rampant impunity for gender based violence, a widespread failure to include gender dimensions in peace treaties and post conflict strategies, and a lack of robust tracking and monitoring.

In 2006 the UK was the second of the UN member states to set out a National Action Plan (NAP) on how to achieve its UNSCR 1325 commitments. Next month a revised NAP will be unveiled to tackle some of the implementation problems. At a meeting on 23rd September, Chris Hunter, Peacekeeping Policy Officer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, told UK Gender and Development Network (GADN) members that the new NAP will aim to provide a clearer framework of how UNSCR 1325 will be implemented in the UK, on the ground overseas and in multilateral institutions. There will be a focus on monitoring and accountability and on “priority” countries which include the DRC, Afghanistan and Nepal. Chris described how his colleagues in New York had met with UN Women (now part of UN Women) as part of the research into the revised NAP.

UN Women has taken the lead in developing a global set of indicators to track implementation of UNSCR 1325 in four key areas:

Women’s participation in all aspects of conflict prevention and peace-making
Prevention of violence against women
Protection of women’s rights during and after conflict
Women’s needs in relief and recovery

The UN Secretary-General presented a report in April 2010 recommending these indicators and the intention is to adopt them to mark next month’s anniversary. It is envisaged that there will be an open high-level debate at the Security Council under Ugandan chairmanship in late October.

There is an opportunity to renew momentum on the UNSCR 1325 agenda as 31st October approaches. As part of its Say NO to Violence Against Women programme, UN Women is running a 1325 +10, Women Count for Peace campaign. This includes a petition urging governments to support three important steps towards implementation of 1325:

Prosecute those who command or commit sexual violence and exclude them from armies and police forces after conflict
Ensure that women participate in peace negotiations and all post-conflict decision-making institutions
ncrease the number of women in police forces and peacekeeping operations

Add your name to UN Women’s online petition at:

www.saynotoviolence.org/make-women-count-for-peace

Responding to the humanitarian emergency in Pakistan

UN Women is also involved in relief and recovery operations in Pakistan following the recent floods that have affected the lives of millions. The focus is on supporting assessment of the conditions and needs of women and girls in affected areas, and on addressing gender-based violence among vulnerable populations. At the same time, ongoing development work carried out by UN Women will continue, with programme teams making efforts to address some of the issues arising from the emergency.

For more information go to www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=1157

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