A review of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, to consider the achievements and challenges in fulfilling commitments of the resolution made under its agenda over the past 15 years shows minimum results.
The year-long review, which was commissioned in 2015 by the UN and launched recently by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, showed that after 15 years of the coming into being of the resolution, actors involved in mediation and conflict resolution resisted the inclusion of women in the peacekeeping processes.
That, according to the reviewers, was in spite of evidence which unequivocally showed that women’s participation in peacekeeping contributed to the conclusion of talks and implementation and durability of peace agreements.
Resolution 1325
In October 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325.
The resolution hinges on four pillars which were to prevent violent conflicts, including gender-based violence; protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse; increase participation and gender perspectives in all conflict resolution, peacekeeping and peace-building; and finally in peace-building and recovery efforts.
Led by the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and former Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy, the review showed that women’s participation increased the probability of a peace agreement, lasting at least two years, by 20 per cent, and the probability of a peace agreement lasting 15 years by 35 per cent.
It said the most important effect of women’s engagement in peace processes was not just greater attention to gender-related elements in the deliberations and text of peace agreements, but a shift in dynamics, a broadening of the issues discussed, increasing the chances of community buy-in and addressing root causes.
At a press briefing in Accra to disseminate the reviewed work, organised by the United Nations Information Centre, on Thursday, a representative from the Foundation of Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), Mrs Theodora Antwi, said although the review showed that increased attention had been given to violence against women and girls in armed conflicts, little had been done to involve women in resolving such conflicts.
“On the average, only three per cent of the military in UN missions are women, and the majority of these are employed as support staff. This number has not changed since 2011 and has changed little from the one per cent of women peacekeepers in 1993”, she quoted from the review.
Recommendations
As part of its recommendations, the review called on all actors to make quantifiable, time-sensitive commitments to ensure women’s direct and meaningful participation during specific phases by including their perspectives and gender-responsive provisions in all meetings, consultations and agreements, among others.
It also called for the prioritisation of the consultation and participation of women in the implementation, monitoring and accountability of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It also called for the protection of women and girls’ rights at all times and ensuring that efforts to counter violent extremism strategies do not stereotype or instrumentalise women and girls.
Additionally, it called for gender equality and women’s human rights to be both a focus area of the World Humanitarian Summit which would be held in Istanbul, Turkey in May this year and also be integrated throughout the summits themes.
Again, it called on member states to ensure that all UN peacekeepers were provided scenario-based training on gender mainstreaming in peace operations, preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence and sexual exploitation and abuse.
Understanding resolution 1325
A representative of the regional office of the West African Network for Peace-building, Ms Queeneth Tawo, said the network, over the years, had educated people to understand the UN Resolution 1325.
She said Ghana was one of the first countries to develop an action plan to back the resolution but the full benefit of the plan was yet to be felt across the country.
The acting Director of the Department of Gender of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Comfort Asare, in her remarks, said Ghana, in 2012, launched its action plan dubbed the ‘Ghana National Action Plan (GHANAP)’, which was a key strategy in addressing the challenges of implementing women, peace and security commitments in the country.
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