NGO Statement on Women’s Empowerment

Suva, Fiji Islands
22 January 2009

femLINKPACIFIC coordinates a Pacific regional media network on UNSCr 1325 has been part of a working group coordinated by the International Women's Tribune Centre (New York) which is coordinating NGO input for the upcoming 1325 Expert Group Meeting in the lead up to the International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security

The following is the NGO Statement for the 1325 Expert Group Meeting in the lead up to the International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security. One of the goals of the colloquium is to: Support the implementation of Resolution 1325. Specifically, it aims to review concrete methods and strategies for engaging women in peace negotiations and peace processes; and review the gender-responsiveness of the justice sector in post conflict context.

January 15, 2009; Monrovia, Liberia

We thank the International Steering Committee and the Ministry of Gender and Development of Liberia for this opportunity to present the NGO perspective on the issues of women’s participation in peace negotiations and peace processes; and gender-responsive justice and security in this Expert Group Meeting.

We are speaking on behalf of various NGOs and women’s groups working around the world for the full and effective implementation Resolution 1325.

On women’s participation in peace negotiations and peace processes

We would like to highlight the Security Council’s intentions regarding women’s participation as articulated in Resolution 1325. It stressed “the importance of [women’s] equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution.” The Security Council also recognized that “[women’s] protection and full participation in the peace process can significantly contribute to the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security;” and it urged “the Secretary-General to implement his strategic plan of action (A/49/587) calling for an increase in the participation of women at decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes.”

In its presidential statement of 29 October 2008 (S/PRST/2008/39), the Security Council reaffirmed its commitment to the full and effective implementation of Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on Women, Peace and Security. It expressed concern about “the under-representation of women at all stages of a peace process and in peacebuilding, and recognized the need to facilitate the full and effective participation of women in these areas given their vital role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding.” It called on “Member Sates, international, regional and sub-regional organizations to take measures to increase the participation of women in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding and to strengthen the role of women as decision-makers in these areas.”

In the open debate to mark the 8th anniversary of Resolution 1325 on 29 October 2008 several UN Member States and regional groups including the European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), emphasized the importance of women’s participation in peace negotiations.

We welcome regional instruments and efforts such as the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) which is binding: African Heads of States report annually on the situation of gender equality in their country (article 2) and that of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s Protocol on Gender and Development which stipulates that State parties should endeavor to ensure that women have equal representation and participation in public and private decision-making positions by 2015.

At the same time however, we note and share the great concern over the under-representation of women in peace negotiations and peace processes overall. For NGOs, this is not just a matter of how many women are included in peace negotiations but how substantively women are able to participate, and what difference such participation makes. We believe that with women’s full and equal participation, conflict resolution, peacebuilding and all peace processes are more likely to succeed. However, women’s meaningful engagement in such processes will not happen if we do not focus on creating an enabling environment for it to become a reality. This requires political will and commitment from all stakeholders, particularly on the part of UN Member States.

To ensure women’s meaningful participation in peace negotiations and all peace processes, we reiterate the following:

• Mediators, negotiators and donor governments should address the obstacles to women’s physical presence and effective participation at the official negotiation table and at any behind-the-scenes negotiations including ensuring adequate resources for women’s participation.

· UN Member States, civil society and the UN should work towards building women’s capacity in conflict analysis, prevention, mediation, negotiation, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction.

• UN Member States, and regional and international intergovernmental organizations should create institutional mechanisms to systematically monitor women’s participation in all levels of peace negotiations.

• Member States should strengthen their national commitments and capacity to implement Resolution 1325, including through national and regional action plans and strategies. National Action Plans should be designed to coordinate and strengthen the implementation of 1325. They should contain a catalogue of measures, clear targets and benchmarks for full implementation by 2015.

· UN Member States, UN agencies, regional and international organizations should recognize and support the informal role that women’s groups and NGOs in conflict and post-conflict situations where government and the judicial system is often still quite weak. Women’s groups and NGOs build women’s capacity and provide various forms of support to get women at the peace negotiation table.

· Women should persistently continue to pressure and demand that their governments and other international institutions develop national action plans for the implementation of the Resolution 1325.

On gender-responsive justice and security

A gender-responsive justice system is an integral element of effective peace processes and a necessary component of state-building activities in post-conflict situations. When women are able to participate in peace processes, the development of such a system is one of the priority concerns they raise. A gender-responsive justice system helps to break the continuing cycle of violence against women, and ensure their meaningful participation not only in peace negotiations but in rebuilding their communities and in transforming their societies.

However, the lack of adequate and gender-responsive judicial mechanisms to address abuses of women’s rights during and after conflict – such as gender-sensitive transitional justice mechanisms (e.g. truth and reconciliation commissions) and the lack of investment in facilities and access for women to post-conflict gender justice remains.

To facilitate the development of gender-responsive justice and security, we recommend that the following actions be pursued:

• UN Member States must increase the number of women in the judiciary and encourage the entry of more women in the legal professions in conflict-affected situations as a means of increasing women’s access to justice and ending impunity.

• UN Member States should commit to concrete advancements in the equal inclusion of women in peace talks, justice processes and civilian aspects of peacekeeping.

• UN Member States should work at the national level to reform the judiciary system and services by mainstreaming gender in their knowledge base, and including accountable justice for women and girls. At the international level, strengthen the UN gender equality architecture to ensure accountability to women worldwide.

• UN Member States and civil society should review national constitutions, laws including customary and traditional laws to address discriminatory practices and gaps in order to advance protection of women’s and girls’ rights.

• UN Member States, civil society, humanitarian organizations, the UN Security Council and relevant UN bodies should work towards the elimination of gender-based violence, and should ensure that victims have full access to justice and that there is no impunity for perpetrators.

• UN Member States, civil society, humanitarian organizations, the UN Security Council and relevant UN bodies should work towards the elimination of gender-based violence, and ensure protection for victims and women’s human rights defenders. This also requires full access to justice and guarantee that there is no impunity for perpetrators.

• The Security Council should work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the prosecution of sexual crimes is not included in amnesty provisions in conflict-resolution processes.

• UN Member States, civil society, humanitarian organizations and relevant UN bodies should create mechanisms that would facilitate women’s access to judicial structures and enable them to testify without fear of retribution.

• UN Member States - with support from civil society, humanitarian organizations and relevant UN bodies - should convene temporary councils of influential and respected women from conflict-affected communities to mediate disputes and at the same time set examples of women’s leadership in peace negotiations.

• Civil society, humanitarian organizations and relevant UN bodies should develop and implement legal literacy programs to enable women to use traditional justice systems and statutory laws to leverage their rights.

• Civil society, should call on the Security Council to refuse to recognize peace processes that exclude women, just as the Council has expressed disapproval of amnesty agreements that violate international law.

• Civil society should call on the Security Council, UN entities and Member States to include women in discussions and decision-making in relation to their security needs and concerns. In particular, women’s issues must be included in all aspects of disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reintegration, and resettlement (DDRRR).

We hope that these concerns and recommendations will be taken into consideration in the development of the Colloquium’s Declaration and the follow-up action.

Names of organizations
1. Africa Desk of IFOR/Women Peacemakers Program (WPP)
2. American Refugee Committee
3. Boston Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights
4. Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
5. Center for Peace Education, Miriam College – Philippines
6. Coalition of Political Party Women in Liberia
7. Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid (CORDAID)
8. Crusaders for Peace (Liberia)
9. Feminist International Radio Endeavor (FIRE – Costa Rica)
10. femLINKPACIFIC (Media Initiatives for Women)/Coordinator of the
Pacific Regional Media Network on UNSCR1325 (Fiji/Pacific)
11. Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS)
12. FOKUS- Forums for Women and Development (Norway)
13. Global Action to Prevent War
14. Global Justice Center
15. Hague Appeal for Peace
16. Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation( ICCO)
17. International Alert
18. International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC)
19. The Institute of Human Rights Communication Nepal(IHRICON)
20. La Liga de Mujeres Desplazadas y el Observatorio Género Democracia y
Derechos Humanos (Colombia)
21. Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET)
22. NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
23. Peace Boat U.S.
24. Rural Women of Liberia
25. Saathi (Nepal)
26. Solidarite Femmes Parliamentaire
27. Southeastern Women’s Development Association (Liberia)
28. Sudanese Women Forum on Peace
29. Sulong CARHRIHL – Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for
Human Rights and International Humanitarian Laws (Philippines)
30. Union Nacional de Mujeres Guatemaltecas (National Union of
Guatemalan Women)
31. Women’s Action for New Directions (USA)
32. Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
33. Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET-Liberia)
34. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
35. Women’s Legislative Caucus of Liberia
36. Women’s Media Collective – Sri Lanka
37. Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia
38. Women's Refugee Commission
39. World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) –
Women’s International Network

About the International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace & Security being convened in Monrovia, Liberia from March 7-8, 2009

The International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security (the Colloquium) is being co-convened by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and President Tarja Halonen of Finland.

The Colloquium will empower women to be more effective leaders by linking with their peers from around the world and sharing and implementing best practices on economic empowerment, influencing climate change and sustainable development. The Colloquium will promote progress on women’s leadership on peace and security, and women’s leadership and empowerment in general.

The Colloquium seeks to realize the aims of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security to ensure that women are protected from the worst abuses in times of conflict and to empower them to play their rightful and vital role in helping their countries prevent, end and recover from conflict. The Colloquium will bring together an international group of women leaders to identify the successes and failures of measures adopted for 1325; to serve as a resource base and catalyst for activity worldwide; and to develop and support meaningful strategies and activities for increasing global security.

The Angie Brooks International Centre on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, Peace and Security, which will be based in Monrovia and launched in March 2009, will serve as aN implementation mechanism for the program of action emerging from the Colloquium. The centre will support results-oriented projects around the world; training to empower current and future women leaders; and research, analysis and advocacy on women’s leadership. The Centre will be established in honor of Angie Brooks, Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Africa’s first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly (1969).

UNIFEM’S SATEMENT OF PRIORITY AND COMMITMENT
WOMEN UNITE: LIFT LIBERIA, LIFT AFRICA, LIFT THE WORLD

Goal 2: United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

• In spite of a number of international commitments to engage women in peace-building, peace talks, and conflict mitigation, peace processes in Africa and elsewhere remain markedly male dominated. This is a serious problem because the nature of conflict is changing in ways that make women and children prime targets of violence, and because women have a major contributions to make to building inclusive and sustainable peace. The increased engagement of non-state actors and intensified intra-state disputes with significant civilian casualties has rendered the peace building agenda more complex.

• It is partially in response to this complexity that women’s full participation in all aspects of peace and security has become more widely acknowledged as a source of long-term stabilization. There is no shortage of international commitments to engage women in peace processes at all levels. There is a shortage of action.

The international community must engage women and incorporate women’s human rights issues into their peace building obligations. They can do so by committing to funding and strengthening the capacity of women’s organizations to engage more effectively in peace processes and in post-conflict governance, including though capacity-building in tracking financial commitments and expenditures to implement peace agreements.

• The United Nations Security Council created no accountability mechanisms, benchmarks, targets or institutional structures within the United Nations system dedicated specifically to the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 which contrasts sharply with the approach the Council took to Security Council Resolution 1612 on children and armed conflict

There is a need to develop accountability mechanisms and to strengthen the monitoring mechanisms of the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325, built on a results- based monitoring framework and using the indicators developed by the United Nations SyStem in collaboration with women networks.

• As part of the reconstruction process there has been growing awareness and policy efforts to address women and property and inheritance rights. Through global advocacy and relative political will, some actions are being taken by governments to transform and enact laws that guarantee ownership and inheritance of property by women and the girl child. The problem still persists especially within traditional settings where women are discriminated against, and denied social and economic justice. Gender equality cannot be realized as long as countries continue to maintain laws that discriminate against women especially in armed conflicts or post conflict situation since this makes it very difficult to ensure the participation of women in transitional development.

• There is a need for governments to:

• Review National Constitutions, laws including customary and traditional laws to eliminate and constitutions to address discriminatory practices and gaps in order to advance protection of women and girls inheritance and property rights.

• Reform the judiciary system and services, mainstream gender in their knowledge base and include more accountable gender justice for women and girls inheritance rights.

• Strengthen efforts to develop partnerships with development partners, civil society and the private sector to initiate good practice interventions, help women own property such as arable farming land, housing, businesses to generate income and wealth.

• Awareness building and advocacy for the inclusion of all aspects of the Security Council Resolution 1325 into national policies and programmes should be intensified and continue consultative process in particular with the private sector should be initiated.

• ENDS

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