Women Building Peace Through Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration” Beijing + 10 Review Conference

HIGHLIGHTS:

The panel was an opportunity to hear the voices of women working in DDR process from four different
sectors, namely the perspective of civil society (Liberia), former combatants (Rwanda), national institutions
(Sudan) and the international framework (UNIDIR).

The panel was atypical in that it was a conversation amongst the panelists as much as it was a conversation
between the panel and the audience. The Liberian and Rwandese women outline the lessons learned from
their experiences and offered guidance and mentorship to the Sudanese women who are at the very
genesis of the process, especially through emphasizing the importance of women's organizing and self-
reliance in the recovery process.

Two earlier UNIFEM events on DDR (one organized for the 2004 CSW and one for the Fourth Anniversary
of resolution 1325) focused largely on policy and UN doctrine. The event organized for the 2005 event was
a rare opportunity for women actually engaging in the processes on the ground to share their priorities with
members of the international community.

UNIFEM's support to the NGOs working on the ground and it's efforts in the international DDR debates were
given high visibility and mentioned and appreciated by each panelist. UNIFEM's intervention into the DDR
planning in Liberia was also mentioned by the WIPNET Representative.

Several audience respondents brought up the importance of a stronger UNIFEM presence where peace
operations are functioning.

In response to a comment from the Minister of Women's Affairs in Liberia, the UNIDIR representative
underscored the importance of increasing UNIFEM's capacity to respond quickly in post-conflict situations
and also the importance of UNIFEM continuing to develop it's expertise and capacity in the realm of security
and peace-building in post-conflict.

Amongst the more than 100 attendees were P4- to D1 – level representatives from DPKO, OCHA,
UNDP/BCPR, DPI, DDA and UNFPA. Member States present included Liberia (Ministerial level), Philippines
(Head of CSW delegation), UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada and Mexico.