WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY RESOURCES: BURUNDI
Civil Society and NGO Reports, Papers and Statements | UN Documents | Government Reports | Books, Journals and Articles

UNIFEM WOMEN, WAR AND PEACE WEB PORTAL: BURUNDI

Civil Society and NGO Reports, Papers and Statements

Enhancing the EU Response to Women and Armed Conflict with Particular Reference to Development Policy
European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), April 2008
Women’s multiple and diverse roles in conflict are hidden, poorly understood and, at times, consciously or unconsciously dismissed. Usually it is women’s role as victims that is given most prominence. Though, in recent years the international community has become more responsive to women’s diverse roles as actors on conflict prevention, resolution and peace-building, there is recognition that the EU’s response to this reality must be scaled up, widened and deepened. Local, national or international action that does not involve and empower women is less likely to be successful and sustainable in any field, including that which is intended to bring development or peace. This study is based on the premise that a more effective international/EU response to women and armed conflict must incorporate the three inter-related and mutually reinforcing concepts of gender equality, women’s empowerment and upholding women’s rights.

To read the full report, which looks at women and armed conflict in Burundi, please click HERE

Violence Against Women in Burundi: The UN Confirms Concerns of OMCT and ACAT
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and Burundian Christians’ Association for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), February 7, 2008
PRESS RELEASE: On 1st February 2008, as its 40th session came to an end, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted its concluding observations, having examined the combined second, third and fourth periodic report of Burundi regarding the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

To read the press release, please click here

No Protection from Rape in War and Peace
Amnesty International, October 2007
The most commonly reported form of sexual violence in Burundi is rape, and is committed by both state and non-state actors, including law enforcement officials and military officers.This report’s findings are based on testimonies and accounts by women who were raped both at the time of the conflict and after the formal cessation of hostilities. It illustrates the social, cultural and legal factors that limit rape victims’ access to justice. Recommendations focus on the need to reform the attitudes and practices of the police and the judiciary so that they may effectively perform their roles in investigating reports of rape, bringing the perpetrators to justice and providing reparations to the victims.

Q & A with Goretti Ndacayisaba, Dushirehamwe Network
Goretti Ndacayisaba, a women’s rights and peace activist from Burundi visited New York in February and March 2007 to take part in activities around the 51st session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women. She took time during her visit to sit and talk to the PeaceWomen Project about her work and the challenges facing women in Burundi as the country emerges from conflict.

Civilians Pay the Price of Faltering Peace Process
Human Rights Watch, Backgrounder, February 2003

Plan Strategique de Renforcement des Capacites Operationnelles et D'Accompagnement a la Base des Associations Feminines Burundaises Par le CAFOB
Collectif des Associations et ONGs Feminines Du Burundi (CAFOB), Pour la periode 2002-2004

Allocution du Femme Burundaise Au Counseil de Securite des Nations Unies
Sabine Sabimbona, Collectif des Associations et ONGs Feminines Du Burundi (CAFOB), New York, le 23 Octobre 2002
Address to the United Nations Security Council on Women in Burundi
Sabine Sabimbona, Collective of Burundian Women's Associations (CAFOB), New York, 23 October 2002

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Conflict and Displacement in Burundi
Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, October 2000
A delegation from the Women's Commission carried out a fact-finding mission to Tanzania and Burundi in early October 2000 to identify particular concerns and needs of the many Burundian women and children displaced inside and outside the country as a result of nearly a decade of violent unrest in Burundi. The delegation also aimed to highlight the local capacities and initiatives by women's and children's groups to address protection, humanitarian assistance and related issues, including reproductive health, education, reconciliation and peace-building.

Seeking Protection: Addressing Sexual and Domestic Violence in Tanzania's Refugee Camps
Human Rights Watch, September 2000

Resolution on Burundi
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

UN Documents

Message from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for ONUB [Burundi] to the Section Chiefs and Agencies on the occasion of International Women's Day,
March 8, 2005

ONUB Poster: International Women's Day
United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB): Gender Unit United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB)
March 8, 2005

Civil Society Women Meet in Kigali in Preparation for first Heads of State Summit
United Nations Office of the Special Representative to the Secretary for the Great Lakes, Press Release, Nairobi, Kenya, 11 October 2004
Women’s representatives from the Great Lakes Region wound up the Group Specialised meeting in Kigali on Sunday with a number of adopted recommendations that will be put forward to Heads of State of the region when they meet for the first of two summits within the framework of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (IC/GLR) in Dar Es Salaam next month.

Femmes de la région des Grands Lacs ont conclu leur réunion de trois jours à Kigali
Nations Unies Bureau du Représentant Spécial du Secrétaire général pour la Région la Région Grands Lacs, Communique de Presse, Nairobi, octobre 2004
Les représentantes des femmes de la région des Grands Lacs ont conclu leur réunion de trois jours à Kigali dimanche avec un certain nombre de recommandations adoptées, qui seront transmises aux Chefs d’Etat de la région lorsqu’ils se réuniront à l’occasion du premier des deux sommets prévus dans le cadre de la Conférence internationale sur la région des Grands Lacs (CI/RGL) à Dar es Salaam le mois prochain.

Rapport de l'Office du Haut Commissaire aux Droits de l'Homme au Burundi
Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, Quarterly Field Report on Burundi, 6 March 2003

Engendering Peace: Reflections on the Burundi Peace Process
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), African Women for Peace Series, 2001
This addition to the African Women for Peace Series documents the recognition, for the first time in history, of the contribution of Burundi women to the peace effort for their war-torn land. This recognition was based on the outcome of the historic All-Party Burundi Women’s Peace Conference in Tanzania in 2000. The women of Burundi have helped to set a symbolic precedent by breaching a wall of gender-based exclusion and have set an example for other women in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Includes background information, the final declaration document and two appendices. Order this publication

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: Burundi
24th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, A/56/38,paras.32-67, 02 February 2001

Situation of Human Rights in Burundi
Commission on Human Rights, Resolution 2000/20, 18 April 2000
Recognizing the impportant role of women in the reconciliation process and the search for peace, and urging the Government of Burundi to ensure the equal participation of women in Burundian society and to improve their living conditions/Welcoming the invitation extended by the Facilitator to Burundi women's representatives to participate as observers in the Arusha negotiation process/

Government Statements and Reports

Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi
28 August 2000

State Party Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
Government of Burundi, 24th Session, CEDAW/C/BDI/1, 3 July 2000

Books, Journals and Articles

Interview avec Madame Christine Ntagwirumugara, juriste de formation et Représentante Légale du CAFOB
Gabriel Nikundana, Portail Internet sur le Burundi,
La femme burundaise joue un rôle important dans le développement socio-économique du pays. Cependant, sa place n'est pas toujours privilégiée et prise en considération dans la planification du pays. Voilà ce qui a poussé les femmes à se mettre ensemble en vue de se lever et réclamer leur juste place dans la vie nationale.

Femmes pour la création d'un cadre de collaboration entre les associations féminines et le ministère de tutelle
Ligue Burundaise des Droits de l'Homme ITEKA, 7août 2003