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UNIFEM WOMEN, WAR AND PEACE WEB PORTAL: PEACEKEEPING

Civil Society and NGO Reports, Papers and Statements

Challenges and Opportunities in Peace Operations: The Incorporation of Women
Latin American Security and Defense Network (RESDAL), 2008
This brocure addresses the lack of women in peacekeeping missions, even when, since 2000, the Secretary-General has encouraged the troop contributing countries to expand and reinforce the hiring and incorporation mechanisms of women.

To read the brochure in English, please click here
To read the brochure in Spanish, please click here

Putting People First - The Protection Challenge Facing UNAMID in Darfur
Darfur Consortium, July 2008
The failure of world leaders to keep their promises on peacekeeping has condemned many Darfurians to suffering without protection from violence, a newly released report by the Darfur Consortium said on Wednesday. This report reviews the performance of the Darfur peacekeeping force (UNAMID) in the six months since it was deployed. Although UNAMID does not have the capacity to respond to large-scale fighting, it could do more to protect people from the day-to-day violence that scars their lives -- such as preventing attacks on women as they collect firewood. But six months after initial deployment, UNAMID has failed to provide adequate protection. The force lacks critical resources, leaving the people of Darfur, humanitarian agencies, and even its own peacekeepers vulnerable to ongoing attacks and extreme violence.

To read the full report, please click here

Women in United Nations Peace Operations: Increasing Leadership Opportunities
Women In International Security, July 2008
United Nations (UN) peacekeeping is in high demand. With a 400 percent increase in the number of peacekeeping missions in the past two decades, the pressure to quickly launch, staff, and coordinate the military and civilian components of multi-dimensional peace operations has never been greater. Despite the urgent need, UN missions have failed to attract, retain, and advance the most qualified talent in leadership positions, threatening the implementation of demanding peace operations. Women, especially those from non-Western countries, are an untapped and potentially powerful resource to staff and lead these missions. Women remain underrepresented in management positions and are rarely appointed at the highest levels of leadership. Why is it so difficult to identify and appoint women to leadership positions in peace operations? This study revealed multiple factors that impede the selection of women at the highest levels of leadership.

To read the report, please click here

Blue Helmet Forum Austria: Training Soldiers for Peace
Maud Edgren-Schori, July 11, 2008
This is a speech given by Maud Edgren Schori, GenCap Gender Adviser and President of UNIFEM-Sweden, who was the Gender Adviser in Cote D'Ivoire and also worked in Liberia and has engaged in much training on 1325. The speech was delivered at the Blue Helmet Forum in Salzberg, Austria, and it relays Schori's professional, hands-on experience.

To read the speech, please click here

Women Targeted or Affected by Armed Conflict: What Role for Military Peacekeepers?
Conference Summary, UNIFEM 2008
This conference reviewed current peacekeeping practice in the prevention of widespread and systematic sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict contexts, with a view to identifying existing efforts to prevent the targeting of women and children for sexual violence within current peacekeeping approaches to civilian protection; and building a policy consensus on sexual violence as a security issue backed by mandates, means, training and incentives for effective response.

For the full report, please click HERE

Blog: Wilton Park Conference on "Women Targeted by Armed Conflict: What Role for Military Peacekeepers?"
Sexual Violence: Not Just a Gender Issue, By Rosemary Bechler
OpenDemocracy, June 5, 2008
In the third of four reports from a UN conference on women targeted by armed conflict, Rosemary Bechler speaks to Nicky Dahrendorf, who as UN Action coordinator in the Congo holds 'possibly one of the most challenging jobs ever devised.' "Sexual violence is not just a gender issue," she explains, "It goes right across the board - it is about human rights, security sector reform - it's political. It's strategic."

For the full article, please click HERE

Blog: Wilton Park Conference on "Women Targeted by Armed Conflict: What Role for Military Peacekeepers?"
Protecting women and girls in conflict, By Rosemary Bechler
OpenDemocracy, June 3, 2008
In the second of four reports from the UN conference on women targeted by armed conflict, Rosemary Bechler talks to military peacekeeper Patrick Commaert about the responsibility to protect, and learning from Rwanda, Somalia and Srebrenica. His paper drew its examples largely from the DRC, where the unchallenged use of sexual violence especially in the eastern part of the country was "probably among the worst things I have been directly confronted with during my entire military career".

For the full article, please click HERE

Blog: Wilton Park Conference on "Women Targeted by Armed Conflict: What Role for Military Peacekeepers?"
The Changing Face of War, By Rosemary Bechler
OpenDemocracy, June 3, 2008
Last week's UN-led conference on women targeted by armed conflict proved an eye-opener for Rosemary Bechler. She writes about the effects of the changing nature of warfare, in which "It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflicts".

For the full article, please click HERE

Peace With Sexual Violence is Still War: Peacekeepers Must Protect Women
AIDS-Free World, May 2008
Stephen Lewis, the co-Director of AIDS-Free World, delivered remarks on sexual violence at the May, 2008 Wilton Park Conference: Women targeted or affected by armed conflict: What role for military peacekeepers? He asserted that peacekeepers and force commanders alike have to take sexual violence much more seriously, citing the cases of Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

For read the full speech, please click HERE

No One to Turn to – The under-reporting of child sexual exploitation and abuse by aid workers and peacekeepers
Save the Children, May 2008
This report focuses on ways to improve the international community’s response to the sexual exploitation and abuse of children by aid workers, peacekeepers and others acting on their behalf in emergencies. The report draws particular attention to the problem of the under-reporting of such abuse and addresses a range of related issues. The report also puts forward a number of proposals to better protect children.

For the full report please click here

Handbook on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and DCAF, 2008
This handbook presents an overview of legislation, policies, and mechanisms for ensuring the protection and enforcement of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of armed forces personnel. It also contains recommendations for participating States of measures that should be taken in order to ensure that policies and practices are in full compliance with international human rights standards and OSCE human dimension commitments. Chapter 13 of the handbook addresses Women in the Armed Forces.

For Chapter 13 on Women in the Armed Forces, please click HERE

For the full report, please click HERE

UN Peacekeeping: Responding to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
Refugees International, November 2007
In 2004, the media erupted with allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) levied against UN uniformed and civilian peacekeepers based in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In the three years that have passed since these reports first surfaced, the UN has taken significant steps to address the problem, but reports of abuse and exploitation continue.

Peacekeeping to Peacebuilding: Lessons from the Past, Building for the Future
United Nations Association of Canada, March 2007
Chapter 7 on “Women’s Issues in Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding” derives from a UNA-Canada public dialogue on Canada’s commitment to gender perspectives in UN Peacekeeping. Among the themes explored were the various roles of women in post-conflict societies and the importance of bringing a gendered approach to the institution of peacekeeping.

UNMIL: International Engagement in Addressing Violence Against Women
An ActionAid report by Igor Hodson, March 2007
This report aims to analyse the role of UNMIL in tackling violence against women and girls in society, in particular sexual violence and rape. Violence against women, including rape, was widespread during Liberia’s 14 years of civil war. Not only are the terrible consequences of this still felt by many Liberian women today, but violence against women and rape continue unchecked. Rape has attracted a lot of attention in Liberia but it is nonetheless an extreme manifestation of daily and more pervasive women’s rights violations. This report focuses on rape, not only because it is an unacceptable crime, but also as a proxy for the violation of other women’s rights and their unequal position in society more broadly. Nevertheless, it must be recognised that rape is almost certainly far less widespread than other forms of violence against women, such as domestic abuse, and that tackling rape is only the start of the battle for women’s rights.

Room to Maneuver: Lessons from Gender Mainstreaming in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations
A study by the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, January 2007
This paper explores how the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations’ gender mainstreaming efforts enhance the security of the displaced, particularly women and children, and identifies opportunities to reinforce these efforts, including potential synergy with the UN High Commissioner for Refugee’s (UNHCR) gender and age mainstreaming work. DPKO was selected as an organization for the study due to the interface of DPKO’s operations with those of UNHCR specifically in refugee, IDP and returnee contexts. The intent is to identify how DPKO’s gender mainstreaming efforts reinforce and complement those underway by UNHCR and how the two organizations can learn and benefit from each other’s approaches.

United Nations Reform: Improving Peace Operations by Advancing the Role of Women
Sponsored by the Stanley Foundation in cooperation with Women in International Security
November 14, 2006 – New York, November 16, 2006 –Washington, DC
In recent years, various international commitments and declarations have been adopted that recognize the importance of women's participation in United Nations peace processes. While there is a growing understanding of the value that women bring to these efforts, implementation of existing mandates is sporadic. In spite of past UN efforts, today just 1 percent of peacekeeping troops are women. In November 2006, the Stanley Foundation and Women in International Security (WIIS) convened expert meetings in New York and Washington to gain further insights into the challenges and opportunities the United Nations faces in reforming its peace operations and to offer constructive, actionable measures to assist the United Nations in its reform efforts.

United Nations Reform: Improving Peace Operations by Advancing the Role of Women, a new report from the Stanley Foundation, provides context on these important issues and summarizes the key findings and recommendations provided in the November meetings.

Gender, Peace and Peacekeeping: Lessons from Southern Africa
Institute for Security Studies (ISS) October 2006
This paper alludes to the tensions between achieving gender equality (as a requirement for a just peace) and the maintenance of indigenous culture and religious traditions. The primary focus, however, is the teasing out of transformation opportunities presented during times of conflict and an analysis of the role of women in traditionally male domains of peace processes, in this case, peacekeeping. The paper compares the United Nations Observer Mission to South Africa (UNOMSA) to that of the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), both located in Southern Africa, as models of change. The paper argues that the movement towards gender equality and peace is accelerated when societies risk breaking traditional moulds and when they step forward into new ways of thinking and being for both men and women.

Gender and civil-military relations: Moving towards inclusion?
Civil-Military Co-operation Centre of Excellence Seminar, 10-12 April, 2006
Civil-Military cooperation (CIMIC) is gaining importance in modern military operations, as nation building, peace building, and stabilization and reconstruction (S&R) operations have become important issues for the armed forces and are now considered to be the 'core business' of NATO. In this environment, integrating gender awareness into CIMIC is an essential pre-requisite for successful stability and reconstruction efforts in post-conflict contexts. This report acknowledges the obstacles to implementation and makes recommendations for improving cilvil-military cooperation.

Sudan: Strengthen the African Union Force During Transition to UN Peacekeepers
Refugees International Bulletin, February 28, 2006
As the United Nations plans for the replacement of the African Union Mission in Darfur, Sudan (AMIS) by UN peacekeepers, lack of resources may prevent the African Union forces from maintaining and improving their capacities. Even if the Security Council passes the resolution authorizing the UN Mission in Sudan to expand to Darfur as early as this March, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) estimates that it will take at least six to nine months for the transfer from AMIS to the UN to be completed. While a UN mission should be better able to provide protection for civilians through a more robust presence and a stronger mandate, in the interim period AMIS is the only protection available to internally displaced people living in camps throughout Darfur. Donors must take steps not only to support AMIS but also to improve its capacity to provide protection to civilians.

No Power to Protect: The African Union Mission in Sudan
Refugees International, 9 November 2005
The African Union Mission in Sudan argues that the African Union Mission in Sudan will be unable to carry out its job in Darfur unless the U.S. and the UN take active measures to provide support. AMIS does not have the resources or ability ot carry out its job of monitoring a ceasefire that is widely and regularly violated by all sides.  Refugees International argues that the U.S. and UN must push the government of Sudan to accept a stronger mandate that allows AMIS to pro-actively protect civilians in Darfur. In addition, the U.S. and UN must provide more funding, weapons and equipment and in the long-term, work to successfully transition the mission from the African Union to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Sudan: U.S. support to the African Union forces can stop violence against women
Refugees International Bulletin, 21 July 2005
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s decision to address the issue of violence against women in Darfur during her recent visit to the region is an important step as part of the U.S. Government’s on-going effort to end violence and impunity there. As the Secretary has rightly pointed out, ending violence against women in Darfur requires better security on the ground. Where visible African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) forces are present, violence has diminished. AMIS forces are currently being expanded to 7,700 from the current 3,000. While this is a positive development, the force as it is currently configured is unable to provide adequate protection for the women of Darfur because of inadequate numbers of troops and an insufficiently robust mandate.

Accountability For Sexual Exploitation & Abuse In UN Peacekeeping Operations: The Promise of The New Model MOU
UN Observer.org, August 2005
In the wake of the most recent peacekeeper abuse scandal, there has been progress toward accountability for sexual exploitation and abuse committed in UN peacekeeping operations. The momentum behind this issue must be sustained, but it is vulnerable to a slackening of the political pressure that has been driving it. The next step toward peacekeeper accountability depends on the development of the new model memorandum of understanding [MOU] for troop-contributing countries that will be considered by the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations in early 2006. A model MOU that is drafted with the goal of eliminating sexual exploitation and abuse can go far in addressing the tangle of administrative and legal issues involved. It would also give the UN the reliable leverage it now lacks vis-à-vis recalcitrant troop-contributing countries regarding their responsibilities.

Haiti: UN Civilian Police Require Executive Authority
Refugees International Bulletin, 14 March 2005
The UN peace operation in Haiti, MINUSTAH, faces serious obstacles in restoring the rule of law. While armed gangs pose a threat to peace, misconduct by the Haitian National Police (HNP) has combined with a lack of capacity to create a policing gap in Haiti. The UN Civilian Police (CIVPOL) cannot address this problem until their mandate is amended to allow them to do more than mentor and advise.

This Bulletin is based on research undertaken during a two-week assessment mission to Haiti by Sarah Martin and Peter Gantz.

Open letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan regarding sexual exploitation by peace keeping forces
Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, 10 March 2005
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation wants to grasp the opportunity given by the ten year review of the Beijing Platform for Action and the forthcoming UN report by H.H.R Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, your adviser on Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Committed by All Categories of Personnel in Peacekeeping Contexts, to express our outrage and deep concern on this issue.

Haiti: Sexual Exploitation by Peacekeepers Likely to be a Problem
Refugees International Bulletin, 7 March 2005
On Friday, February 18, a radio station in Gonaïves, Haiti claimed that three members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Haiti, MINUSTAH, had raped a young Haitian woman. By February 19, MINUSTAH had sent an investigator to Gonaïves to investigate. On February 21, MINUSTAH aired the findings to the Haitian local media at a press conference. While these speedy actions are a welcome change from the way that other UN peacekeeping missions have dealt with allegations of sexual exploitation by peacekeepers, MINUSTAH is still not adequately prepared to address and fight sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers.

This Bulletin is based on research undertaken during a two-week assessment mission to Haiti by Sarah Martin and Peter Gantz.

Recommendations for the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (31 January-25 February)
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, 28 January 2005
To further implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 on women, peace and security, at the 2005 session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (31 January-25 February 2005), the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, respectfully submits the following recommendations.

So does it mean that we have the rights? Protecting the human rights of women and girls trafficked for forced prostitution in Kosovo
Amnesty International, 2004
Since the deployment in July 1999 of an international peacekeeping force (KFOR) and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) civilian administration, Kosovo has become a major destination country for women and girls trafficked into forced prostitution.

Gender Issues in the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Haiti: An Interview with Nadine Puechguirbal, Senior Gender Advisor, UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
WILPF PeaceWomen Project, October 2004
While there has been substantial discussion about the role and position of peacekeeping gender advisors at the policy level, there have been few opportunities to understand how these gender advisors operationalize their mandates in their day-to-day work on gender issues within the UN’s peacekeeping operations. In order to raise awareness about the critical role of gender advisors in UN peacekeeping operations, the WILPF UN Office PeaceWomen Project conducted the following interview with Ms. Puechguirbal.

Addressing the Sexual Misconduct of Peacekeepers - Partnership for Effective Peace Operations Briefing Note
Partnership for Effective Peace Operations
October 2004

Peacekeepers and Gender: DRC and Sierra Leone - See Paul Higates' March 2004 Monograph
July 8, 2004 – (Pambazuka News # 164, Editorial) It was late at night when the woman farmer came out of her house in the village of Joru in Sierra Leone to go to the lavatory. She saw a large white truck that had stopped about 50 metres from her home. It was an unusual sight, so she hid and watched what was going on. Inside were two white men and a black woman, who was yelling, 'leave me alone'. 'The door was open and one of them was on top of her', recalled the farmer,'K', who is in her fifties. 'The lady was really struggling. I saw that one was holding her down while the other was raping her …I saw both of them have their turn on her. After they had finished, I saw one of them drag her out of the cabin and put her in the back of the big truck. They then drove off' (Stuart, 2003).

"So does it mean that we have the rights?" Protecting the human rights of women and girls trafficked for forced prostitution in Kosovo
Amnesty International, 6 May 2004
This report focuses attention on the role, actions and responsibilities of U.N. and NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo, who, since their arrival, have fuelled a human trafficking industry that sexually exploits women and girls as young as 11. The report includes recommendations to UNMIK, KFOR, the UN, and NATO and NATO Member States.

Recommendations for the 2004 Report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, 1 April 2004

Letter to the Bureau and Members of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Concerning "Code of Conduct" Language in the CSW Agreed Conclusions   and   Annex on Existing Language on "Code of Conduct" Language
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, 19 March 2004

Gender and Peacekeeping Case Studies: The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone
Paul Higate, Institute for Security Studies Monograph No 91, March 2004
Gender relations in Peace Support Operations (PSOs) are increasingly under the spotlight within the context of reports of the sexual abuse of local women by peacekeepers across the range of missions, involving a diversity of national military representatives. This monograph, based on a small-scale exploratory and qualitative study of the PSOs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) in April and May 2003, aims to contribute towards this evidence base together with understandings of the exploitative aspects of gendered relations in these two African PSOs. The report is concerned with gender issues, with a focus on the dynamic between privileged and powerful peacekeepers and local women and girls. Thus, findings presented here should not be considered as representative of the range of gendered relations in PSOs, but rather, are intended to deepen understanding of the factors driving prostitution and allied forms of exploitation in PSOs.

Gender Justice and Accountability in Peace Support Operations: Closing the Gaps
International Alert, February 2004

Liberia: Major Effort Needed to Address Gender-Based Violence
Refugees International Bulletin, 19 January 2004

Questions for Consideration: UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security in collaboration with Amnesty International, 29 October 2003
The United States, President of the Security Council for the month of October 2003, hosted an Open Debate in the Council chambers on women, peace and security in the context of peacekeeping operations.

Implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security: Integrating Gender into Early Warning Systems
International Alert and the Swiss Peace Foundation, First Expert Consultative Meeting
Collaborating NGOs present a framework to create awareness among individuals and organisations working in conflict prevention and early warning, recognizing that early warning is the most effective conflict prevention and peacebuilding tool and that a gender-sensitive approach identifies possible conflicts early at the micro-level and helps prepare adequate response options that ensure human security.

Recommendations from Members of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security to the International Conference entitled "Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women’s Dimensions in Peace Processes"
4-5 November 2002, Santiago, Chile
CLICK HERE for final report
The governments of Chile and Denmark, on behalf of the European Union, co-sponsored a conference "Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women’s Dimensions in Peace Processes" that was held in Santiago, Chile. The purpose of the conference was to “increase the cooperation between both regions by exchanging ideas concerning the role of women in peace processes and peace operations.” Participants included United Nations, military and police personnel, mostly women, and government and NGO experts from the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. Presentations covered issues such as gender equality in post-conflict reconstruction, problems faced by women in armed conflicts and the reach of international instruments to protect them, and women’s participation in peacekeeping forces. A website, in both Spanish and English, has been created for the conference which includes links to all of the presentations, a list of the speakers, and useful background information, including a link to Resolution 1325, which was presented as background material for the conference.
Conference website: http://www.geocities.com/womenpeacekeeping/

Peacekeepers in Africa and Gender Violence
Lyn S. Graybill, Global Security and Cooperation (GSC) Program Quarterly Newsletter, Social Science and Research Council, Summer 2002
...Although the blue helmets were initially welcomed by their hosts for their anticipated contributions to peace, they may impact negatively on women's security in conflict countries, as they are often the perpetrators of acts of gender violence against the vulnerable populations they are mandated to protect. Peacekeepers in Somalia (United Nations Operations in Somalia I and UNOSOM II), Mozambique (UNOMOZ), and Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have been accused of raping civilian women and promoting the illegal sex industry in those countries.

Gender Mainstreaming in Peace Support Operations: Moving Beyond Rhetoric to Practice
International Alert, July 2002

"Wanted: A Few Good Women": Gender Stereotypes and their Implications for Peacekeeping
Professor Gerard J DeGroot, University of St Andrews, Women in NATO Forces 26th Annual Meeting, 26-31 May 2002

Building Capacity for African Peacekeeping: A Profile of Prominent Peacekeeping Centres in Africa
Nicky Hitchcock, ACCORD. Conflict Trends. No. 3. 2002
During the African peacekeeping training strategy session held on 26 May 1998 at the UN headquarters, a plan to improve the training capacity of African nations was proposed. One of the long-term goals of the strategy involves the need to develop regional training institutions and joint peacekeeping exercises, as well as partnerships between countries whose contingents require equipment and donors. Added to this, the report from the panel on UN peace operations Known as the Brahimi Report, released in August 2000. identified and addressed the problems with UN peacekeeping missions – problems that individual governments and regional organisations should take heed of. The secretary-general's report of March 2001 – which focused on the protection of civilians in armed conflict – also encouraged governments, in their individual and collective capacities, to pay more attention to aspects that would positively influence the protection of civilians during armed conflict. In part – and as a response to these developments – a number of peacekeeping training centres have been established throughout Africa, which respond to and address some of the issues raised in these reports and sessions. These centres have developed very ambitious objectives for themselves, and although they are not all fully developed and functioning, they are an encouraging development in the quest to improve Africa's capacity to participate in peacekeeping. This article offers a brief profile of some of the most prominent peacekeeping training centres in Africa, as well as the work they are involved in.

Getting it Right: A Gender Approach to UNMIK Administration in Kosovo
Annette Lyth (Ed.). Stockholm: The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, 2001
Kvinna till Kvinna addresses the specific needs of women in areas affected by war and conflict. Kvinna till Kvinna co-operates with women's organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Israel/Palestine.

The War Children of the World: Report 1
War and Children Identity Project, Bergen, December 2001
This report includes a compilation of existing information (including statistics, news articles) on ‘UN Children’ or children conceived by personnel serving in UN missions.

Gender and Peace Support Operations: Opportunities and Challenges to Improve Practice
International Alert, October 2001

Challenges of Peace Operations: Into the 21st Century
Report on the VIII Seminar: Human Rights and Gender Issues in Peacekeeping
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, Canada, 28 May - 1 June, 2001

Kosovo Missed Opportunities, Lessons For The Future
Lesley Abdela, Former Deputy-Director Democratisation (Head NGOs, Civil Society), OSCE Mission, Kosovo, February 2000

UN Documents

Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation
and Sexual Abuse
Report of the Secretary-General, June 2008
This report is submitted in compliance with General Assembly resolution 57/306 of 15 April 2003, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to maintain data on investigations into sexual exploitation and related offences. The report presents data on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the United Nations system for the period from January to December 2007. It also describes progress made in the enforcement of United Nations standards of conduct related to sexual exploitation and abuse.

Gender Training for Peacekeepers
INSTRAW October 2007
United Nations peacekeeping missions operate under the mandate to create conditions for sustainable peace. Peacekeepers work in difficult circumstances where challenges such as gender-based violence, culturally specific gender roles and unequal power relations between peacekeeping personnel and the civilian population have to be addressed adequately. In order to fulfill their mandates and to respond to these challenges, the integration of a gender perspective in all spheres of all peacekeeping missions is essential, as emphasized in the Windhoek Declaration and the Security Council Resolution 1325.

An effective way to promote gender equality in peacekeeping missions is to integrate a gender perspective into peacekeeping training, so that peacekeeping personnel can better understand the social context in which the operations are carried out and the positive and negative impacts that their actions can have on the host country.
This section highlights the efforts to build capacity in peacekeeping missions on gender issues and brings together materials that can be used in gender training.

Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace, and Security in Peacekeeping Contexts: A Strategy Workshop with Women's Constituencies from Troop and Police Contributing Countries
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) February 2007
This is a report from a strategy workshop organized by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in collaboration with Commonwealth Secretariat and the African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) on gender equality considerations in Peacekeeping Operations. The meeting identified noteworthy areas of progress in the collective responsibility to address gender issues in peacekeeping since the adoption of SCR 1325 (2000).

Conclusions Agreements and Recommendations from the Strategy Workshop with Women’s Constituencies from Troop and Police Contributing Countries on implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) in Peacekeeping Contexts
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) February 2007
This report contains the main conclusions, agreements and recommendations emerging from the above mentioned DPKO workshop in Pretoria on the implementaton of SCR 1325 in peacekeeping contexts.

Policy Directive on Gender Equality in Peacekeeping Operations
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) November 2006
Endorsed by DPKO's Senior Management Team in October 2006 and adopted on 3 November 2006, the Policy Directive on Gender Equality in Peacekeeping is intended to guide the Department's work on gender and peacekeeping in the coming years. It also provides a framework for the development of individual action plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 within each peacekeeping mission.

Ensuring the accountability of United Nations staff and Experts on Mission with respect to criminal acts committed in Peacekeeping Operations
(A/60/980) August 2006
This report contains the findings and recommendations of a Group of Legal Experts appointed by the Secretary General in October 2005 to conduct a study on the best ways to ensure that United Nations staff members and experts on mission who serve in peacekeeping operations and who commit crimes during their peacekeeping assignments can be held criminally accountable.The study was among a wide range of recommended actions proposed by Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, the Secretary-General’s Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Peacekeeping Personnel, in his March 2005 report “ A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping Operations” (A/59/710)

A Review and Evaluation of Gender-Related Activities of UN Peacekeeping Operations and their Impact on Gender Relations in Timor Leste
Department of Peacekeeping Operations, July 2006
This report is the result of an evaluation on the gender impacts of the UN peacekeeping missions in Timor Leste, mandated by the DPKO Headquarters in October 2005, under the direction of the Gender Unit. TThe evaluation was informed by qualitative interviews and an extensive desk review of relevant documents produced by UNTAET, UNMISET, the multi- and bi-lateral agencies, the Government and NGOs

Evaluation of Gender Mainstreaming Work and impact of United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL)
Department of Peacekeeping Operations, April 2006
This report is an evaluation of UNAMSIL’s gender mainstreaming work and impact. It is based on qualitative and quantitative data and insights, generated (October and November 2005) from face-to-face interviews of a sample of UNAMSIL staff, local stakeholders as well as representatives of other UN bodies, in addition to desk research.

Draft UN policy statement and strategy on assistance and support to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff or related personnel
June 2006
The development by the UN of a policy statement and strategy on victim assistance is a part of broader efforts, to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff or related personnel.The strategy comes in response to a recommendation by the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34) in its 2005 resumed session and aims to provide a system-wide and comprehensive approach to victim assistance that will be implemented in a consistent and reliable manner in each country where the United Nations has a presence. Its recommendations include the establishment of a common funding mechanism to provide assistance and support to complainants, victims and children fathered by United Nations staff or related personnel. The draft strategy has been presented to member states for endorsement.

Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in MONUC: Lessons Learned Study
Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Best Practices Unit, March 2006
This paper reviews the manner in which the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) addressed the burgeoning scandal surrounding allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by United Nations personnel. It outlines the history and rationale for establishing the Office for Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OASEA) and examines some lessons learned from the experience. The lessons learned are related primarily to management and highlight the need to introduce better checks and balances for managers and commanders at all levels. They also suggest that regular and systematic training and awareness-raising, and the expansion of a network of trainers, is the most effective preventive measure against SEA.

Enhancing the Operational Impact of Peacekeeping Operations:Gender Balance in Military and Police Services Deployed to UN Peacekeeping Missions.
Background Paper for Department of Peacekeeping Operations Policy Dialogue, March 29-30 2006
This overview study was prepared as a discussion document for a 2-day policy dialogue convened by the DPKO Best Practices Section among Troop and Police Contributing Countries on enhancing the operational impact of peacekeeping operations through greater gender balance among peacekeepers. The paper indicates that despite strong findings regarding women’s positive impact on operational outcomes in peacekeeping operations, with very few exceptions, there are marked limitations in action by either Governments or DPKO to increase the deployment of women.

Public Opinion Survey of UNMIL's Work in Liberia
Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Best Practices Unit, March 2006
This paper reports on a public opinion survey that was conducted in January 2006 at the request of the Peacekeeping Best Practices Section to assess the way in which the people of Liberia view the work of UNMIL, the United Nations Mission in Liberia. The results of the study show that the majority of Liberians who participated in the survey support the presence of UNMIL, and feel that the UN mission has brought both peace and security to the country. In particular, respondents expressed appreciation for the reconstruction and development work undertaken by the mission, and for the successful organization of elections in 2005. Criticisms against UNMIL centered on two issues: allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, including an increase in prostitution, and concerns associated with an alleged failure by the mission to completely remove arms from former combatants in Liberia.

Gender Mainstreaming in Peacekeeping Operations: A progress report
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations, October 28, 2005
This report is the first effort to chronicle the progress and challenges related to gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping Operations, as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1325. It seeks to provide an overview of key policy and operational interventions being supported by gender units in peacekeeping operations, in functional areas such as Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration . It also provides profiles of strategies and approaches being used to implement gender mainstreaming in various peacekeeping missions around the world, while outlining some of the practical challenges of gender mainstreaming activities.

Designing an Action Plan to Guide Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Comfort Lamptey, Gender Advisor, Department of Peacekeeping Operations
In 2004, the Security Council requested that all UN entities develop action plans for the implementation of Resolution 1325, and to present a UN System-wide Action Plan to the Council in October 2005. This request was also echoed by the Special Committee on Peacekeeping in February 2005.The recently-adopted gender policy statement of DPKO’s Under-Secretary General underlines the development of an Action Plan as one of the important components of the Department’s overall programme strategy for mainstreaming gender in peacekeeping operations.

Security Council Presidential Statement on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (S/PRST/2005/21)
31 May 2005
On 31 May 2005, the Security Council, under the Presidency of Denmark, held its first-ever public meeting devoted exclusively to sexual exploitation and abuse. The Council heard from Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan), the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. The Presidential Statement, issued at the end of the session, was read by Council President Ellen Margrethe Løj (Denmark).

Report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and its Working Group on the 2005 resumed session (A/59/19/Add.1)
15 April 2005
The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations met in a 2005 resumed session (4-8 April 2005) to review Prince Zeid's report “A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations” (see A/59/710). This report is the outcome document of the resumed session and outlines those recommendations introduced by Zeid which the C-34 has adopted, as well as the C-34's own proposals and recommendations in response to the actions proposed in Zeid's report.

For the draft General Assembly resolution on a "Comprehensive review on a strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping operations" (A/C.4/59/L.20), CLICK HERE.

For the Programme budget implications of the draft resolution A/C.4/59/L.20 (A/C.4/59/L.21), CLICK HERE.

Presentation by Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, to the 2005 resumed session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations regarding their review of the report “A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations” (A/59/710)
4 April 2005

Presentation by H.R.H. Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein*, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the UN to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations regarding their review of his report “A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations” (A/59/710)
4 April 2005
*Prince Zeid is the Secretary-General's Advisor on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping personnel.

DPKO Under-Secretary General Policy Statement on Gender Mainstreaming
29 March 2005
The issuance of this policy statement is a first step towards the elaboration of a comprehensive gender policy for DPKO. It provides an operational framework for implementing the mandates issued to the Department by the Security Council, ECOSOC and the Secretary-General.

A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations (A/59/710)
Prepared by the Secretary-General's Special Advisor on addressing sexual exploitation and abuse, Jordan's UN Ambassador Prince Zeid, 24 March 2005

The report in the 6 official UN languages is available at: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=a/59/710

Statement of the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping on the occassion of International Women's Day: 8 March 2005

Message from Mr. Søren Jessen-Petersen, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNMIK [Kosovo] on the occasion of International Women's Day, 8 March 2005

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, 8 March 2005

MONUC hebdo highlights the activities on the occasion of International Women's day in the DRC, 8 March 2005

Working with Gender Lenses in Liberia
Idah Muema, UN Volunteer, Gender Unit, UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), March 2005
UN Volunteer Idah Muema has an assignment as Gender Officer in Liberia, helping to factor women’s issues and concerns into projects and programmes of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). She has previously worked on gender issues – such as preventing violence against women - in refugee camps in the north-east of her home country, Kenya.

Secretary-General's Report on women, peace and security
13 October 2004
"The most significant progress in the implementation of resolution 1325 has been made in the peacekeeping arena." (Section II D)

UNMIK Office of Gender Affairs Places Gender Concerns at the Top of the Peacekeeping Political Agenda in Kosovo
Maddalena Pezzotti, Chief, Office of Gender Affairs, United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), October 2004

What is a Gender Advisor? A Profile of Nadine Puechguirbal, Senior Gender Advisor, MINUSTAH
In FACES: Women as Partners in Peace and Security
Produced jointly by UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), Released October 2004
The FACES publication brings to life Security Council resolution 1325 by profiling ten women whose work in international peace and security and humanitarian assistance embodies the essence of the resolution in action.

AIDS Fighter: A Profile of Joyce Puta, UNMIL, Liberia
In FACES: Women as Partners in Peace and Security
Produced jointly by UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), Released October 2004

Policing with Compassion: A Profile of Kadi K. Fakondo, UNAMSIL, Sierra Leone
In FACES: Women as Partners in Peace and Security
Produced jointly by UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), Released October 2004

The Feminine Face of United Nations CIVPOL in Haiti [French Version: Le visage féminin de la Police Civile des Nations Unies en Haïti]
Nadine Puechguirbal, Senior Gender Advisor, MINUSTAH, in collaboration with MINUSTAH’s CivPol and Public Information, Port-au-Prince, August 2004
"As of 1 August 2004, the CivPol contingent in Haiti comprises 206 police officers, four of whom are women (around two percent of the contingent’s
United Nations peacekeeping operation..."

Gender Resource Package
Department for Peacekeeping Operations, Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit, August 2004
This gender resource package is designed to explain the concept of “gender mainstreaming” to peacekeeping personnel at Headquarters and in missions -civilian, civilian police and military staff of all grades, as well as both national and international personnel . It is a reference guide that includes background information and highlights key gender issues in each functional area of peacekeeping operations. The package provides guidance on gender issues at the planning stage as well as after the establishment of a peacekeeping operation, and includes a number of practical tools such as a gender assessment checklist for planning and guides to implementation.

References to a Gender Unit/Advisory Capacity in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Headquarters: A Compilation Of UN Documents
Compiled by PeaceWomen Project, Ongoing
This document is a compilation of all references made, in UN documents, to the development of a gender advisory capacity in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Headquarters.

Gender Checklist for Assessment Missions for Peacekeeping Operations
Department for Peacekeeping Operations, Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit
This checklist is based on the following materials: (i) Gender Checklist for Peace Support Operations, Inter-agency Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security, 2003, which is in turn based on materials from OHCHR, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) and Advancement of Women UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM and WFP; (ii) the Checklist for Incorporating Gender Issues into Security Council Reports, produced by OSAGI; and (iii) the Passport to Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Emergency Programmes, SEAGA.

Gender References in the Reports of the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
PeaceWomen Project, WILPF UN Office, April 2004
Compiled on the occasion of the 2004 session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations

Gender References in the Reports of the Secretary-General on “Implementation of the Recommendations of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations”
PeaceWomen Project, WILPF UN Office, April 2004
Compiled on the occasion of the 2004 session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations

"Gender Mainstreaming," Chapter IX of the Handbook on UN Multidimensional Peacekeeping Operations
UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit, December 2004
To download the full document, and for more information, visit: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/lessons/

Gender Checklist for Liberia
December 2003
The questions contained in this checklist have been adapted from the Iraq Checklist June 2003, the Liberia Checklist on Gender Perspectives - a Work in Progress - August 2003 and the DPKO Gender checklist for Côte d’Ivoire Assessment Mission November 2003. It was taken from UN resources, including those produced by UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, WFP, OHCHR, OSAGI and UNIFEM. Specific resources outside the UN system have been cited.

Gender Briefing Note for Security Council Mission in Afghanistan
Inter-agency Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security, October 2003

Women, Peace and Security in the Context of UN Peacekeeping Operations
Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, UN Security Council, New York, 29 October 2003

Women, Peace and Security in the Context of UN Peacekeeping Operations
Amy Smythe, Senior Gender Advisor, MONUC, UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, UN Security Council, New York, 29 October 2003

Liberia Note on Gender Issues and the Involvement of Women
Inter-agency Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security, August 2003

Briefing Note on Gender Issues for the Security Council Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda
Consolidated by the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) for the Inter-agency Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security, June 2003

The Special Needs of Women and Children in Conflict/Les besoins particuliers des femmes et des enfants dans les situations de conflit
MONUC, Kisangani, 18-22 February 2003; Kinshasa, 3-8 March 2003
In February and March 2003, four two-day training courses and two shorter briefings on the special needs of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations were organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) for the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). Given the huge size of the mission area and the fact that many local mission staff do not speak English, which is the official MONUC language, identical seminars were held in two locations (Kinshasa and Kisangani) and in two languages (English and French). The courses are designed to provide civilian personnel of peacekeeping operations with tailor-made training on the special needs of women and children in order to enhance the professional preparedness of civilian peacekeeping staff who deal with societies in and after armed conflict. The training familiarizes the participants with the specific needs, human rights, potentials and situations of women and children during armed conflict, repatriation, resettlement, reintegration, post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building.

Gender Mainstreaming in Peacekeeping Activities
Report of the Secretary-General (A/57/731), 13 February 2003
The present report outlines a coherent policy for gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping activities and provides information on efforts made by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to introduce gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping activities, in compliance with legislative mandates. The report also offers clarification of the respective roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, gender advisers in peacekeeping missions and the proposed senior gender adviser in the Department at
Headquarters. The annex contains a glossary of gender mainstreaming terms.

Conflict Sensitive Approaches to Development, Humanitarian Assistance and Peace-Building: Tools for Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), February 2003

Activities Report from the Office of Gender Affairs (OGA) of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
Kinshasa, DRC, 10 January 2003
The aim of this paper is to give a comprehensive review of the activities of the OGA from March 2002 to December 2002 using concrete examples to foster a better understanding of its role and function in a peacekeeping environment.

The MONUC Office of Gender Affairs has produced a pamphlet providing an overview of its mandate, objectives and activities. To view the pamphlet, CLICK HERE.

In Your Interest. . . Reports: Report of Gender Advisers’ Workshop, Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)
Sherrill Whittington, Project Manager, Gender and Peacekeeping, Network: The UN Women’s Newsletter, Vol. 6 • No. 4, October, November, December 2002
The Best Practices Unit of DPKO, as part of its new mandate, undertook the second phase of a project on Gender Mainstreaming in Peacekeeping Operations. This focused on resource development of an electronic multi-resource package containing guidelines, standard operating procedures, briefing materials and resource documents to address issues of gender equality in all aspects of peace support operations. The advisers are to work with Sherrill Whittington, the Project Manager, to provide input into the resources, with particular focus on defining terms for gender-based rights; mainstreaming gender in disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration; human rights Units; as well as documenting best practices, such as anti-trafficking programmes.

Peacekeeping Operations and Gender Equality in Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Sherill Whittington, Project Manager, Gender and Peacekeeping, Department of Peacekeeping Operations. EU-LAC Conference The Role of Women in Peacekeeping Operations, Chile, 4-5 November 2002

Combined Recommendations on gender and peacekeeping operations from UN Secretary-General's Report on Women, Peace and Security, the UN Secretary-General Study on Women, Peace and Security, and the UNIFEM commissioned Independent Experts' Assessment "Women, War and Peace"
All three documents dated: October 2002

UNIFEM Statement on Gender, Conflict and Peacekeeping
Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UN Development Fund for Women. UN Security Council Open Debate, 25 July 2002

The Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations
August 2000

Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Multidimensional Peace Operations
Department of Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations, July 2000

Windhoek Declaration and the Namibia Plan of Action On Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Multidimensional Peace Support Operations
Namibia, 31 May 2000
The Lessons Learned Unit of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, hosted by the Government of Namibia, held a seminar on ‘Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Multidimensional Peace Support Operations,’ from 29 to 31 May 2000 in Windhoek, Namibia. The Windhoek Declaration and Namibia Plan of Action is the outcome document from this seminar.

Impact of Armed Conflict on Children: Report of the Expert of the Secretary-General, Ms. Grac'a Machel
August 1996
The report includes a discussion of the links between the arrival of peacekeeping troops and the rapid rise in child prostitution, and proposes a number of concrete recommendations addressing the behaviour of peacekeepers and how to prevent further abuse and exploitation.

Government, Statements, and Reports

Summary Report “Women in Armed Conflicts – The Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325” Conference
19 February 2008, National Defence Academy, Vienna

References to Gender issues in the Statements made during the General Debate of the 2006 Meeting of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
27-28 February 2006, UN headquarters

Presentation by H.R.H. Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein*, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the UN to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations regarding their review of his report “A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations” (A/59/710)
4 April 2005
*Prince Zeid is the Secretary-General's Advisor on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping personnel.

United States Outraged at Abuses by U.N. Peacekeepers in DRC [Printer-friendly version]
Prepared Remarks of Kim Holmes, Assistant Secretary of State Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State
Before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, of the International Relations Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
1 March 2005

References to Gender and Peacekeeping - Security Council Open Debate, 28 October 2004
Compiled by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
Categories: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; Gender training; Gender balance/recruitment; Gender-advisory capacity; Leadership; Peacekeeping mandates/resolutions; HIV/AIDS; Trafficking; DPKO action plan; Other peacekeeping actors; Partnerships; Resources; and General, but worth noting.

References to Gender Issues in the Governmental Statements during the General Debate of the 2004 Meeting of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
29-30 March 2004, UN Headquarters

European Union Position Paper on Gender for the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
Circulated 29 March 2004, 2004 Session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (29 March - 16 April 2004), UN Headquarters

Report of the EU-LAC Conference "Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women’s Dimensions in Peace Processes"
4-5 November 2002, Chile
The governments of Chile and Denmark, on behalf of the European Union, co-sponsored a conference "Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women’s Dimensions in Peace Processes" that was held in Santiago, Chile. The purpose of the conference was to “increase the cooperation between both regions by exchanging ideas concerning the role of women in peace processes and peace operations.” Participants included United Nations,
military and police personnel, mostly women, and government and NGO experts from the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. Presentations covered issues such as gender equality in post-conflict reconstruction, problems faced by women in armed conflicts and the reach of international instruments to protect them, and women’s participation in peacekeeping forces. A website, in both Spanish and English, has been created for the conference which includes links to all of the presentations, a list of the speakers, and useful background information, including a link to Resolution 1325, which was presented as background material for the conference.
Conference website which includes the final report: http://www.geocities.com/womenpeacekeeping/

For the Letter to the UN Secretary-General and General Assembly from the Permanent Representatives of Chile and Denmark announcing the report, CLICK HERE.

Women in Peacekeeping
FA Delia Quigley, Australian Federal Police, Presented at the Third Australasian Women and Policing Conference: Women and Policing Globally, Australia, October 2002
The author, who is an Australian Federal Police officer, describes her experiences in three different peacekeeping operations: in Haiti in 1994, where she was one of three women working in the International Police Monitoring Team; in East Timor in 1999, when she was the first policewoman into Dili; and in Cyprus in 2000, as the UN CIVPOL humanitarian officer. She believes that women play an invaluable role in peacekeeping, and present powerful role models to women in societies that have been oppressed or subject to violence.

Women in Peacekeeping Operations: A Contribution to Dialogue and to a Decline in Conflicts
Maria, Soledad Alvear Valenzuela, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, 2002

UN Member State Statements at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Gender, Conflict and Peacekeeping
25 July 2002
Australia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Grenada, Guinea, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Russian Federation, Singapore, USA, UK.

"Women in Peacekeeping - Canadian Female Police Officers as International Role Models”
Catherine Fortin, in “Canadian Police Recognized as an International Role Model,” Gazette, Publication of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, vol 63, No. 3, 2001



Books, Journals and Articles

A City in the Sand: Women in Politics for the Transformation of Haiti: The Story of a Coaching Program for a New Leadership
Nava Almog and Nadine Puechguirbal, May 2008
This book tells the story of a group of Haitian women, leaders in their communities, who, with strength and perseverance in the face of adversity, participated in a training and Coaching program aimed at strengthening the capacity of women in politics. With eyes wide open, they advanced in the program, questioned their habits and behaviors, and came to understand that in order to change their country they had to begin by transforming themselves . . . and they did it!

To read WILPF's interview, please click HERE

Women Building Peace: What They Do, Why It Matters
Sanam Anderlini Naraghi 2007. 257 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58826-512-8. $22.00
How and why do women's contributions matter in peace and security processes? Why should women's activities in this sphere be explored separately from peacebuilding efforts in general? This book offers a comprehensive, cross-regional analysis of women's peacebuilding initiatives around the world with particular emphasis on issues of conflict prevention, peace negotiations, post-conflict disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, governance and transitional justice. It also traces the evolution of international policies in this arena and highlights the endemic problems that stunt progress. Anderlini?s astute analysis, based on extensive research and field experience, demonstrates how gender sensitivity in programming can be a catalytic component in the complex task of building sustainable peace, and provides concrete examples of how to draw on women's untapped potential.

Reform or More of the Same? Gender Mainstreaming and the Changing Nature of UN Peace Operations
Karen Barnes, York Centre for International and Security Studies, Working paper No. 41,
October 2006
This paper explores the evolving rhetoric of the UN’s peacebuilding agenda,explaining the continuing exclusion of women as a result of the failure to see gender issues as a security concern, despite the increased recognition of the links between both gender and development and development and security.

“Mainstreaming Gender in Peace Support Operations: The United Nations Mission in Liberia”
Fatoumata Aisha, from: A Tortuous Road to Peace: The Dynamics of Regional, UN and International Humanitarian Interventions in Liberia,
Festus Aboagye and Alhaji M S Bah eds., May 2005
A project of the Peace Missions Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, funded by the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria, South Africa

Mainstreaming or Maneuvering? Gender and Peacekeeping in West Africa
April O’Neill and Leora Ward, KAIPTC Monograph, No. 1
April 2005
The aim of this study is to evaluate the roles and impact of Gender Advisors (GA) and gender mainstreaming strategies in UN peacekeeping missions, with specific reference to Sierra Leone and Liberia as case studies. These countries and missions are selected because the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was adopted before Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security waspassed, hence only vague references to women and gender issues are made. In contrast, the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was adopted postresolution 1325, and makes gender mainstreaming in all aspects and at all levels of the operation a priority.

Gender, Conflict, and Peacekeeping
Edited by Dyan Mazurana, Angela Raven-Roberts, and Jane Parpart (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.)
February 2005
Peacekeeping has become a major international undertaking throughout the world, from Africa to the Americas, from Europe to Southeast Asia. Yet until now, there has been no systematic analysis of the key role of gender in post-cold war conflicts and of post-conflict peacekeeping efforts. This groundbreaking volume explores how gender has become a central factor in shaping current thinking about the causes and consequences of armed conflict, complex emergencies, and reconstruction. Drawing on expertise ranging from the highest levels of international policymaking down to the daily struggle to implement peacekeeping operations, this work represents the full span of knowledge and experience about international intervention in local crises. Presenting a rich array of examples from Angola, Bosnia Herzegovina, East Timor, El Salvador, the former Yugoslavia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, and Serbia, the authors offer important insights for future peacekeeping and humanitarian missions.

Men, Militarism, and UN Peacekeeping: A Gendered Analysis
Sandra Whitworth, Lynne Rienner Publishers
August 2004
...Sandra Whitworth looks behind the rhetoric to investigate from a feminist perspective some of the realities of military intervention under the UN flag. Whitworth contends that there is a fundamental contradiction between portrayals of peacekeeping as altruistic and benign and the militarized masculinity that underpins the group identity of soldiers. Examining evidence from Cambodia and Somalia, she argues that sexual and other crimes can be seen as expressions of a violent "hypermasculinity" that is congruent with militarized identities, but entirely incongruent with missions aimed at maintaining peace. She also asserts that recent efforts within the UN to address gender issues in peacekeeping operations have failed because they fail to challenge traditional understandings of militaries, conflict, and women.

The Gender Perspective as a Deterrent to Spoilers: The Sierra Leone Experience
Desmond Molloy, Officer in Charge of the DDR Section at UNAMSIL, Conflict Trends, Issue 2, ACCORD Special Edition on Peacekeeping, 2004

Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A True Story from Hell on Earth
Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait, Andrew Thomson, Miramax
June 2004
Written by two UN employees and one former UN staffer, this book covers the authors’ experiences in the mid-1990s in peacekeeping operations in Cambodia, Somalia and Haiti, describing regular sex parties involving alcohol and drugs in Cambodia, and forces comprised of convicts and mental-asylum inmates passing as soldiers who raped local women, as was the case for Bulgaria's peacekeeping contingent in Cambodia.
For news coverage of this book (Washington Times and UN Wire), CLICK HERE.

Gender Aspects of Conflict Interventions: Intended and Unintended Consequences
Case Studies on the United Nations Mission in Eritrea/Ethiopia (UNMEE), the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) and the Tempo-rary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH)
Louise Olsson, Inger Skjelsbæk, Elise Fredrikke Barth & Karen Hostens, International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO)
March 2004
Prepared for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this report studies the gender aspects of international conflict interventions and how these can positively or negatively impact on the success of missions. It focuses on three case studies- in the United Nations mission in Eritrea/Ethiopia (UNMEE), the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) and the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), to investigate ways in which these interventions fulfil the goals of gender balancing and gender mainstreaming outlined in core UN documents, and to identify areas where Norway can improve its own practices.

Gender and UN Peace Operations: The Confines of Modernity
Tarja Vayrynen, International Peacekeeping*, Volume 11, Issue 1, Spring 2004
The essay seeks to problematize the recent UN discourse on gender, peace and war by demonstrating how modernity sets the limits for the discourse, and therewith confines the discourse to the pre-given binary categories of agency, identity and action. It engages in an analysis of modernity and the mode of thinking that modernity establishes for thinking about war and peace. It is demonstrated in the text that new thinking on post-Westphalian conflicts and human security did open up a discursive space for thinking about gender in peace operations, but this space has not been fully utilized. By remaining within the confines of modernity, the UN discourse on peace operations produces neo-liberal modes of masculinity and femininity where the problem-solving epistemology gives priority to the 'rationalist' and manageralist masculinity and renders silent the variety of ambivalent and unsecured masculinities and femininities

*From a special issue of International Peacekeeping, “Peace Operations and Global Order.”

Women and Peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of Congo : An Inclusive Approach to Peacekeeping in the DRC
Nadine Puechguirbal, former Gender Affairs Officer at the OGA in MONUC, Conflict Trends, Issue 3, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), October 2003

Revealing the Soldier: Peacekeeping and Prostitution
Paul Higate, DPhil., American Sexuality Magazine, National Sexuality Resource Center, Volume 1, Issue 5
July/August 2003
For the online version, CLICK HERE.
The UN continues to do important work, but we must critically evaluate the sexual dynamics in peacekeeping contexts.

Militarized Masculinities and the Politics of Peacekeeping: The Canadian Case
Sandra Whitworth
In K. Booth, Ed. Security, Community and Emancipation. Boulder: Lynne Reinner, 2003

The Postwar Moment: Militaries, Masculinities and International Peacekeeping
Cynthia Cockburn and Dubravka Zarkov, Eds. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 2002

'Gender and the Peacekeeping Military: A View from Bosnian Women's Organizations'
Cynthia Cockburn and Meliha Hubic
In Cynthia Cockburn and Dubravka Zarkov, Eds. The Postwar Moment: Militaries, Masculinities and International Peacekeeping. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 2002, pp 103-121.

'International Peacekeeping Operations: To Neglect Gender is To Risk Peacekeeping Failure'
Dyan Mazurana
In Cynthia Cockburn and Dubravka Zarkov, Eds. The Postwar Moment: Militaries, Masculinities and International Peacekeeping. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 2002, pp. 41-50.

“The Weakest Link": Women in Two Dutch Peacekeeping Units
Liora Sion, Minerva: Quarterly Report on Women and the Military, Fall-Winter, 2001
The aim of this article is to examine the experience of the Dutch female peacekeepers that serve in Bosnia and Kosovo and to analyze the ways in which they are envisaged and treated by their male peers and how they view themselves. By focusing on women I would mainly like to demonstrate two mechanisms: 1. The exclusion of the women by men; 2. The lack of social support among the women themselves. The first mechanism, as we shall see later, is a result of macho perceptions and fear, while the second is more an outcome of women's personal strategy. I argue not only that their male peers do not completely accept the women, but also that women have adopted men's' ways of thinking, and in doing so they become their "greatest enemy".

'Gender and Peacekeeping: Training Experiences in UNTAET and UNMEE'
A. Mackay
Paper Presented j the conference 'Challenges of Peacekeeping and Peace Support into the 21st Century, Nova Scotia, 28 May-1 June 2001

'Sex and the Peacekeeping Soldier: The New UN Resolution'
Angela Mackay
Peace News, Issue 2443

Women and International Peacekeeping
Louise Olsson and Torunn L. Tryggestad, Eds. Frank Cass Series on Peacekeeping. London: Frank Cass, 2001

Mainstreaming Gender in Peacekeeping Operations: Can Africa Learn From International Experience?
Heidi Hudson. African Security Review. Vol 9 No 4, 2000

The Protection of Children in Peacemaking and Peacekeeping Processes
Ilene Cohn, Program Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, UN, Harvard Human Rights Journal, Vol 12, Spring 1999
This study examines the protection of children during peacemaking and peacekeeping, and the regional and multilateral institutions that now play a role in palliating conflicts around the world. It identifies children’s substantive needs, considers efforts made in some peace processes and proposes alternatives. The focus is on what might be done to better ensure that children’s rights are considered from the moment mediation efforts begin until the peace-building agenda is fully hammered out. Although many of the issues, such as human rights and peacekeeping, the potential use of regional peacekeepers, and truth, justice and reconciliation, have produced a great deal of writing and debate, no one has yet examined the conflict resolution period from a children’s rights perspective.

'Women in Peace Operations'
Anita Helland and Anita Kristensen. In Anita Helland, Kari Karamé, Anita Kristensen and Inger Skjelsbæk, Eds. Women and Armed Conflicts. Oslo: NUPI, 1999.

"Gender, Race and and the Politics of Peacekeeping"
Sandra Whitworth. Edward Moxon-Brown, Ed. A Future for Peacekeeping? Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998

"Peacekeeping and Peace Research: Men's and Women's Work"
Judith Hicks Stiehm. In Women and Politics. 18(1), 1997, pp. 27-51.