APPEAL: Gaza: Women Call for Security Council Action
Twenty women peace leaders met with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry last week as part of the Open Days on Women and Peace, which have been taking place around the world. UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi was among the other high-level UN officials who attended the meeting.
Amal Syam, Executive Director of the Women's Affairs Centre-Gaza, said, “This meeting is very important for Palestinian and Gazan women in the sense that it gives us a chance, though besieged, to address the Security Council and call for a concrete and full application of Resolution 1325.”
The women peace leaders drew attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has taken a dire toll on the health of women and girls, and exacerbated violence and economic despair. They called for greater support for women's political participation as one critical priority.
Mr. Serry commended the efforts of women in Gaza, despite a difficult environment, and called for them to be “active participants in addressing the full range of political challenges facing the Palestinian people.”
Worldwide, 22 countries have participated in the Open Days so far, with 1,000 women meeting with high-level UN officials. Activists flagged consistent concerns with women's limited political participation, barriers in access to justice, unequal options for economic recovery and gender-based violence.
The initiative is part of preparations to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Resolution 1325, adopted by the UN Security Council in 2000. In the resolution, UN Member States made an unprecedented commitment to take action to advance women's participation and gender equality in peace processes. Traditionally, women have been nearly invisible in peace talks and related activities, and little attention was paid to specific gender dimensions.
Since the resolution was passed, gender advocates have made some progress in using the resolution to hold governments accountable to their promises. More women now participate in peace negotiations and peacekeeping forces, while some post-conflict countries have brought large numbers of women into political positions to direct reconstruction. But gaps remain as well, and were underscored by activists during the Open Days. They stressed in particular the urgent need for security to curtail the horrific prevalence of gender-based violence during and after conflicts, and for an end to widespread impunity for these crimes.
In October, a Global Open Day will be held in New York to highlight these and other concerns. It will take place during the week the Security Council holds a special debate on Resolution 1325, and determines next steps to advance gender equality in peace processes.