BLOG: UNSCR1325 on its 10th Anniversary: Update

In October and November 2010, I had the opportunity to travel to the United States of America and take part in a series of events around the 10th Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. I am one of six women that assessed six countries (Indonesia- Aceh, Colombia, Liberia, Israel-Palestine, Sri Lanka and Uganda). The study, which examines efforts by key actors to address women's participation in peace processes, was commissioned by the International Civil Society Action Network and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The final report was launched as one of the key events at the 10th Anniversary celebration.

Women activists from around the world gathered in New York and Washington, DC to celebrate and show case the gains made by civil society on Resolution 1325 and create more awareness on its full implementation. They shared challenges and lessons learned from their countries and suggested strategies for improvement in the implementation. Themes discussed at the workshops and panel discussions included but were not limited to female police peacekeepers and their role and impact in peace operations; women's involvement in reconciliation and healing processes in post conflict societies; the obstacles to human security posed by the militarized security system that perpetuates global patriarchy and the potential of feminist security perspectives to overcome them.

A Peace Fair organized by the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders contained cyber dialogues which were the highlight of the New York portion of my visit. Two cyber dialogues – real time web conferences between global policy makers and women peace activists from Iraq, Liberia, Nepal and Sierra Leone and other conflict affected countries – were held. The cyber dialogues generated practical recommendations for implementing 1325 at the country level. Policy makers should see the 10th anniversary as a reflection period and make crucial decisions to increase the number of women at the peace table and recognize the specific impact of armed conflict on women. These recommendations should be included on the international peace and security agenda.

The open debate on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, for me, was not actually a debate but more of a briefing as over ninety (90) speakers, including Liberia, briefed the Security Council on UNSCR1325 implementation in their respective countries. As I attended these events in both New York and Washington DC, I asked myself, how can I help to liberianize the resolution? One approach would be connecting women to the peace and security activities currently going on in their communities. For example they should be contributing at the same level as men in negotiating everyday post-conflict issues such as land disputes, the use of natural resources and post-conflict violence against women including domestic violence and rape which is on the increase. In additional, we Liberians should be working to recognize the impressive contributions women have been making to their country and develop a plan to increase the number of women in government.

I also feel that women's economic empowerment should be placed on the peace and security agenda. Can we achieve peace when over 76% of the Liberian population lives below the poverty line of $1 a day and, more dramatically, 52% live in extreme poverty with under US$0.50 a day? It is estimated that the majority of those living in extreme poverty are women. Peace does not only mean the cessation of armed conflict and holding elections, it also means the opportunity to access resources, services and finances and equal opportunity to reach decision making positions at every level.

I am looking forward to increased awareness on the Resolution and empowering women to act on the awareness at the community level. The main question for me is: What next? At the New York and Washington meetings we all concluded that 1325 still needs a lot of work, and that the UN and member states have not done enough to implement the Resolution in its first 10 years. The 10th anniversary is a crucial moment, and we need to do all we can to prevent another 10 years of stagnation. Women's civil society organizations in Liberia are ready to work, but they have been unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary resources. There is a desperate need for bi-literal donors, UN Agencies and international NGOs to invest more resources for women led CSOs to fully implement UNSCR1325. Women have energy, are committed and have the practical experience to make the changes we need to sustain peace in Liberia. Please support their efforts! I salute IREX for giving me the opportunity to participate in the 10th Anniversary celebration of 1325 and I look forward to being a part of the change I want to see.