CAMPAIGN: Letter Campaign for Women, 1325 and 1960

Femlinkpacific, as a member of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders has been part of an open letter campaign sent to members of the Security Council calling for maintaining the mandates of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women and Peace and Security.

They want to highlight all subsequent resolutions on women, especially those calling for the prevention of sexual abuse and rape.

Since 2007 Femlinkpacific has coordinated a regional network on UNSCR1325 linking advocates of UNSCR1325 in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Bougainville, and is one of the 65 organisations and women from around the world involved in the Open Letter Campaign.
Femlinkpacific's executive director Sharon Bhagwan Rolls said this was a critical follow up to the recently commemorated 10th anniversary of UNSCR1325 and more importantly putting the emphasis back on women's participation in decision making and conflict prevention.

Femlinkpacific also convenes the regional secretariat of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAc) and Bhagwan-Rolls is also the GPPAC Gender Liaison.

"It is also critical that broader civil society also recognises and supports this crucial resolution on Women, Peace and Security, especially in the context of Prevention, and GPPAC is demonstrating that at the global and regional level," Ms Bhagwan Rolls said.

The concern that motivated the letter was due to the lack of consultation with women's civil society organisations prior to the recent adoption of UNSCR1960.

The resolution also treats women mostly as victims.

The Open Letter states there is no crime worse for women or men than rape, the trauma from which remains for a lifetime.

It further says that rape will be reduced in war time only when greater efforts are made to Prevent the violence, when more women are Participating in decision making and when guns are regulated and reduced.

The letter was addressed to the 15 Permanent Representatives of the member states of the United Nations Security Council and copied to Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Ms. Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General of UN Women; Ms. Margot Wallstrom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; Mr. B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs; and Mr. John McNee, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada in his capacity as the coordinator of the Friends of 1325 with the request to circulate the letter to all members of the group.

"We have also distributed the letter to Pacific missions at the UN as our region has also shown strong commitment to UNSCR1325 including the Participation and Prevention aspects," Ms Bhagwan Rolls said.