The Women Leaders Intercultural Forum of Realizing Rights supported Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Tarja Halonen of Finland in co-convening an event on "Peace and Security through Women's Leadership: Acting on 1325 and Climate Change" during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 24 September.
Participants included President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; Professor Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate and The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues for the United States. Realizing Rights President Mary Robinson moderated the meeting.
This event was a follow-up to the International Colloquium on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, Peace and Security, which President Johnson-Sirleaf and President Halonen co-convened in Monrovia, Liberia in March 2009. The Colloquium issued a call to action for full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security which has taken on increasing momentum in recent months.
The call to action makes the link between security and climate change and includes specific recommendations in this area which were discussed at the meeting on 24 September. Two women who have been on the frontlines spoke powerfully about the challenges their communities face. Ursula Rakova, from Papua New Guinea, highlighted the negative changes in her community brought about by unprecedented weather patterns. Jeanne Nzuzi from the Democratic Republic of Congo shared details about the insecurity faced by women in her country due to war and low-intensity conflict.
