INTERNATIONAL: Promise of Resolution 1325 is a dream deferred

The preparations for the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security are starting, but critics say there is not much to celebrate.

Donald Steinberg, Deputy President for Policy of the International Crisis Group and board member of the Women's Refugee Commission, writes that “the promise of Resolution 1325 is so far largely a dream deferred. Women continue to be raped and trafficked in conflict situations with impunity, both by rebel forces and by government militaries charged with protecting them. Women peace builders still face severe legal and cultural discrimination; coupled with sexual violence and threats against them, this imposes a victimization and danger that makes even the most courageous women think twice before stepping forward.”

Resolution 1325 was passed in October 2000 and aims to promote women's full engagement in peace negotiations, gender balance in post-conflict governments, properly trained peacekeepers and local security forces, protection for displaced women and accountability for sexual violence. According to the resolution, the Secretary-General should integrate a gender perspective in all peacekeeping operations and other UN programs. The resolution also calls for greater funding for the protection of women during armed conflict and to rebuild institutions that matter to women.

Donald Steinberg stresses that there has been a total absence of women as negotiators, mediators, signatories or witnesses in recent peace negotiations such as those in Indonesia, Nepal, Somalia, Cote d'Ivoire, the Philippines and Central African Republic.

UNIFEM estimates that less than 6 percent of funds committed in donor conferences after peace accords are targeted in any way towards women and, according to Steinberg, the UN is not taking the lead in this work since their work is under-funded, under-supported and poorly coordinated.

Steinberg's advice for steps to make the anniversary worth celebrating are for the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General to appoint an advisory panel on 1325 of prominent international figures from developing and developed countries to propose, and be empowered to help implement, specific reforms and practical steps in the UN system, member states and the broader international community. Secondly, the panel should develop and help implement accountability mechanisms by identifying time-bound goals, proposing measurement criteria, determining responsibility for implementation, and defining rewards and sanctions to ensure compliance by individuals and agencies within the system.

“The panel's success would not be measured by the reports it issues or the publicity it generates,” he writes.