INTERNATIONAL: UN Security Council Resolution 1325 10th Anniversary Commemorated

2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 on women, peace and security. As part of the commemoration of the SCR 1325, a High level Consultation was held in Geneva, Switzerland from September 15 – 16, 2010. Among the participants of the meeting was Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary.

Resolution 1325 is structured on three main pillars; participation, protection and prevention and the High level Consultation in commemoration of the 10th anniversary, organised by the European Union and the Belgium Government focused mainly around the protection agenda. The consultation was one of the many side events taking place during the 15th Session of the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland from September 13 – October 1, 2010.

Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda on September 16, participated in one of the panels of the consultation “ Post- conflict Recovery – No Peace without Peace for Women and their Communities.” In her presentation Ms. Gumbonzvanda shared on the work of the YWCA and their involvement with community women, who are hardest hit in times of conflict. She noted that “we must integrate the community perspective and the human rights approach in our peace agenda.” She highlighted that there is fragmentation at the high levels, where decision making takes place, but at the ground level it is one woman facing many issues. She stated that because of this it is necessary to see the links when designing programmes, providing resources and in making decisions. Ms. Gumbonzvanda also stressed the importance of investing in women so that in the recovery process they can demand their human rights, they can have access to basic services and spaces where they can feel safe to deal with the issues they face.

In order to advance the implementation of the Women Peace and Security agenda, the formulation of National Action Plans on SCR 1325 is mandated by the UN Secretary-General. Representatives from Uganda and Sierra Leone, two of the countries that have developed and implemented an action plan, were part of the panel and presented their plans. Ms. Isatu Kajue, United Nations Population Fund Programme Manager for Gender and Advocacy, Sierra Leone shared on the Sierra Leone NAP. Post-conflict, there had been an increase in incidences of sexual and physical abuse against women. Their plan focused on the elements of prevention and protection and showed how SCR 1325 NAP helped address the issue of abuse reporting and accessing legal aid.

The Uganda NAP presented by Ms. Anna Mutavati, United Nations Population Fund Country Senior GBV Coordinator, concentrated on similar issues as that of Sierra Leone. Their plan however was also developed around the Resolution 1820, which is a follow up to SCR 1325 and identifies sexual violence as a tactic of warfare and calls for political and security responses to prevent its use as a means of fighting.

Challenges to the implementation of the action plans were also presented by the discussants. One that was common for both countries was impunity. Panelists and participants alike felt that until it is addressed proper implementation of SCR 1325 will never be achieved.

The presentations show that there are a lot of achievements to be celebrated on this 10th anniversary of the SCR 1325. With the many accomplishments that came with the ten years however, as highlighted by the panel, there is still much more to be done before the goal of women and girls significantly contributing to the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security is realised.

The SCR 1325 was the first of its kind, which linked women's experiences of conflict to the international peace and security agenda. It focused attention on the impact of conflict on women, and called for women's engagement in conflict resolution and peace building. At the World YWCA Council 2007, council delegates adopted the Resolution 1325 as one of the resolutions to guide the policies and collective actions of the movement. The organisation has since promoted the participation of women in conflict prevention, resolution and peace processes.