OTHER: Panel Discussion Book Launch: Applying a Disarmament Lens to Gender
On Tuesday 9 April, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs in cooperation with Global Action to Prevent War launched the publication, “Applying a Disarmament Lens to Gender, Human Rights, Development, Security, Education, and Communication: Six Essays”, with a panel discussion at the United Nations.
Katherine Prizeman, International Coordination/Disarmament Program from Global Action to Prevent Wars (GAPW), moderated the panel. Speaking on the panel were two of the six contributors to the publication: Ray Acheson, Director, Reaching Critical Will of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and Sarah Taylor, Executive Director, NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. Rodrigo Pintado, from the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations, was also on the panel.
The purpose of the event was to discuss the crosscutting nature of disarmament and its enormous implications in many other areas. The event highlighted the need for a more integrated approach of the work at the UN. Human rights, peacebuilding, economic development and gender equality cannot be separated from or achieved without disarmament.
Virginia Gamba, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs made a few opening remarks. She praised some of the progress that has been made towards advancing disarmament efforts such as the recent adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). She spoke of the Office for Disarmament Affairs' integrated and crosscutting approach, addressing particularly the relationship between disarmament, gender, and education. In addition she acknowledged the importance of women's contributions to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control policy and decision making processes. Gamba concluded by underlining the contribution of these essays “to the understanding of the linkages of disarmament with other issues on the UN agenda.”
Following her comments, Ray Acheson of WILPF's Reaching Critical Will spoke. She opened by stating that these linkages have always been recognized by WILPF. Acheson emphasized the direct link between military spending, trade in arms and people living in poverty where development goals are not met and human rights abuses are committed. The global economy is entwined in the crises we are seeing across the globe; consequently, there is a need to look into how things are interrelated. Today's enormous military spending takes funding away from other bodies that could help promote social development and human rights. Instead, militarism and arms trade obstruct development and lead to violations of human rights. Thus, there is a need to apply disarmament across the UN system, as Acheson discusses in her article "Merging Disarmament and Development Priorities".
Finally, Acheson stressed the significance of the inclusion of gender-based violence as a legally binding criterion within the ATT, which was achieved by cooperation between governments and NGOs. Years ago, when WILPF started pushing for the prevention of gender-based violence to be included in the ATT many questioned the connections between gender and arms control - today, more than a hundred states have supported WILPF's stance and signed WILPF's petition. The successful adoption of the ATT, and the inclusion of language on gender-based violence, is a perfect example of what governments and civil society organizations can yield together, working cooperatively, for a more integrated approach.
Following Acheson's comments, Sarah Taylor spoke about understanding disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) from a gender perspective. DDR is often seen as a core “security issue”, and people often challenge if there is a gender dimension to it. Taylor argued that integrating women and gender to DDR processes really means a whole new way of thinking about it; it means that we need to start redefining things such as “who is fighting?” The ways in which women engage in conflict are diverse; they participate directly or indirectly as combatants, voluntarily or through coercion, through cooking or sexual slavery, for example. Taylor underlined that by not recognizing the gendered dimensions of conflict we fail to see the active and willing engagement of women as actors in different stages of conflict. This also means failing to see the trauma women experience, and failing to address the most effective ways to reduce the flow of small arms and light weapons. Taylor emphasized the necessity of political will from every level to implement a new, more inclusive way of thinking about DDR. She finished by stating that peace is compelling and realistic, and that women are fundamental to that peace.
Finally, Rodrigo Pintado spoke of Mexico's disarmament work, and offered some insight into the difficulties of maintaining an integrated approach as a government representative. The challenge being that you rarely know what is happening in the room next door – although it is probably highly relevant to the work you are doing. Pintado concurred with previous speakers and emphasized the need for more communication within the UN to change this.
Pintado also underscored the importance of civil society engaging in disarmament issues. He argued that the ATT is truly a 21st century treaty adopted in its full sense, considering the influential push from civil society and social media. Pintado also underlined the importance on language of gender in the ATT – which he argued to be at the core of the treaty.
1. For access to the full publication, please click here.
2. For more information on the launch, please visit the UNODA website.
3. For Ms. Gamba's remarks, please click here.