It took almost 11 years to establish but it's better late than never.
Veteran, award-winning women's rights activists have set up the first-ever regional advisory group on women, peace and security in Asia Pacific, an area where millions of women have been affected by conflict.
They will help the United Nations, governments and civil society groups implement U.N. Resolution 1325 – adopted in October 2000 - which calls for women and girls in conflicts to be protected from rape, and for women to be more involved in negotiating peace agreements.
There's a desperate need for a body that can provide such high-level advice in Asia Pacific.
Of the 30 countries in the world that have developed national plans to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in compliance with the U.N. resolution, only two – Nepal and Philippines – are from this region.
The region also lacks female leadership in peace negotiations and peace-building initiatives.
“The road ahead is not easy because the agenda we're engaging is one that is very sensitive on the ground… this world is ruled by people who do not want (gender equality),” Ethel F. Sigimanu, chair of the group and permanent secretary of the Solomon Islands' Ministry of Women, Youth and Children Affairs, said at the group's inaugural meeting on Wednesday in Bangkok.
WOMEN AT THE CENTER
Although Resolution 1325 is specific to conflict situations, the aim of the advisory group is to put the women at the centre of all peace and security issues, Kamala Chandrakirana, founder of Indonesia's National Commission on Violence against Women, said.
Conflict, insecurity and violence “is a whole continuum that exists not only during times of armed conflict where everything is breaking down”, she said.
“It exists in peacetime, and it's not just what happens in the public space but also what happens in our homes.”
She added, “We have no illusions of any silver bullets. We know that all of this has to be long-term, multi-dimensional, related to economic, social and cultural rights.”
