Background

Development

The indicators were developed after a call to action derived from paragraph 17 of Security Council Resolution 1889 - the fourth Security Council Resolution addressing issues related to Women, Peace and Security.

Security Council Resolution 1889, OP 17 requests:

“…the Secretary-General to submit to the Security Council within 6 months, for consideration, a set of indicators for use at the global level to track implementation of its resolution 1325 (2000), which could serve as a common basis for reporting by relevant United Nations entities, other international and regional organizations, and Member States, on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) in 2010 and beyond”

To develop the Indicators, the United Nations established the Technical Working Group on Global Indicators for SCR 1325 (TWGGI 1325), constituted by the United Nations Task Force on Women, Peace and Security, coordinated by Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) served as the technical lead of the 15-entity Working Group. This Technical Working Group (TWGGI 1325) was tasked to systematically review and prioritize all existing indicators being used to track SCR 1325 and produce a shortlist of indicators, developing new indicators to monitor untracked areas if necessary.

The Technical Working Group (TWGGI 1325) conducted consultation with PeaceWomen/WILPF, various Civil Society Organizations, Member States, and the UN agencies. The United Nations has described Indicators as “signposts of change along the path to development” that can help to understand where we are, where we are going and how far we are from the goal. They indicate trends and allow tracking of progresses towards intended results or targets. Good performance indicators are critical for effective monitoring and evaluation, and help to:

  • Improve decision making for ongoing program and project management
  • Measure progress and achievements as understood by the different stakeholders
  • Clarify consistency between activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts
  • Ensure accountability to all stakeholders by demonstrating progress
  • Assess program, project and staff performance
  • Identify the need for corrective or remedial action

On April 27 2010, the Security Council held an Open Briefing on Women, Peace and Security. The Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Rachel Mayanja, made a statement to the Council and presented the Secretary General’s Report on SCR 1889/OP17 on indicators on behalf of the Secretary-General. Margot Wallström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence, also briefed the Security Council on her mandate.

Following the submission of the Secretary General’s Report on SCR 1889/OP17, the Security Council made a Presidential Statement (S/PRST/2010/8 of 27 April 2010). In the Presidential Statement (PRST), the Council took note of the indicators and recommendations contained in the Report. Security Council endorsement was not given on April 27, however the Security Council will continue consultations and expresses intention to take action on the indicators on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of its resolution 1325 in October 2010.

The Security Council PRST"requests the Secretary-General to continue to consult with the Security Council, taking into account views expressed by other relevant stakeholders, including broader United Nations membership, taking into account the need to further develop indicators contained in his report (S/2010/173) and the parallel ongoing work regarding resolution 1888 (2009), in order to include a comprehensive set of indicators in his next report on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000)," and "expresses its intention to take action on a comprehensive set of indicators on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of its resolution 1325."

In the Secretary General’s Report (S/2010/173), the 26 indicators are organized into 4 Pillars: Prevention, Participation, Protection, and Relief and Recovery.

  • Prevention: “Reduction in conflict and all forms of structural and physical violence against women, particularly sexual and gender-based violence”
  • Participation: “Inclusion of women and women’s interests in decision-making processes related to the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts”
  • Protection: “Women’s safety, physical and mental health and economic security are assured and their human rights respected”
  • Relief and Recovery: “Women’s specific needs are met in conflict and post-conflict situations”

The indicators are classified further into categories that reflect how quickly they can be put in the field, and information can be collected. Some information can be collected now, while other indicators will require considerable capacity to develop. There are numerous Indicators that reflect the obligations of other actors, such as Member States, and that reflect the input and oversight of civil society, and it is important to have these indicators available and utilized in relevant fora.

Going Forward

Developing a comprehensive set of indicators is not the end goal of this process. The goal of this process is to see action taken and positive results for women in conflict. Therefore, as members of Civil Society, we called for:

  • The Council to endorse and using a strong and representative set of indicators to regularly receive information on the whole Women, Peace and Security agenda;
  • The Council to evaluate the implementation of Women, Peace and Security obligations with these indicators;
  • The Council to take appropriate and effective action on the information received.

It is critical that all relevant actors – member states, UN actors, the UN Security Council members – are held accountable for their obligations.