General Women, Peace and Security

Australia's Security Council presidency, set to commence on 1 September, has already been tarnished by the government's broken promise to women.

On a sunny day in early May, in Ndu, northwest Cameroon, a group of women, many of whom have taken the day off from work on their farms, are evaluating the performance of an aspiring politician. One suggests smiling more, another that the candidate project her voice more and not look at her feet while talking. The women are here in the Bishop Shanahan Centre to improve their public-speaking skills and learn more about electoral procedures.

As always, another election was upon us; all eyes were on who voted for or against the 2002 Iraq War Resolution. As a consequence, or maybe out of sheer curiosity, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in attendance asked the delegation what members of Congress should tell American voters about the Iraq War.

The Secretariat-General of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) took part in a training project on raising awareness on women's political participation, organised by the Arab Women Organisation (AWO) in Abu Dhabi from August 31 to September 4, 2013.

In the context of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and of the genocide in Rwanda, reports of sexual violence appeared regularly in the global media.

Thirteen years after the U.N. Security Council adopted its first resolution on women, peace and security, awareness on women empowerment and gender has increased considerably.

But much work remains to be done, according to Mari Skåre, the NATO secretary-general's special representative for women, peace and security.

By the launch of the National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR 1325) in Abuja Tuesday, the UN and Nigeria are working to increase the roles of women in peace, security and conflict resolution in the country.

In February 1997, four residents of the north who were mothers of soldiers then serving in Lebanon established a protest movement called “Four Mothers.” The movement was created following a helicopter collision that killed 73 soldiers on their way to the security corridor north of the border.

A priority mentioned in Australian speeches and statements to the United Nations this year – Women, Peace and Security (WPS) – is likely to feature as the key “theme” of Australia's presidency of the Security Council.

But what is the WPS agenda? What progress has been made so far, and – given our support has been stronger in rhetoric than practice – what can Australia do better?

Media coverage of the Colombian peace process has focused on the politics surrounding the talks in Havana. Some have accused representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) of using stall tactics, and President Santos has signaled a willingness to adjust his self-imposed timeline, indicating that a peace agreement is unlikely to materialize before the original deadline of November 2013.