General Women, Peace and Security

Women in Lebanon remain disproportionably at risk from conflict and have largely been excluded from the national reconstruction process, Lebanon's The Daily Star reported Tuesday, citing a United Nations report released on Monday.

Sexual violence in war is one of history's greatest and most profound silences.

October 31 marked the tenth anniversary of the momentous UN resolution on women, peace and security—UNSCR 1325. This set a new international standard that requires all parties—the UN, states, and armed militias—to ensure that women participate fully in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction. If this really worked, it would transform our militarized world.

On 10th anniversary of UN resolution 1325 people of South Caucasus are ready for greater women's political involvement, protection of women's rights.

What do women want? What do women need? How can women contribute?

These were just a few of the questions asked by Norwegian Minister of Defence, Ms. Grete Faremo at an open debate on Women, Peace and Security in the UN Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York City recently.

The perception that women are only ever victims of conflict ignores the large numbers of female combatants, which can result in their exclusion from disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes.

Ten Nepalese women composed the first exclusively female team that first scaled Mount Everest on May 23, 2008. In doing so, they accomplished a unique feat. Equally significant was the message this historic act embodied for all women in Nepal: "There is no peak in the world that women cannot conquer."

Ten years ago, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.

In short, “1325” (as the international law is known among advocates) seeks to elevate the decision-making of women in war zones and protect women during armed conflict.

A two-day international conference on possibilities of peace-building and conflict-management in the South Asian region, christened 'Beyond Our Differences', culminated here Sunday.

“While the men threw chairs and stones at each other every time they met, we women would sit down and discuss what we could do to save more people.”

Such is the experience of Suraiya Kamairuzzaman, who comes from Aceh.

Suraiya was one of a group of ordinary women from around Indonesia who have acted extraordinarily in the face of sectarian and other conflicts, contributing significantly to peace-building efforts.