General Women, Peace and Security

Ten years after a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at re-evaluating women's roles in U.N.-brokered peacekeeping efforts, women are still underrepresented in the peacekeeping process.

The ‘women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights' mantra of the 1990s raised expectation that violence against women would be taken seriously by governments and people around the world. Instead, the epidemic of gender violence, namely rape and other forms of sexual violence, has escalated, from wars zones to main streets and blind alleys and rural areas without formal wars.

The credibility of the United Nations rests in a major way on its ability and capacity to get the decisions of the Security Council implemented in letter and spirit.

Does the incorporation of women in formal peace processes pose a threat to the possible achievements of women's grassroots peace organizations in the transition from conflict to peace? Should women insist on joining formal peace negotiations, or maintain feminist resistance from outside?

The Al Qaeda has appealed to Muslim women, particularly those in Saudi Arabia, to travel to Yemen and wage jihad. The appeal was made by Wafa al-Shahri, wife of Al Qaeda's second in command in Yemen, Said al-Shahri.

Wafa al-Shahri was directing her message in particular to Al Qaeda colleagues in Saudi Arabia.

In compliance with two United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the Philippines has finally adopted a national action plan (NAP) for the protection of women during armed conflict.

The United Nations Security Council should immediately begin using measurable benchmarks to protect women caught in conflicts around the world and to ensure that women are included in peace negotiations, rather than delaying this step, Human Rights Watch said today.

According to the Alerta 2010! Report on Conflicts, Human Rights and Peacebuilding, sexual violence was used as a weapon in most armed conflicts taking place in 2009. In addition to the report, the School for a Culture of Peace of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona also published the Yearbook 2010 on Peace Processes.

The fight against sexual violence and the reign of impunity are a growing concern for the United Nations.

During Lebanon's civil war - and Israel's invasion and occupation of Lebanon - some women fought on the frontlines.

These women proved determined and were often resourceful in the weapons they used.

In Women Warriors, Lebanese Muslim and Christian women reflect on the days when they were fighters and talk about how it has impacted their lives.