Peacekeeping

The Peacekeeping theme focuses on a gendered approach to multi-dimensional peacekeeping missions, predominantly through gender mainstreaming of peace support operations and the increase of female recruitment in peacekeeping, military, and police.

The Security Council calls for an increase in the number of women in peacekeeping operations (1325,OP6).

It is also important to note that the issues of gender and peacekeeping should never be reduced to the number of women recruited as peacekeepers. Promoting security is about providing real human security for the population, not about the militarisation of women. The point is not to achieve gender parity for its own sake, but rather to draw on the unique and powerful contribution women can make to peacekeeping.

The Security Council commits to include a gender component in UN field operations (1325,OP5), and requests that the Secretary-General’s reports to include information on the progress of gender mainstreaming within each operation (1325,OP17). Without a gender perspective, it is almost impossible to adequately create an inclusive security, which forms the basis of promoting sustainable and durable peace. Gender training, pre-deployment, on the ground, and post-deployment is effective for ensuring peacekeeping personnel have sufficient knowledge and skills.

Peacekeeping missions are increasingly being mandated to address sexual violence (1960,OP10), and training can increase the prevention, recognition, and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (1820,OP6). The implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda varies greatly among Peacekeeping Operations. This variation is a result of the peacekeeping mission’s mandates and also structure, leadership, funding, whether there is a designation of a separate unit to address gender, and the number of gender advisors. These key gaps were highlighted in DPKO’s Ten-Year Impact Study on Implementation of Resolution 1325 in Peacekeeping.


These measures can trigger positive changes for women within conflict and post-conflict situations, such as increased physical security, employment-related benefits, capacity building for local women’s organisations, and increased awareness of women’s rights. Additionally, positive role models and examples of women’s leadership have a positive effect on the environment and contribute to the success of peacekeeping missions.

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PK

Extract: 

To tackle conflict-related sexual violence in the long run, we should build a robust preventive architecture that includes early warning, strengthened national legal and policy frameworks and justice systems and gender-sensitivity training of security-sector and peacekeeping personnel, and that ensures the presence of women’s protection advisers in all peacekeeping operations.

PK

Extract: 

Finally, it is incumbent upon all States Members of the United Nations to be part of the solution, not the problem, of sexual violence in conflict. Canada remains deeply concerned by all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff, peacekeepers and non-United Nations forces.

PK

Extract: 

Multidimensional peacekeeping missions with protection mandates play a key role in combating violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations. As a leading troop-contributing country, Pakistan remains committed to this cause. For my country, the protection of the vulnerable, including women and children, is not only a global peace and security concern but an obligation of humanity.

PK

Extract: 

The European Union strongly supports the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and his leadership in dealing with that challenge. We are working to ensure that the highest standards of professionalism and conduct in both civilian and military operations are upheld, and to lay the ground for stronger preventive, protective and accountability measures.

PK

Extract: 

The second priority is prevention. The risk of sexual violence must be fully incorporated into any crisis-prevention mechanism. Such violence is often a sign of the deterioration of the political and security situation in a given zone or country. As such, it calls for a rapid reaction, which means that we must have appropriate detection means, including in peacekeeping operations.

PK

Extract: 

Peru welcomes the trend of systematically incorporating the gender perspective in the mandates of peacekeeping operations and the inclusion of women as participants in conflict prevention and resolution. That is why Peru has been increasing female personnel in each of the six peacekeeping missions in which it participates, currently representing about 15 per cent of the personnel on the ground.

PK

Extract: 

As situations of conflict continue to worsen in many places and women and children continue to be the main target of sexual violence, we believe that all United Nations peacekeeping missions should have a robust mandate to protect civilians. The Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians, to which many members in the Chamber are signatory, are an effective guide to that end.

Peacekeeping

Extract: 

We appreciate the firm will of the Secretary-General to make peacekeeping operations as gender responsive as possible. In particular, Japan has been a strong supporter of the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse throughout the United Nations system, as well as all efforts to realize this policy on the ground.

 

Peacekeeping

Extract: 

We also fully support the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on all forms of sexual exploitation and strongly believe that preventing sexual abuse by peacekeepers should be an absolute priority. All peacekeeping missions need to have protection as a fundamental element in their mandates, with a greater employment of women military and police officers with full training prior to deployment.

 

Peacekeeping

Extract: 

Building national capacities is also central to strengthening training in order to address such crimes. That is what we are doing through the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units in Vicenza, which provides high-quality training and specialized courses for peacekeepers on the prevention and investigation of sexual and gender-based violence. This is a project we are carrying out with the United States of America.

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