Act now to foster women's role in peace building

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By Tarja Halonen, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Margot Wallstrm, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-25 08:27

For decades, attempts to link violence against women with security issues used to be dismissed with a smile in most diplomatic circles. Fortunately, things have changed. Today, one cannot simply talk about security, leaving apart the assessment of women's rights on the ground.

This fundamental change has been achieved thanks to the United Nations. In Resolution 1325 the UN Security Council recognized the linkage between violence against women in armed conflict and women's role in peace building, while Resolution 1820 formally established that violence against women can constitute a threat to international peace and security.

Yet, more must be done. So far we have not managed to translate this into sufficient progress on the ground. More than 200,000 women and children have been raped during the more than 10 years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 women were raped during the war in Bosnia in the 1990s. Today a new angle to the atrocities and violence has emerged - men raping men. Sexual violence has become a scourge affecting all humanity, regardless of gender.

These facts all point in the same direction: Resolutions 1325 and 1820 are not being implemented fast enough, and progress has stalled. We still face many shortcomings, such as lack of justice, coordination, and a mechanism to ensure accountability and remedies for the victims.

Act now to foster women's role in peace building

We urge the members of the UN Security Council to redress the present situation when they meet on Sept 30 to deliberate about violence against women. Security Council Resolution 1820 on sexual violence in conflict has already provided the springboard for protection, Security Council Resolution 1325 has provided the foundation for empowerment and participation, and Security Council Resolution 1612 on children in armed conflict has provided all of the logistical precedents. Now it is time to navigate the way forward with the help of these complementary resolutions.

Time is ripe for the Security Council to establish a high level commission on women, peace and security in charge of monitoring and reporting process.

In addition, a Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General with a comprehensive mandate on violence against women and women's participation in peace building should be established.

These new mechanisms should complement the activities of the hopefully soon reformed UN gender architecture and would address crucial issues such as:

Better implementation of resolutions 1325 and 1820 at national level. So far, only 12 UN member states have developed "national action plans" on women, peace and security, and 10 out of them are European states.

Ensuring women's participation as mediators in negotiations. Women's understanding of victims is often absent from the table. For instance, with only 10 to 16 percent of women in peacekeeping operations their personal input is simply not being heard.

Pressurizing judicial systems where impunity is the norm.

Ensuring that Sanctions Committees of the Security Council effectively address sexual violence and receive information, lists of names and parties who perpetrate sexual violence.

Establishing exact needs for assistance to victims and where that assistance can and should come from.

Creating women-protection police units and including female officers in police forces.

After 10 years of waiting, it is time to realize that women are not the problem, they're the solution.

In October 2010, the international community will celebrate the 10th anniversary of UN Resolution 1325. Last year, following our suggestion UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed to hold a UN ministerial review conference of this resolution to mark the occasion. It is time to step up efforts to better protect women in conflict situations and ensure their participation in building peace. It is high time to harmonize efforts and establish a single set of targets in one united high-level Commission.

We will work hard to prepare for this anniversary and we urge the UN and all countries of the world to truly put the theme of women, peace and security at the heart of their actions.

Tarja Halonen is President of Finland; Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is President of Liberia; Margot Wallstrm is Vice-President of the European Commission and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Ministerial Initiative; and Benita Ferrero-Waldner is EU-Commissioner in charge of External Relations and of the Neighbourhood Policy.

(China Daily 09/25/2009 page9)