Gender & Security Sector Reform

1. EDITORIAL
The PeaceWomen Team

This month's edition of the 1325 PeaceWomen E-News has as its focus Gender and Security Sector Reform. As our regular news section (Item 2) reveals, there are a plethora of issues arising in the women, peace and security sphere in conflict affected areas across the globe. These range from women's participation in local peacebuilding efforts to the appointment of women in high-level positions within the UN system and the continuing use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war. Many of these issues are explicitly dealt with in Resolution 1325 while others are addressed less directly. Gender and Security Sector Reform falls into this latter category although it is, as noted by one of our contributors, “increasingly on the agenda of the international development, peace and security community” [and it is thus] “essential that we develop the arguments, research methodologies and tools to ensure that gender issues are mainstreamed into SSR policies and programming.” This piece by Kristin Valasek at DCAF is one of two contributions in our Feature Analysis section (Item 3) and provides a good introduction to the area of gender and SSR; examines arguments for integrating gender issues into SSR; and how this integration might be accomplished. A valuable resource introduced by this article, and highlighted as our Feature Resource (Item 5) is the upcoming Gender and SSR Reform Toolkit, which looks to deal with a broad range of specific topics. The article by Nicola Popovic of INSTRAW (see Item 3) deals with one of these topics – that of integrating gender into SSR assessments, monitoring and evaluation. In “Scanning Security Sector Institutions for Their Gender Responsiveness”, she builds the case for gender assessments of security sector institutions and reviews methodologies and tools for doing so. How, and the extent to which, security sector institutions reform in a gender sensitive manner is important to monitor. This month's UNIFEM Update highlights one such study – commissioned by several UN entities – to examine police reform from a gender equality perspective. This Update also highlights the developments in how the UN approaches the issue of SSR – most notably the establishment of an SSR Task Force and an SSR Support Unit. SSR is the focus of many UN bodies – and in the post-conflict context, the UN's Peacebuilding Commission must take account of these issues.
It is now one year since the Peacebuilding Commission began to operate and an opportune moment to look back and assess the body's work and accomplishments. The PBC has exhibited the potential to be an important new channel for bringing women's voices into the dialogue on issues that are critical to consolidating peace in Burundi and Sierra Leone, the two countries currently on its agenda. However important questions remain regarding the integration of gender into the Commission's strategies and frameworks. This is the focus of this edition's update from the NGO Working Group on women peace and security, highlighting a recent roundtable discussion between PBC members and civil society on gender, security, and the rule of law in Burundi and Sierra Leone (Item 7).

Sierra Leone is also one of the countries that have been the focus of the recently concluded 38th session of the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A Peacewomen review of the session (Item 4) examines the way women peace and security issues were handled during the committee's examination of the implementation of the CEDAW convention in Sierra Leone and Serbia.

We would like to thank Kristin Valasek and Nicola Popovic for their contributions to this month's edition. We continue to welcome contributions to the newsletter's content. Contributions for the July 2007 edition, which will focus on Gender & Refugees, IDP issues should be sent to enewssubmissions@peacewomen.org by Thursday 19 July 2007.

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2. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY NEWS

CONGO-KINSHASA: UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF 'APPALLED' BY SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN DR CONGO, BURUNDI
May 31 2007 - (UN News Centre) The top United Nations human rights official today said that she was appalled by the level of sexual and gender-based violence she found in Africa's Great Lakes region, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi.

JAPANESE MPS DENY WARTIME SEXUAL SLAVERY
June 19, 2007 – (Agence France-Presse) A group of Japanese MPs have placed a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post that denies Japan's military forced up to 200,000 women into sexual slavery during World War II.

AFRICA: IF YOU WANT MORE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDE WOMEN IN DECISION-MAKING
June 15, 2007 - (Inter Press Service) The '8th Triennial Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting' (8WAMM) has closed with an acknowledgement that gender equality is central to democracy, peace and economic growth; it also called for greater efforts to achieve parity between men and women.

U.N. URGED TO HIRE MORE WOMEN
June 1, 2007 – (The Washington Times) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and 19 other female ministers, diplomats and lawmakers from around the world called on the United Nations yesterday to appoint more women in high-level positions, including as special envoys to trouble spots.

ETHIOPIAN WOMEN REDISCOVER ROLE AS PEACE BUILDERS
May 31, 2007 - (Oxfam) Tato Boru, 48 and the mother of five children, is a peacemaker. She leads the Moyale area women's peace council which Oxfam's local partner, the Research Center for Civic and Human Rights Education (RCCHE), helped to found.

GIVING SOMALI GIRLS A CHANCE
May 30, 2007 - (IRIN) Hawa Aden Mohamed was motivated to establish the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development by her own experience, particularly the opportunity to go to school at 14.

UN-SPONSORED MEETING CALLS FOR MORE MALE FACILITATORS IN GENDER TRAINING
June 26, 2007 – (UN NEWS) Increasing the number of qualified male trainers in gender training for security personnel is one of the key conclusions of an online expert-group discussion hosted by the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) and its partners in Santo Domingo.

WOMEN, CHILDREN FLEE DARFUR AFTER ATTACKS
June 1, 2007 - (AP) Hundreds of women and children fled by foot and on donkeys from Darfur to the neighboring Central African Republic after their town was attacked by planes and helicopters, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday.

NAMIBIA: GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
June 14, 2007 - (The Namibian) VIOLENCE against women and girls will be tackled head-on and the line ministry has set up a national database to determine the root causes of violence, a Government Minister says.

ZIMBABWE POLICE ARREST DOZENS OF WOMEN ACTIVISTS
June 16, 2007 – (Pamzuka News) Zimbabwean police on Monday arrested dozens of women as they staged a demonstration in south-western Zimbabwe, a statement said. The women, all members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) had "tried to gather to hold a march in a small administrative centre in Insiza district but were arrested", the group said.

SERBIA: WOMEN IN BLACK SEMINAR ADDRESSES THE SECURITY OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
June 20, 2007 – (WLUML) Male and female activists from throughout Serbia participated in the Women in Black “Women, Peace, and Activism' seminar held May 18-20, 2007 in Totovo Selo in Vojvodina. (WiB - Belgrade)

BURUNDI: STUDY SAYS COFFEE HARVEST LINKED TO INCREASE IN GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
May 25, 2007- (IRIN) The April-July coffee harvest period in Burundi has been linked to increases in gender-based violence and the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

WOMEN UNDER SIEGE IN AFGHANISTAN
June 20, 2007 - (BBC) For the past three months, Afghan female MP Shukria Barakzai has been receiving a letter saying she may be targeted by a suicide bomber in the next six months. The cryptic government letter contains an intelligence warning that Ms Barakzai's life is under threat and she should be careful. She is one of six MPs getting such a letter these days.

NEPAL: IMPOVERISHED RURAL WOMEN PRONE TO EXPLOITATION IN TOWNS
June 12 2007 - (IRIN) Maili Buda, 35, is having an increasingly difficult life since her husband was killed in Khalanga village, northwest of the capital, during a clash between the Maoist rebels and government security forces nearly six years ago.

HR ACTIVIST GETS HUSTON AWARD-2007 IN US
June 21, 2007 – (Daily Times) Pakistani women rights activist and documentary filmmaker Samar Minallah was awarded the Perdita Huston Human Rights Award for 2007 in Washington DC at The Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics. The Institute of International Economics gave her the award on June 6, 2007.

RIGHTS ABUSES WORRY WOMEN
June 18, 2007 - (The Fiji Times Online) Women and children cannot be expected to make contributions towards the restoration of parliamentary democracy in an environment where people are fearful because of the continued abuse of human rights, says the National Council of Women.

DAYAK, MADURESE WOMEN HOLD MEETING FOR PEACE
June 13, 2005 -(Jakarta Post) Members of a communication forum for Dayak and Madurese women, or Dara Arum as the forum is named, gathered here in Yogyakarta on Saturday for a six-day meeting to discuss peace-keeping efforts between the two conflicting communities.

AFRICA: U.S. HEADS PUBLIC-PRIVATE FUND TO AID REFUGEE WOMEN, CHILDREN
June 19, 2007 – (AllAfrica) The State Department is creating a new fund, to which private citizens and businesses can donate, to address the critical needs of refugee women and children.

CROATIA: GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GENDER EQUALITY
May 30, 2007 –(OneWorld) During last week's debate in the Sabor (Croatian Parliament) on the report submitted by Gender Equality Ombudsperson, Karmela Caparin, an MP from the ruling HDZ (Croatian Democratic Community), said that there is more discrimination in labour and employment now, compared to previous years.

MIDEAST WOMEN DEFY REGIONAL DIVIDES TO PROMOTE PEACE
May 29, 2007 – (Middle East Times) Some 40 women leaders, predominantly from the Middle East, recently defied regional disputes to participate in a three-day conference focusing on "Women Uniting for Peace" near the Cypriot port city of Larnaca.

“ALL GIRL” UN SQUAD A SUCCESS
June 21, 2007 - (BBC News) The world's first all-female unit of United Nations peacekeepers has been deemed a success, and has had its mission extended for another six months.

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For more country-specific women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

For more international women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

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3. FEATURE analysis

GENDER AND SECURITY SECTOR REFORM
Kristin Valasek, Gender & Security Sector Reform Officer, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)

This article is based on a forthcoming DCAF policy paper on gender and security sector reform.

What are the gender entry points in security sector reform (SSR)? Are gender issues being integrated into current SSR initiatives? As security sector reform is increasingly on the agenda of the international development, peace and security community, it is essential that we develop the arguments, research, methodologies and tools to ensure that gender issues are mainstreamed into SSR policies and programming.

Security Sector Reform: a quick introduction
Though the concept of security sector reform emerged in the late 90s, there is still no generally accepted definition of SSR. The Development Assistance Committee of the OECD (OECD-DAC) describes SSR as “another term used to describe the transformation of the ‘security system' - which includes all the actors, their roles, responsibilities and actions – working together to manage and operate the system in a manner that is more consistent with democratic norms and sound principles of good governance, and thus contributes to a well-functioning security framework.”

SSR is a holistic approach that emphasises the interconnected nature of the security sector including official institutions (military, police, border authorities, intelligence services, justice and penal systems, and government bodies that manage and monitor the security sector), civil society organisations and the media, donors, private security and private military companies, and non-state armed actors. Though often associated with post-conflict contexts, SSR can take place in transitional and developing countries as well as developed democracies.

Support to SSR processes is being prioritised at the international level. The Development Assistance Committee of the OECD has initiated extensive research on SSR and developed a framework (2005) and handbook (2007) for donors. The Commission of the European Communities (part of the EU system) has published A Concept for European Community Support for Security Sector Reform in 2006. There is also currently a UN initiative underway to develop a coordinated interagency approach to SSR.

This article examines the following:

1. Why Integrate Gender Issues into SSR?

- Mandate fulfillment: providing security for women, men, boys and girls
- Operational Benefits
- Normative Compliance: Equal Rights and Gender Mainstreaming

2. How to Integrate Gender Issues into SSR?

3. Gender and SSR Toolkit

For a review of the upcoming gender and SSR toolkit please see our resources section below.

For the full version of this article and references please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/1325/Gender_ssr_dcaf07.pdf

For more information please contact: Kristin Valesek, k.valasek@dcaf.ch

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SCANNING SECURITY SECTOR INSTITUTIONS FOR THEIR GENDER RESPONSIVENESS
Nicola Popovic , Gender, Peace and Security Specialist, INSTRAW, June 2007

In order to respond to the need for integrating gender into security sector reform (SSR) training, policies and programs, several different gender mainstreaming initiatives have been attempted. The application, monitoring and evaluation of these initiatives are important. There are different ways to apply a systematic approach to integrating gender into SSR programs and initiatives. One good way to start the transformation of the security sector toward greater gender sensitivity and responsiveness is to audit and assess security sector institutions themselves on their applied gender dimension, balance and mainstreaming efforts. This paper is based on one of the tools of a forthcoming toolkit jointly developed by DCAF, ODIHR and UN INSTRAW on gender and security sector reform analysing the integration of gender into SSR assessment, monitoring and evaluation.

How and why should gender assessments/audits be applied on security sector institutions?

In the context of gender, on the one hand, and SSR approaches on the other the term of auditing and assessing is often used for different types of analysis. Auditing the security sector and its institutions varies from gender evaluation, audits and assessments. Gender audits provide a means of analysing gender issues at the level of policy, structure, budgets and personnel, including people's perceptions and understandings of gender in their own institutions but also on the equal participation in decision making processes. Specific gender audits and assessments can therefore serve as both a starting point as well as an evaluation and self-assessment of ongoing gender mainstreaming activities. InterAction defines the purpose of the Gender Audit as being “to identify areas of strength and achievement, innovative policies and practices, as well as continuing challenges as a foundation for gender action planning.” Furthermore, there are audits, analysis and assessments of security institutions, countries, contexts and programmes from a gender and/or security perspective applying different methods. Gender audits and assessments of security sector institutions not only depend on a clear definition and research objective, but overall on the cooperation and political will of the specific institution. Obstacles such as the possible lack of transparency of security institutions such as the military, intelligence services and prisons may appear as a challenge to overcome before starting the gender audit and assessment. Still, gender audits are a good first step for an organisation that has not worked specifically on gender before as it allows for introspection, participatory planning and organisational learning. Therefore, it is important to emphasise that these assessments focus, “on improving the performance of an organisation with regards to the promotion of gender equality and women's empowerment.” In order to respond to security needs, threats and perceptions of security of all citizens of society (men, women, boys and girls) differences, roles and dynamics between and of the different gender dimensions must be taken into account.

This article reviews the following:

1. Methodologies and application

2. Suggested questions for reviewing policies and gender responsiveness

3. Action Plans: Putting results of reviews and reflection into practice

For the full version of this article and references please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/1325/SSR_Popovic07.pdf

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4. FEATURE EVENT

CEDAW 38th Session May 14 - June 1 2007, UN headquarters, New York

Among the countries whose reports were under review in the 38th session of the CEDAW committee were Sierra Leone and Serbia, both countries that have experienced armed conflict in the recent past. In two brief reports below we highlight the women, peace and security issues raised in the Committee's review of these countries' reports.

A PeaceWomen Review
By Rose Anderson

Sierra Leone

Introduction
Sierra Leone is a country in the process of reconstruction, having recently come out of an 11-year conflict. During the conflict, half of the population was displaced, 50,000 people were killed, and over a quarter of a million women were raped. The war was declared over in 2002, but the legacy of the conflict entailed the devastation of the social and economic structure of the nation, as well as a breakdown of the rule of law and political authority. The country is currently focused on rebuilding the country's economic and social infrastructure while addressing the need for promotion and protection of human rights.

1325 Themes and Response
The need for greater representation of women in the decision-making levels of governance was mentioned several times by the Committee of Experts, and the response of the Sierra Leonean delegation addressed the issues of resource scarcity, illiteracy, and lack of formal education as the main impediments to achieving this goal. The Experts asked about female representation in bodies such as the Peacebuilding Commission, but the Delegation was unfortunately unable to provide any information on the topic.
The issue of the permanency of cultural stereotypes and traditional gender roles was defined as the main obstacle to female political participation, and it was noted by the Committee that such traditional beliefs tend to only be unchangeable when they apply to women, and tend to be used as an excuse to not deal with gender issues. The Committee then recommended that the government of Sierra Leone apply special temporary measures as soon as possible in order to increase the numbers of women in government. There are women's groups that are working to train women in politics and build capacity for female political participation, and the Experts recommended governmental collaboration with these groups.
The Experts posed questions regarding reparations and assistance programs for victims of sexual violence, with the Delegation responding that there were housing and education programs available to victims. However, it was noted that these programs are limited in their effectiveness by a lack of awareness and resource scarcity. The Delegation also stated that the Sierra Leonean government had presented an apology to the women who had been victimized by sexual violence during the war, which was a recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In its concluding remarks to the Delegation, the Committee of Experts recommended that the Sierra Leonean government strive to mainstream gender into all proposed legislation, to domesticate CEDAW into its national legislature, and to widely disseminate information on CEDAW and the Optional Protocol, as well as the Committee's Recommendations, in order to create awareness of gender issues and capacity for progress.

For the full report visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CEDAW/38th_Session/Sierra%20Leone/PW...

Serbia

Introduction
Serbia became an independent state in 2006 after the dissolution of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Prior to formation of Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia was the federal unit of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) that ceased to exist in 2003. The FRY signed CEDAW in 2001, and ratified the optional protocol in 2002. After the dissolution of the FYR, Serbia continued its membership in international treaties, including CEDAW. The report treated the period from 1992-present as two separate reporting periods, one from 1992-2003 and 2003-present, in order to correspond with the changing geographical and political boundaries of the region.

1325 Themes and Response
The situation of the Roma women was a major talking point of the session, and various questions regarding the representation of these women in municipal and national governance were asked. The Serbian Delegation responded by speaking of recent programs aimed at increasing electoral and political participation of Roma women, adding that special temporary measures such as quotas may be implemented in the near future.

The Committee of Experts asked the Serbian Delegation how the National Action Plan for Gender would affect women that had been victimized by war. More specifically, it was asked if there were plans for a reparations program for female victims of war crimes. The Delegation was also asked if the Serbian government had plans to educate the public on Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, and encouraged the government to incorporate the principles of 1325 into its framework. Regarding Kosovo, the Experts emphasized the importance of women's contributions to post-conflict reconstruction, and the Serbian delegation was asked to encourage women's full participation in peace and reconciliation efforts in Kosovo. Unfortunately, the Serbian Delegation did not respond to these queries.
In the Concluding Comments of the Session, the Committee of Experts reccomended that Serbia strengthen the Council for Gender Equality by significantly increasing its human and financial resources and technical capacity so that it can effectively implement the tasks required by its mandate. The Gender Equality Council is also asked to extend greater focus on the Roma, as well as other minority groups.
The Committee also recommended that Serbia strengthen and implement measures to increase the representation of women in appointed bodies and in government, specifically in high levels of decision-making. To this end, the Committee recommended that Serbia put in place an action plan for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 to attain this goal.

For the full report visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CEDAW/38th_Session/Serbia/PW_ReviewS...

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5. FEATURE RESOURCEs

Upcoming Gender and SSR Toolkit

Despite the clear connection between gender and SSR and the long history of activism and research around gender, peace and security issues, there are only a handful of case studies, reports and articles that have dealt directly with the topic. In addition, many recent SSR initiatives fail to adequate incorporate gender issues, as is highlighted in a 2007 UK Department for International Development (DFID) evaluation of their SSR programming in Africa.

In response to the need for resources on gender and SSR, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) initiated the project Gender and Security Sector Reform: Creating Knowledge and Building Capacities in February 2007 to:

1) Commission new research to produce 12 gender and security sector reform tools (20-30 pgs). From these tools, shorter briefs (2-4 pgs) will be produced. The full set of resources will be developed into a Gender and Security Sector Reform Toolkit.

2) Hold e-discussions, an expert workshop and a launch/workshop to promote and operationalise the Gender and Security Sector Reform Toolkit

The topics of the twelve tools and briefs are:

1. Introduction to SSR and Gender
2. Police Reform and Gender
3. Defence Reform and Gender
4. Justice Reform and Gender
5. Penal Reform and Gender
6. Border Management and Gender
7. Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector and Gender
8. National Security Policy and Gender
9. Civil Society Oversight of the Security Sector and Gender
10. Privatisation of Security and Gender
11. Integrating Gender into SSR Assessments, Monitoring and Evaluation
12. Gender Training for Security Sector Personnel: lessons learned and good practices

The Toolkit is designed as a practical resource for security sector reform practitioners and will be launched in early 2008. For more information please contact:

Kristin Valasek
k.valasek@dcaf.ch
Gender and Security Sector Reform Officer
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)

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For NGO and civil society reports, papers and statements, UN and government reports, and books, journals and articles on women, peace and security issues, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/resourcesindex.html

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6. FEATURE INITIATIVes

WILPF Raging Grannies protest for peace

Peace advocates gathered on 41st Avenue in Capitola on Tuesday, June 26th to protest the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the recent troop surge, which has resulted in greater casualities, not fewer; and the recruitment of at-risk youth by military recruiters, many of whom use lies and manipulation in order to get people to sign up. Ten people engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience and were arrested by Capitola Police when they stayed in front of the Army recruiting office doors when asked to disperse.

For full story, please visit: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/26/18430845.php

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For more Global & Regional Initiatives, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/global/index.html

For more Country-specific Initiatives, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/countriesindex.html

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7. NGOWG UPDATE

PBC Members Discuss Gender and Security in Sierra Leone and Burundi

The Peacebuilding Commission can play a central role in the active implementation of Security Council resolution (SCR) 1325 at the local and national level, by coordinating, promoting and supporting engagement with women's groups and in mobilizing political will at the national level to further advance gender priorities and policy, including in regard to Security Sector Reform.

With this in mind, the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations, and the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security - led by member organizations International Alert, Human Rights Watch and WILPF-PeaceWomen Project - organized a roundtable to provide an opportunity for informal discussion on the gender dimensions of the security and justice issues identified as priorities for peace consolidation in Burundi and Sierra Leone. The event was hosted by the Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations and the Liaison Office of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. The roundtable brought together a range of governmental and United Nations actors as well as civil society representatives who are working to consolidate peace in Burundi and Sierra Leone.

With International Alert, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security invited four women peacebuilders as part of its women peacebuilders programme to attend the event. This provided an excellent opportunity for the PBC members to hear directly from leading women peacebuilders representing Burundian and Sierra Leonean civil society, and to gain an insight into the specific needs and peacebuilding priorities of women and to discuss recommendations for concrete ways to advance gender priorities at the national level.

For full recommendations see www.womenpeacesecurity.org

The central outcome of this meeting, particularly the practical recommendations for maximising impact on the ground in Burundi and Sierra Leone, is intended to feed into the integrated strategies for each country which are currently being developed. It is also anticipated that the identification of priorities and entry points would inform the decisions and budget allocations made by the Peacebuilding Fund to ensure that that specific funds are targeted at protecting and empowering women.

It is important that broader security and justice-related projects incorporate gender perspectives and inclusive approaches, alongside women-focused activities. Women are key stakeholders in the Burundian and Sierra Leonean peacebuilding processes, and as such, this open and interactive dialogue between members of the PBC, the women peacebuilders and others is an important contribution to recognizing the role women play in peace consolidation.

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For more information on the NGOWG & its events visit: http://www.womenpeacesecurity.org/

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8. UNIFEM UPDATE

Gender-sensitive Police Reform discussion paper

In 2006 UNIFEM, the UN Development Programme-Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (UNDP-BCPR), and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) commissioned a study on police reform from a gender equality perspective. The study, which has particular foci on best practices and lessons learned in post-conflict situations, is the result of desk and in-country, field-based research. In order to make the findings of this study widely available to practitioners in this field, UNIFEM has commissioned a discussion paper that will provide a concise analysis of the issues to be addressed in gender-sensitive police reform, as well as lessons learned from past practice.

The discussion paper is expected to be published by August 2007.

For more information, please contact annekristin.treiber@unifem.org

SSR reform in context of post TRC

UNIFEM supports the Moroccan Consultative Council on Human Rights in the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations, with a special focus on the protection of women's human rights. The 4-year programme also addresses the area of security sector reform. Most notably, it provides for the development and distribution of tools for gender analysis and gender training for law enforcement agencies. It will further provide technical advice to parliamentary oversight bodies on gender and security sector issues, in order to strengthen accountability mechanisms from a gender perspective.
For more information, please contact annekristin.treiber@unifem.org

UN SSR Taskforce to Formulate First UN Secretary-General Report on SSR

In response to a request of the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) in its 2006 report and a request by the Secretary-General's Policy Committee, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) led an interagency process between October 2006 to February 2007 to examine how the UN might approach the issue of SSR in post-conflict contexts. The Policy Committee considered this work on 16 February, and noted the lack of a coordinated approach to overall Security Sector Reform (SSR) as well as the absence of policies and/or guidelines to support SSR activities in the field. The Policy Committee decided to initiate the development of a coordinated UN approach to SSR in support of national authorities. To that end, it established an SSR Task Force, co-chaired by DPKO and UNDP, as well as the creation of an SSR Support Unit, to be based in DPKO but managed by the SSR Taskforce. The SSR Support Unit aims to act as a technical resource provider and to develop strategic guidance for the UN system on SSR issues. Member States have addressed SSR in the C-34 (2006 and 2007) and the Security Council (20 February 2007).

Charged with, inter alia, the formulation of the Secretary-General's report on SSR, the members of the SSR Taskforce have met, and plan to meet, to exchange information with a variety of key stakeholders. The aim of these meetings is develop a coherent, coordinated and strategic interagency approach to SSR. To-date the Taskforce has met with representatives of the Government of Slovakia-led ‘Group of Friends' of SSR, other Member States, World Bank, OECD-DAC, NGOs, and UN country-specific desks that support SSR in field missions. As the Taskforce pursues its work, it will work closely with the UN Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group and the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) Working Group in order to articulate linkages between the two inter-related areas of work.
In May 2007, the C-34 unanimously adopted its report, ‘Peacekeeping Operations and its Working Group.' The report requested “the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly (GA) a comprehensive report on United Nations approaches to security sector reform during 2007.” Given this request, the report will be submitted to the GA. The report will also be submitted to the Security Council given its acknowledgement of the need for such a report in February 2007 (S/PRST/2007/3). The Taskforce intends to submit the report by year's end.

The SSR Taskforce started its work in December 2006. Membership of the taskforce is open to interested UN HQ entities involved in SSR activities and currently includes UNIFEM, UNODC, DPA, UNHCHR, PBSO and DPKO's Best Practices Section, Operations Office, Criminal Law and Justice Advisory Unit and Police Division.

For more information on this matter please contact kara.piccirilli@unifem.org

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UNIFEM's Web Portal on Women, Peace and Security, CLICK HERE

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9. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY CALENDAR

HREA Distance Learning Programme
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 1 July, 2007

'Introduction to Human Rights Education' e-learning course
HREA has extended the call for applications for the e-learning course Introduction to Human Rights Education, which will be offered from 12 September-4 December 2007.
Final call for applications for HREA e-learning course "Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law" HREA is calling for applications for the new e-learning course Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, which will be offered from 17 September-16 December 2007.

For more information on this course and other upcoming HREA e-learning courses please visit: http://www.hrea.org/courses/
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Seminar and Exposure on Strengthen Female Spiritual Leadership
1-5 July 2007, Taiwan
International Network of Engaged Buddihsts (INEB)

The program, as the young Buddhist capacity building program for INEB members, is therefore developed so as to promote leadership for spiritual resurgence as well as social innovation among young people of the Buddhist communities in Asia.

For more information, please contact ineboffice@yahoo.com or
visit: http://www.inebnetwork.org/en/content/view/39/20/

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Gender 2007: East Meets West
UK Postgraduate and Academic Conference in Women's/Gender Studies
3-5 July 2007, University of York, UK

Following on from the very successful 'Thinking Gender' conference at the University of Leeds in 2006, the Centre for Women's Studies (CWS) at the University of York now invites proposals for a three-day trans- and interdisciplinary conference. This conference will provide opportunities for postgraduates and academics to share critical discussion, dialogue and reflections on recent, present and future gender research, and to learn from each other's approaches and experiences in an informal and collegial environment, especially across national and international divides.

For more information, please visit http://www.york.ac.uk/conferences/gender2007/

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Third International Women's Peace Conference - Empowering Peacemakers
10-15 July 2007, Dallas, Texas, USA
Sponsored by Peacemakers Incorporated

Confirmed Speakers include Jody Williams (United States), Betty Williams (Northern Ireland), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala) and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (South Africa).

For more information, please visit http://www.womenspeaceconference.org/

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Identity, Interdependence, and Nonviolent Transformations
14-22 July 2007, Arantzazu, Spain
International Institute on Peace Education

An intensive, multicultural and cooperative learning opportunity in which participants learn from and with each other about substantive peace issues and interactive teaching approaches.

For more information, please visit http://www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/IIPE/

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Women unite! Build peace! Generate change!
WILPF 29th International Congress
21- 27 July 2007, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom will hold it's 29th Triennial Congress in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Opening with a seminar on the issues facing Latin America and the changes ongoing in the region, the Congress will also examine broader women, peace and security issues.

For more information, please visit: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/events/2007Congress/bolivia.htm

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6th Training Institute on HIV/AIDS Counseling and Psycho-Social Interventions
6 August – 13 October 2007, Mumbai, India
Cell for AIDS Research Action and Training
Tata Institute of Social Sciences

It is an intensive 10- week residential programme that encompasses various
HIV/AIDS interventions for professionals who are seeking to upgrade their
knowledge and skills. It includes field work, and action based research
with experienced faculty from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences as well
as from major NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS.