October 2004 - Recap & Follow-up

1. 1325 on Trial in Northern Ireland
PeaceWomen Project, December 2004

On 17 November 2004, the PeaceWomen Project participated in a mock “Trial of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 - Women, Peace and Security” hosted by the Northern Ireland Women's European Platform (NIWEP) at Stormont, Northern Ireland's Parliament Buildings, located in Belfast. The mock trial event was modeled on the “1325 on Trial” event organized by the UK Women's National Commission for the 48th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2004) in New York City.

Presiding over the mock trial was Bronagh Hinds, founding member of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, Convening the Trial, the judge presented the following question to the jury:

“Has the UK government, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Assembly when in being and Northern Ireland's political parties, demonstrated sufficient commitment to the implementation of Resolution 1325 in Northern Ireland, and in particular to those elements of the resolution that have been highlighted today?”

The jury heard from three witnesses who each provided testimony on a specific issue: non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs); police; and the formal peace process and Northern Ireland Assembly. Following the witness testimonies, the two representatives of the PeaceWomen Project, serving as the prosecution and defense, questioned each of the witnesses further.

Upon hearing the witness testimonies and closing statements by the barristers, the audience - serving as the mock jury - comprised of elected and appointed officials and representatives of civil society organizations, unanimously declared that commitment to the implementation of Resolution 1325 has not been sufficiently demonstrated.

NIWEP will release an outcome document on the event in the coming weeks. For more information about the event email NIWEP at: niwep@btconnect.com.

Another recent women, peace and security event in Northern Ireland:

Lecture: Christine Chinkin on Peace Processes, Post Conflict Security and Guarantees of Women's Rights: the International Context Considered
1 December 2004, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland
This lecture was the ninth Torkel Opsahl Memorial Lecture, hosted this year by Democratic Dialogue, the School of Politics and International Studies and the Centre for the Advancement of Women in Politics at Queen's University, Belfast. Christine Chinkin, professor of international law at the London School of Economics, prepared a background paper for and facilitated the UN Expert Group Meeting on peace agreements as a means to promote gender equality last November (2003). For information about this event, contact Margaret Ward at margaret@democraticdialogue.org.

Today's women, peace and security event in Northern Ireland:

Women's Participation and Leadership in Global Processes - Acting Locally for Global Change
10 December 2004, Belfast, Nothern Ireland
Women into Politics will mark International Human Rights Day with a conference on Globalisation and the challenges for women's participation and leadership. This conference is a summit following a series of workshops on Globalisation and its impact on women's lives - locally and globally. The day is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner. The conference will be an opportunity to analyse the diverse forms of globalisation in local, regional, and global arenas, its impacts on communities and on women's right to participate at all levels of society, and women's efforts to contest global power relationships and opportunities for global solidarity. For more information contact: info@womenintopolitics.org

For PeaceWomen's Northern Ireland Resources Index, CLICK HERE.

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2. OCTOBER 2004: RECAP & FOLLOW-UP

• Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security
28 October 2004
All 15 Security Council Members, 27 Member States, 5 UN entities, and 1 civil society representative made interventions during the Open Debate. Of the 27 Member State statements 2 were made on behalf of country groups (EU and Human Security Network). The Open Debate concluded with a Statement read by the UK as President of the Security Council for the month of October.

Some highlights of the debate:

A Security Council Monitoring Mechanism
A number of Security Council Members and Member States referred to the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to be housed in the Security Council to ensure the Council's systematic implementation of 1325. While the majority of language used by Member States to discuss this idea was vague, 4 Member States referred explicitly to the establishment of a 'focal point' (Liechtenstein, Netherlands on behalf of the EU, New Zealand and Sweden), and Sweden referred explicitly to the establishment of a working group to “supplement” such a focal point. However, no such similar language is found in either the Secretary-General's report, or the Security Council Presidential Statement.

This is not the first time Security Council Members have discussed establishing a mechanism within the Council to monitor implementation of 1325. In fact, the idea was first raised by the UK and a number of other Member States at the October 2002 Open Debate, and then reiterated at last year's Open Debate not only by the UK but also by Chile and Liechtenstein. In addition, Council Members discussed such a mechanism during the first Security Council Working Roundtable, co-sponsored by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, and the Permanent Missions to the UN of Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom, held in January 2004 (see http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ngo/events.html#Roundtable1).

A UN System-Wide Action Plan on 1325
In his report on Women, Peace and Security (13 October 2004), the Secretary-General announced his intention to “develop a comprehensive system-wide strategy and action plan for increasing attention to gender perspectives in conflict prevention with particular emphasis on monitoring and reporting mechanisms.” He also announced his intention to “develop a comprehensive strategy and action plan for mainstreaming gender perspectives into peacekeeping activities at Headquarters and in peacekeeping operations, in particular…”

While the Presidential Statement, issued at the end of the debate, included verbal support for the Secretary-General's intention to develop these two action plans, it specifically requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Council in October 2005 “an action plan, with time lines, for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) across the UN system…”

While the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security (Inter-Agency Taskforce), has taken the lead in synthesizing the initial process and framework for the UN action plan, it remains to be seen which UN entity/entities will be in charge of the development of, and monitoring and reporting on, the action plan.

Civil society groups have put forward recommendations on accountability and process regarding the development of, and monitoring and reporting on, the UN action plan. For example, Kvinna till Kvinna, in a set of recommendations produced at an October 2004 seminar, has proposed that the Executive Committee on Peace and Security (ECPS), the senior management group on peace and security issues within the UN, “should be designated as the appropriate authority within the UN system to oversee a coordinated system-wide implementation plan….” Further, the Kvinna till Kvinna document proposes that the Inter-Agency Taskforce “should be mandated by the ECPS to undertake specific tasks, in particular to coordinate reporting to the ECPS from the UN's Funds, Agencies and Departments on progress made on ways and means, obstacles and achievements in implementation.”

In addition, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security has developed a document outlining its ideas for the UN system-wide action plan. The Working Group will share its recommendations with OSAGI and the Inter-Agency Taskforce shortly, as well as with other interested parties.

We will monitor the discussions on, and plans for, this UN system-wide action plan, and share information in upcoming issues of the Newsletter as it becomes available.

For the full text of recommendations from the Kvinna till Kvinna seminar, CLICK HERE.

For more information about the seminar and Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation visit: http://www.iktk.se

National Action Plans on 1325
While a number of Member States noted the importance of implementation at the national level, only two made explicit reference to the development of their own national action plans:

UK: “In London, we are currently developing a Government-wide action plan for our implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), linking development, humanitarian, defence and diplomacy work.”

Sweden: “We will develop a national plan of action, and we hope that other Members will undertake similar efforts and develop and report on their own plans.”

Although only 2 Member States referred to national action plans, the Presidential Statement “welcomes the efforts of Member States in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) at the national level, including the development of national action plans, and encourages Member States to continue to pursue such implementation.”

We will monitor the above action plans, as well as any others not mentioned during the debate and share information in upcoming issues of the
Newsletter as it becomes available.

Department of Political Affairs Gender Advisor
Establishing a gender advisory capacity in the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) has been a focus of advocacy, especially since the establishment of a gender advisor position in the neighboring Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Though Sweden was the only Member State to refer to a DPA gender advisory capacity during the Open Debate, the Security Council, in its Presidential Statement, “requests the Secretary-General to consider an equivalent arrangement [to that of DPKO's gender advisor] within the Department of Political Affairs to further support such implementation.”

We will monitor the discussions about the establishment of this position, and share information in upcoming issues of the Newsletter as it becomes available.

• Compilation of Open Debate Statements
Compiled by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
This compilation consists of excerpts arranged by theme (see below) from the statements made during the Security Council Open Debate. It should be noted that statements were included if they mentioned the particular theme, regardless of what was said about the theme. The statements that formed the basis of this research are all available at: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/4thAnniversary/4thAnniversaryindex.html

Themes Examined:
- UN Security Council mechanism(s) for the implementation of SCR 1325
- UN mechanism(s) for the implementation of SCR 1325
- National mechanism(s) for the implementation of SCR 1325
- Women's participation in peace negotiations/agreements
- Women's participation in reconstruction processes
- Women's participation in conflict prevention and early warning
- Gender and peacekeeping (Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, gender training, gender balance/recruitment, gender-advisory capacity, leadership, mandates/resolutions, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, DPKO action plan, other peacekeeping actors, partnerships, and)
- Financial support for implementation of SCR 1325
- The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

The compilation is available at: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/UN1325/SCOpenDebate04Compilation.pdf

• With Renewed Energy Following October 2004, the NGOWG on Women, Peace and Security Identifies Key Focus Areas to Push 1325 into the Future
Backed by the momentum of the Open Debate and Anniversary events this October, the NGOWG plans to further three issues that it advocated for and Member States called for in their Open Debate interventions. The three issues are:

(1) Pushing for the timely and effective development of a Secretary-General led, UN system-wide Action Plan to implement Resolution 1325, to be completed by October 2005 and survey women in conflict areas for information they believe should be included in such an Action Plan;

(2) Pushing for Member States to adopt National Level Action Plans and drafting model National Action Plans for both donor states and conflict states based on input from women in the field; and

(3) Pushing Security Council Members to establish a focal point and expert-level working group to ensure integration of Resolution 1325 in the work of the Council.

In addition, the NGOWG looks forward to continuing its practice of training and sharing information on best practices on SCR 1325 at the 49th Session Conference on the Status of Women and the Review and Appraisal of the 1995 Beijing Conference and 2000 Conference. We will also continue to advocate for the rapid establishment of a gender advisor in the Department of Political Affairs, which the Security Council asked the Secretary-General to consider in its Presidential Statement adopted in October 2004 (S/PRST/2004/40). As always, we look forward to collaborating with representatives from civil society. Please contact the NGOWG's Coordinator, Cora True-Frost at (646) 234-1349 for more information.

PeaceWomen's 4th Anniversary Index page: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/4thAnniversary/4thAnniversaryindex.html

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3. 1325 TRANSLATION UPDATE: 11 NEW TRANSLATIONS AVAILABLE

TOTAL NUMBER OF AVAILABLE TRANSLATIONS: 61

As mentioned in previous issues of the newsletter, the UK FCO Translation and Interpreting Services agreed to translate 1325 into 9 languages, and send them to the WILPF PeaceWomen Project for circulation via 1325 PeaceWomen E-News and www.PeaceWomen.org, among other networks. We have now received all 9 translations from the FCO:

Amharic
Kirundi
Kurdish - Kirmanji
Kinyarwanda
Shona
Punjabi
Swahili
Urdu
Vietnamese

We also recently received two new translations completed by members organizations of the Women's League of Burma: Kuki and Rakhaing.

Coming soon: Marathi translation

For information about the translators, CLICK HERE.

To view the 61 available translations, CLICK HERE.

If you know of existing translations or potential translators, please contact sarah@peacewomen.org.

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4. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY NEWS

UN HIGHLIGHTS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND AIDS TREATMENT
December 1, 2004 - (UN News) On World AIDS Day the UN has highlighted the importance of treatment, as well as the need to address violence against women and girls, as an integral part of the global AIDS response.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO: WOMEN RAISE THEIR VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE
November 29, 2004 - (IRIN) Hundreds of Congolese women appealed to their government on Saturday for better protection against gender-based violence, a persistent problem despite the end of years of fighting in the country.

RWANDAN WINS HUMAN-RIGHTS AWARD GENOCIDE PROMPTS SOCIAL WORKER TO DEVOTE HER LIFE TO HELPING OTHER WOMEN
November 29, 2004 – (Globe and Mail-Canada) After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Godelieve Mukasarasi returned to her village from a refugee camp with one goal in mind -- to pick up where she left off months earlier.

HAITI: ALARMING INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RAPES
November 25, 2004 - (Haiti Support Group press release) The Haiti Support Group is extremely concerned about the reported increase in the number of rapes in Haiti over recent months, and calls for action to be taken to protect women and girls from sexual attacks carried out by armed men.

SUDAN: WAR AND RAPE IN DARFUR
November 24, 2004 – (International Herald Tribune) It's a perennial problem. War occurs. Women are raped. Reporters flood the war zone looking for raped women. War subsides. The international community and the journalists lose interest in women's issues. Women continue to be raped. No one cares.

UGANDA: WOMEN GROUP ACCUSES UPDF OF WAR CRIMES
November 24, 2004 - (New Vision - Kampala) An international women's group has accused the UPDF and Karimojong warriors of committing crimes in the war-ravaged north. The Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ), which has been monitoring the International Criminal Court (ICC) activities in northern Uganda, said testimonies had shown that it was not only the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels committing crimes in the area.

For the press release issued by WIGJ, in collaboration with Isis-WICCE and Ugandan Women Activists, CLICK HERE.

MANO RIVER UNION: NOW ON-LINE: VOICES OF PEACE/LES VOIX DE LA PAIX
November 2004 - The Mano River Women's Peace Network has launched a new on-line journal, “Voices of Peace,” on its website: www.marwopnet.org/voicesofpeace.htm.

FIJI: IT IS WISDOM …WHEN WOMEN SHARE IN DECISION MAKING
November 18, 2004 - (femLINKpacific) With a mission to get more women elected or appointed into parliament, local government institutions and policy making statutory bodies and communities, and setting a target of 50% of women's representation at all levels of decision making by 2015, participants at this week's national consultation on Women in Decision Making, have formulated a draft National NGO Plan of Action on Women in Shared Decision Making (WISDM), which will now be fine tuned for implementation by a steering committee, to be chaired by the National Council of Women.

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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5. LITTLE GENDER PERSPECTIVE FOUND IN NEW UN REPORT ON THREATS, CHALLENGES AND CHANGE

In November 2003, the UN Secretary-General appointed a 16-member High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change to “generate new ideas about the kinds of policies and institutions required for the UN to be effective in the 21st century.”

The panel released its 95-page report, "A more secure world: our shared responsibility," on 2 December 2004. The report contains 101 recommendations covering six areas, considered the greatest threats in the 21st century: continued poverty and environmental degradation; terrorism; civil war; conflict between states; the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and organized crime. The Secretariat and UN Member States are now concurrently considering the report. The UN Secretary-General will release a report, based on the High Level Panel's report, in March 2005.

We applaud the authors of the report for the inclusion of the recommendations on the implementation of Resolution 1325 (#68) and the consultation and involvement of women in peace processes (#19D).

Under the section on the protection of civilians, the High Level Panel noted:

238. Of special concern is the use of sexual violence as a weapon of conflict. The human rights components of peacekeeping operations should be given explicit mandates and sufficient resources to investigate and report on human rights violations against women. Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security and the associated Independent Experts' Assessment provide important additional recommendations for the protection of women. The Security Council, United Nations agencies and Member States should fully implement its recommendations.

68. The Security Council, United Nations agencies and Member States should fully implement resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security (238).

Under the section on prevention of conflict between and within States, the Panel noted:

102. Mediators and negotiators need adequate support. Although the demand for United Nations mediation has skyrocketed in the past 10 years, resources devoted to this function have remained minimal. The deliberate under-resourcing of the Department of Political Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat by Member States is at odds with these same States' professed desire for a strong United Nations. The Department of Political Affairs should be given additional resources and should be restructured to provide more consistent and professional mediation support.

19. While the details of such a restructuring should be left to the Secretary-General, it should take into account the need for the United Nations to have:
… (d) Greater consultation with and involvement in peace processes of important voices from civil society, especially those of women, who are often neglected during negotiations.

At the same time, we note with concern the failure of the Panel to comprehensively integrate gender in, for example, the proposal to establish a UN Peacebuilding Commission, and more broadly in its examination of post-conflict peacebuilding, peace enforcement and peacekeeping capability and conflict between and within States.

We expect that UN Member States and UN entities, in recognition of their existing commitments to SCR 1325, as well as the Beijing Platform for Action, will urge the Secretary-General to incorporate a comprehensive gender perspective in his report, and in the recommendations he proposes.
The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security was invited by the UN Foundation in April 2004 to submit a paper to the UN High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. The paper makes the case that persistent gender inequality is a significant threat to global peace and security. Drawing on the voices of courageous women organizing for peace, the paper urges a framework for collective action based on the "3 Ps" - conflict prevention, the participation of women in peace and security, and the protection of civilians with consideration to the specific needs of women, men, girls and boys.

To view the NGOWG paper, “No Women, No Peace: The Importance of Women's Participation to Achieve Peace and Security”, CLICK HERE.

For the full report and related documentation, visit: http://www.un.org/secureworld/

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6. FEATURE RESOURCE

Inclusive Security, Sustainable Peace: A Toolkit for Advocacy and Action
International Alert's Gender and Peacebuilding Programme and Women Waging Peace, November 2004

Inclusive Security, Sustainable Peace: A Toolkit for Advocacy and Action is a resource for women peace activists, advocates and practitioners in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries and for policy makers and staff of major multilateral institutions, donor countries and international NGOs. It is intended to enable women to engage strategically in peacebuilding and security processes and can be used as a reference guide; as a tool for advocacy and action; for training and awareness-raising; or to enhance understanding and the use of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which requires parties in a conflict to respect women's rights and to support their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction.

The Toolkit consists of:

Section 1: Introduction
User Guide | Conceptual Framework: Security, Peace, Accountability and Rights | Key International Policies and Legal Mechanisms: Women's Rights in the Context of Peace and Security | Human Rights

Section 2: Conflict prevention, resolution and reconstruction
Conflict prevention | Peace negotiations and agreements | Peace support operations Post-conflict reconstruction

Section 3: Security issues
Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration | Small arms, light weapons and landmines | Security-sector reform

Section 4: Justice, governance and civil society
Transitional justice and reconciliation | Constitutional rights and legislation Democracy and governance | Civil society

Section 5: Protecting vulnerable groups
Refugees and internally displaced persons | Sexual/reproductive health, rights and services | HIV/AIDS | Children's security

The toolkit can be downloaded free of charge at http://www.womenbuildingpeace.org/ or from http://www.womenwagingpeace.net

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7. FEATURE STATEMENTS: A SAMPLING OF RECENT LETTERS, QUESTIONS & INTERVENTIONS

A Sudanese Civil Society Open Letter to the UN Security Council Regarding the Sudan Peace Process
New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs (NESI Network)
November 18, 2004

We, the members of the Civil Society Organizations operating under the umbrella of the New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs (NESI Network), would like to seek the attention of the United Nations Security Council and the international community at large regarding the Sudan Peace Process.

…It is paramount, however, that the final peace accord be signed now. The population has suffered enough. Women and girls have been systematically raped; generations have been born to wars and are not able to access education nor peace and security among other basic rights.

…We strongly recommend the following for the upcoming UN Security Council meeting on Sudan as integral issues to be embodied in its (UN Security Council's) Resolution:

1. That the Sudanese conflict is a very complex one and hence the need for a North-North Dialogue, including the conflicts in Darfur and Eastern Sudan among other marginalized of the Sudan. These dialogues should be inclusive and pluralistic in nature, including other political parties, armed groups, women and civil society in the North.

…4. Furthermore, all UN peacekeeping forces, African Union (AU) among others should be gender-sensitive and mindful of the plight of women and girls, who make up more than 60% of the Sudanese population, and whose rights have been most violated during these wars.

5. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to be fully adopted within the final peace accord for the Sudan.

On behalf of the entire Sudanese population, we are very grateful for this very historic meeting and wish you the very best and wisdom in your deliberations and efforts in resolving this extremely deplorable war.

Signed by and on behalf of NESI Network Member Organizations.
Suzanne Jambo*, Coordinator, NESI Network
Nairobi, 18th November 2004

*Suzanne Jambo was one of seven civil society representatives to speak to Security Council members at the recent Arria Formula on SCR 1325 held on 21 October 2004. For her Arria statement, CLICK HERE.

For the full letter, CLICK HERE.

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Questions on 1325 in the House of Lords, United Kingdom
15 November 2004

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made in the four years since the relevant resolutions were passed in the United Nations Security Council and the European Parliament to involve women in conflict management, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction in the Balkans, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa?

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): My Lords, the United Kingdom strongly supports these resolutions. Her Majesty's Government play a leading role in promoting women's engagement in conflict resolution and peace-building activities. We also support monitoring the implementation of these resolutions. There has been progress, such as voter registration initiatives in Afghanistan and Iraq focusing on women. There are real successes. Forty per cent of voters in the recent election in Afghanistan were women. But the international community needs to continue to intensify efforts on these policies…

Due to a procedural error, the discussion in the House of Lords was cut prematurely short. However, we understand that Baroness Symons plans on holding a full briefing in the next few weeks to continue the discussion.

For the transcript online, CLICK HERE.

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Marking the 4th Anniversary of 1325 in the Canadian Senate: Statement by Honourable Senator Mobina Jaffer
3 November 2004

Honourable senators, did you ever have to run for your life? Were you or a loved one a victim of sexual violence while your family watched? Did you ever have to protect your young children from rape? "In some countries the demands on women are limitless; but in war, the most insane fantasies have found their expression. When seven soldiers rape a woman or little girl, for them the woman is no longer a human being, she is an object”…

For the full statements, and for the French version, CLICK HERE.

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8. FEATURE EVENTS: HIGHLIGHTING RECENT EVENTS

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence: Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS
25 Nov - 10 Dec 2004
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.

For more information about the 16 Days, visit the website of the Center for Women's Global Leadership: http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/kit04/theme.html

• News: UN Officials Stress Need to Eliminate Violence Against Women
November 25, 2004 – (UN) United Nations officials, led by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, today stressed the need for building a world in which women enjoy their rights and freedoms on an equal basis with men.

• News – Fiji: Women Dressed in Black to Mark the Beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign
November 25, 2004 - (femLINKpacific) A group of women attending a Community Radio Consultation (CRC) in Suvaare all dressed in black today to mark the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women.

For more international news on the 16 Days of Activism, CLICK HERE.

• United Nations Secretary-General's Message on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, New York, 25 November 2004
…On this fifth International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, let us be encouraged that there is a growing understanding of the problem. But let us also pledge to do our utmost to protect women, banish such violence, and build a world in which women enjoy their rights and freedoms on an equal basis with men. For the full message, CLICK HERE.

• Women's League of Burma Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November 2004
…The Women's League of Burma would like to reiterate that organized violence against women and girls by the State has been ongoing and the situation in Burma has not changed. Without genuine political reform, no women and girls will be safe under the rule of the Burmese junta.
For the full statement, CLICK HERE.

• United States Congressional members seek end to gender-based violence in Colombia: Letter to Colombian President Uribe
US Congressional signatories, Washington, DC, 23 November 2004
…We are writing to you out of deep concern about recent reports released by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International that indicate widespread violence against women is occurring as a result of the armed conflict in Colombia. Gender-based violence, in wartime or in peace, is unacceptable…Given the pervasive nature of violence against women in the context of Colombia's armed conflict, we strongly urge the Colombian government to prioritize efforts to end violence against women in conflict…
For the full letter, which includes a set of concrete recommendations, CLICK HERE.

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International meeting on Peace Negotiations from Women's Perspectives: How to empower the contribution of women in the resolution of armed conflict in Colombia?
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Colombia-Fescol and UNIFEM
9 December 2004, Bogota Colombia
The major areas covered included: International commitments in the area of women and armed conflict; Women in the construction of peace: two international experiences; and the inclusion of a gender perspective in the initiatives for the construction of peace. For more information, contact Carmen de la Cruz, UNIFEM Colombia at: Carmen.Cruz@undp.org.

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WILPF Australia 1325 Website Launch: www.1325australia.org.au
1 December 2004, Parliament House Canberra, Australia
A Website developed by WILPF Australia to further the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in the Australian context, with funding assistance from the Australian Government's Office of the Status of Women (OSW) & support from the Womenspeak Network
“In launching the website we are celebrating the 4th Anniversary of the passing of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, Women, Peace and Security. This is the first UN Resolution that specifically highlights the impact of war and conflict on women and girls, and the importance of women's involvement in peace building.”

For more information about this event and the website, contact WILPF Australia members: Lyn Lane at lynjlane@ozemail.com.au or Margaret Bearlin at mbearlin@effect.net.au.

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UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Global Planning Meeting of DPKO Gender Advisors and Gender Focal Points
15-19 November 2004, UN Headquarters, NY
The Department of Peacekeeping recently hosted a Global Planning Meeting of DPKO Gender Advisors and Gender Focal Points. The meeting was an opportunity for gender advisors and gender focal points to “engage in a joint review and planning process in consultation with key stakeholders within and outside of the UN, to refine and enhance gender mainstreaming strategies in UN peacekeeping operations, towards implementation of Security Council resolution 1325.”

The main objectives of the workshop were:
- To share information on progress to date and to identify common challenges pertaining to gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping operations;
- To review and build consensus around policy and operational priorities that should inform future gender mainstreaming strategies;
- To agree on a framework that will guide communications, planning, monitoring, and reporting among gender advisors; and
- To review and explore partnership-building strategies for the future.

During the 4-day meeting, the gender advisors and focal points briefed each other on their work in their respective missions, engaged with Member States, met with representatives of the different divisions of DPKO, as well as representatives from other UN entities, such as the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), UNIFEM, and the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA). In addition, the Gender Advisors and Gender Focal Points met with members of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security.

For more information about this meeting, please contact Comfort Lamptey, DPKO Gender Advisor, at: lampteyc@un.org.

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Working Conference on Women Peace and Security Held In San Diego California
18-20 November 2004, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, California, USA
The Promoting Women's Equal Participation in Peace & Security Processes: Operationalizing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 working conference was held at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) from 17 November to 20 November, in San Diego, California. Over 120 participants from 32 countries participated. The event was co-convened by UNIFEM, the Boston Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights, the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security, and the IPJ.

This conference intentionally mixed scholars, practitioners, NGO and grassroots leaders with those who work to influence policy-making at the UN, government and international agency/organizational levels. The working sessions were small and facilitated for assuring that all voices were heard and the outcomes were noted. Topics on the first series of sessions included: Early Warnings/Conflict Prevention; Gender Issues in Peace Support Operations; Child Soldiers; Reconciliation, Reintegration and Rehabilitation; Protection of IDPs and Refugees, Including Widows; Post-Conflict Elections; Engendered Transitional Justice Mechanisms. On the second day regional and theme workshops on the use of 1325 and other cross-sessional meetings were held. Summaries of the working groups will be posted at http://peace.sandiego.edu in about two weeks.

Interspersed between working group sessions were four public plenaries to update attendees and others on the big pictures of women and conflict. These included: “Gender-based Violence in Conflict: Updates on Specific Protection Needs and Justice Issues of Women and Children” which focused on the current research on and experience of the impunity of violence specific to women caught in conflict-affected countries; “Women at the Negotiation Tables and Post-Conflict Decision-Making Bodies: Using UNSC Res 1325 and Other International Standards and Tools Calling for Gender Inclusion; “Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Gender Dimensions of Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Reintegration” on examining issues related to the adoption of gender-inclusive and gender-equitable frames in peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and reconstruction; and a final panel looked at “Moving Forward Together: Building on the Secretary General's report on implementing UNSC Resolution 1325 toward Beijing+10, Millennium Development Goals+5 and the 2005 UN High-Level Event.”

Final reports on the conference will be posted as soon as possible at the IPJ website. Please go to the website for more details on presenters: http://peace.sandiego.edu/

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9. FEATURE PUBLICATIONS

Gender And Small Arms: Moving Into The Mainstream
Emily Schroeder and Lauren Newhouse
Monograph No 104, Institute for Security Studies, October 2004
This monograph presents a comprehensive overview of how gender language is used at meetings and in documents of various United Nations fora on the topic of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The monograph begins with an overview of relevant definitions and emergence on the global agenda of norms on SALW and gender mainstreaming at the United Nations. The authors then scan statements from official meetings and documents from the Security Council and the General Assembly from 2001 to 2003, as well as the 2001 SALW Conference and the Biennial Meeting of States on SALW in 2003. A list of ‘gender reference indicators' are used to assess the frequency of use and context of references to evaluate points of conversion and diversion between international norms on gender and SALW.

It is concluded that UN debates on SALW do not yet address gender in the SALW context in a way that encompasses the differing social, economic and political impacts of SALW on men and women. The final section of the monograph reveals various observations and recommendations looking towards the 2006 Review Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The monograph is available at: http://www.iss.org.za/pubs/Monographs/No104/Contents.htm

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Women in Armed Opposition Groups Speak on War, Protection and Obligations Under International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law:
Report of a workshop organized by Geneva Call and the Program for the Study of International Organization(s), August 26-29, 2004, Geneva
By Dyan Mazurana
On 26-29 August, UNIFEM, along with several other entities, supported a workshop organized by Geneva Call and the Programme for the Study of International Organizations for women combatants from armed opposition groups from 18 different conflict zones in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The workshop participants discussed international humanitarian law, international human rights law, protection issues and DDR, and articulated lessons learned for each of these issues among others.

For the report and executive summary, prepared by Dyan Mazurana, CLICK HERE.

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Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Critical Area E. Women and Armed Conflict
United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
Reality check: Across the globe, women are struggling to survive the horrors of armed conflict. Some women have grown-up knowing nothing other than war, some have lived through every form of violence imaginable, some are kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery, and some have joined armed struggles as combatants. Women's voices are still not heard at the tables of peace negotiations, their needs and interests are not reflected in peace treaties and cease-fire agreements, and they are rarely among those making the decision to go to war. The actions mandated by the Beijing Platform for Action in order to address women and armed conflict remain all-too relevant ten years after they were first called for. Despite these somber realities, the past ten years have also seen certain positive developments regarding the de-escalation of wars and new policies and actions on women and armed conflict.

For the full report, visit: http://www.un-instraw.org/en/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=930&I...

From now until the March 2005 Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, INSTRAW will be publishing progress reports on the 12 Critical Areas of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

These progress reports will be available on the INSTRAW website at: http://www.un-instraw.org.

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Recent Publications by Women Waging Peace

Peace In Sudan: Women Making the Difference - Recommendations
8-15 October 2004

Preparing for Peace: The Critical Role of Women in Colombia
Conference Report, May 4-19 2004
November 2004

Negotiating the Transition to Democracy and Reforming the Security Sector: Vital Contributions of South African Women
August 2004

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Recent Reports by Amnesty International, Stop Violence Against Women (VAW) Campaign
November 2004

Soloman Islands: Women Confronting Violence
8 November 2004

Central Africa Republic: Five Months of War Against Women
10 November 2004

Mexico: Indigenous women and military injustice
23 November 2004

Women, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
24 November 2004

For more NGO and civil society reports, papers and statements, UN and government reports, and books, journals and articles on women, peace and security issues, CLICK HERE.

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10. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY CALENDAR

Gender and Conflict Transformation: An Online Learning Course
The Network University
24 January - 18 February 2005
This four-week online course from The Network University will start again at January 24 till February 18, 2005. This course brings together worldwide expertise on the relationship between gender and conflict transformation. This course will empower women to become key agents in conflict transformation. The course uses a variety of interactive methods that stimulate thinking and exchange. Visit the demosite at www.netuni.nl/demos/genderconflict. There are a limited number of scholarships available. For more information and registration, visit www.netuni.nl or contact Hanneke Oudkerk, at conflict@netuni.uva.nl.

Call for Papers: Gender and Constitution-building articles needed for Critical Half, an international development journal
Women for Women International
Deadline: 1 February 2005
Women for Women International, is seeking submissions for the third edition of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half. This issue of the journal will focus on the institutionalization of gender equality in post-war constitutions. The transition from conflict to stability offers a unique window of opportunity to build a foundation of gender equality that sets a precedent for the status of gender relations throughout a society. We aim to examine this process, including lessons learned from the experience of various countries. We will also analyze the structural and situational factors that can challenge the translation of constitutional language into effecting change on the ground, such as socio-cultural resistance and lack of resources and/or political will. For suggested topics, submission guidelines, visit www.womenforwomen.org. For more information, contact Lyla Bashan at lbashan@womenforwomen.org or +1 202 737 7705.

NGO Consultation in preparation for Beijing Review: From Mexico City to Beijing and Beyond: Realizing the Vision
27 February 2005, 8:30am-6:00pm, Barnard College, New York, USA
Sponsored by the NGO CSW, New York
For more information contact: ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com

For UN, governmental and NGO documents concerning the upcoming Beijing +10 Review by the Commission on the Status of Women, during its 49th Session, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/Beijing10%20/beijing10index.html

For the complete calendar, CLICK HERE.

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