Women and Men Working in Equal Partnership for the Future of Iraq' - An Advocacy and Action Plan

1. COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (CHR): STILL IN SESSION
March 17-April 25, 2003, Geneva

The General Debate on Item 12 – Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective - and Item 12a – violence against women - opened on April 9th, and closed April 11th.
The 2 days of debate included an address by the Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, a report by the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, a statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, a general debate on the issues by member states and NGO interventions.

For links to press releases, statements and interventions from the general debate on Item 12, and for background information on the CHR, click here.

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2. 1325 NEWS

Visit our updated news pages on Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Israel/Palestine

Women Among First Computer Specialists Trained in Afghanistan
April 17, 2003 – (UNDP) Afghanistan is now producing internationally certified information technology specialists, one third of them women so far. Six women and 11 men graduated this month from the University of Kabul's new Cisco Networking Academy, earning the first industry-standard certification for computer networking ever offered in the country.

Women Want More Posts in Transitional Administration
April 16, 2003 – (IRIN) An association grouping several women's organisations in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Organisation des femmes centrafricaines, has asked the country's new rulers to appoint more women to the recently established transitional institutions, the body's chairwoman told IRIN on Tuesday.

Department for Disarmament Affairs Launches a Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan
April 15, 2003 – The UN Department for Disarmament Affairs (DDA) held a panel discussion at UN headquarters to celebrate the launch of its Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan, the first of its kind every developed by a UN Department, which is intended to “strengthen, consolidate, inform and guide disarmament work into the future.” To read DDA's Action Plan, click here.
For DDA briefing notes on gender perspectives on disarmament, click here.

Hundreds of Women Demonstrate Against Liberia's War
April 15, 2003 – (AP) Hundreds of white-clad women chanted peace slogans Friday, demanding Liberia's government and rebel forces lay down arms and help ease widespread human suffering in the west African nation.
Women's recent peace mobilizing in Liberia has been covered by numerous other news services including IRIN, AFP and local Liberian newspapers. To view these other articles, click here.

NGOs Discuss How to Help Victims of Sexual Violence in DRC
April 14, 2003 - (IRIN) Humanitarian organisations working in South Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are looking to launch a new project to help women who have been victims of sexual violence, the UN Mission in the DRC, MONUC, reported.

"Invisible", but Refugee Women Play Key Integration Role
April 9, 2003 - (UNHCR) Sarah is a "seasoned" refugee, having fled for her life twice in the last 20 years. But when it comes to public recognition, she feels that refugee women like herself are often invisible.

Protection for Iraqi Refugee Women High on Agenda, says UNHCR
April 8, 2003 - (IRIN) Although no refugees have crossed into Iran from neighboring Iraq yet, preparations are being made for a possible influx, with women‚s needs high on the agenda.

Focus on Rape as a Political Weapon in Zimbabwe
April 8, 2003 - (IRIN) "In a Dark Time", a documentary film about sexual abuse in Zimbabwe perpetrated by pro-government militia, premiered last week at Witwatersrand University, one of South Africa's most respected tertiary institutions.

Forum Urges Women's Rights to be Protected
April 7, 2003 – (Bangkok Post) The first “consultation for women's rights defenders” in Asia-Pacific ended yesterday with the blessings of the UN special representative Hina Jilani.
For a UN Wire story on this forum, click here.

In this War, Embedded Reporters More Often Are Men
April 6, 2003 – (Boston Globe) Night after night, you see them on your television screen, helmeted, scruffy, and somber, bringing news from the front lines of the war. They are journalists, many of them embedded, the term now as much a part of the military lexicon as MREs or elite Republican guard. And most of them, it appears, are men.

Socio-Economic Impact of the Ivory Coast Sub-Regional Crisis on Burkinabe Women and Children
April 3, 2003 – (UNICEF) "I used to be able to make about CFA15-20,000 per day selling fruits", says 28-year-old Lalla. "Look at my fruit stand now - there's nothing here. All I've got to sell are these baskets, but no-one buys them on this side of the border because we're the ones that make them."

For more 1325 news, click here.

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3. FEATURE ANALYSIS

'Women and Men Working in Equal Partnership for the Future of Iraq': An Advocacy and Action Plan

A recent meeting was held in London, England, with Iraqi women's organizations from the Iraqi diaspora, UNIFEM UK, and a number of UK women's organizations to discuss how to ensure women's participation in post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq. One outcome of the meeting was an advocacy and action plan, entitled 'Women and Men Working in Equal Partnership for the Future of Iraq.' Included below is an excerpt from this plan:

Summary of agreed points:
1. If Iraq is to have a chance of progress with stability, gender considerations need to be mainstreamed into the entire reconstruction processes.

2. We are not talking about the addition of a few token women as a luxury bolt-on extra and the possible hapless appointment of a Minister for women with neither power nor resources (as happened in Afghanistan). At least one third of Ministers of the interim Government should be qualified women with an understanding of the priorities for Iraqi women as well as men. If a Minister for Women is appointed she must have resources and the power and seniority to be effective in her task.

3. There has been much discussion on how to achieve proportionality of various religious and ethnic groups in the road map for post-conflict Iraq. Over 50% of the Iraq population is female. Without the input of women in setting the new agenda at all levels from grassroots to national government, only half the talent pool in Iraq is being utilized to rebuild Iraq.

4. Regardless of whether it is the US, UN, or some other 'coalition of the willing,' who runs Iraq, any interim administration at national, regional and local levels and all aspects of the planning and policy development, all entities set up to develop and govern the future Iraq should include at least 40% women and at least 40% men.

5. This would be in line with UN Resolution 1325 passed in October 2000 stating the importance of inclusion of women and mainstreaming gender into all aspects of post-conflict reconstruction and peace operations.

6. This will include a gender-balanced team drawing up a new constitution (as in South Africa). We want to see a new secular constitution that does not discriminate against women.

7. It will include appointments of women to transitional and interim governments, ministries and committees dealing with systems of local and national governance, judiciary - rule of law, policing, human rights, allocating funds, free media development, all economic and privatisation processes, and conducting future elections. It is very important for women to be consulted and involved in the Security aspect of reconstruction - policing, judiciary etc as well as in democracy- building and welfare and education issues. Essential to get constitutional reform, adoption of CEDAW and other human rights conventions, change in Personal Status Law. (The judicial reform group set up by State Department from Iraqis in US has no women members!)

8. We want to see a real change for the better in the daily life of women as well as for men in Iraq. (In all recent post-conflict environments women are left on the scrap-heap of poverty, exposed to violence from all sections of society, including peace keepers and unable to access scarce aid resources)

9. Women's human rights must be the order of the day, overriding the wretched phrases 'traditional values' and 'custom of the region' - why should 52% of a population be excluded from their nation's political dynamic rebirth, bereft of universal human rights?

10. One concern raised at the meeting was that the US-appointed legal team currently developing a new legal code for Iraq consisted of all male lawyers and judges. (This needs confirmation). Any new legal code should repeal Sharia laws and introduce a secular legal system which does not discriminate against women. It should abolish all decrees and laws which adversely affect women such as Honor Killings. There should also be legislation to address violence against women including domestic violence.

11. Gender must necessarily be built into core activities from the start, rather than the hapless bolt-on, often insincere, and certainly unconvincing efforts we have seen in post-conflict situations in the past…

To view the full advocacy and action plan, click here.

This plan was circulated on email by K.U.L.U.- WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT (Denmark). To contact them, email kulu@kulu.dk or visit their website at http://www.kulu.dk

For a comprehensive annotated bibliography of books, articles and analyses on women's peace theory and activities, as well as NGO position papers, reports, speeches, statements and tools for organisational building. Please go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/resindex.html

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4. FEATURE STATEMENT

Asking Questions: Young Women Take Action on Resolution 1325
March 31, 2003, Toronto, Canada

To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, The Linden School, a feminist school in Toronto (grades 1-12), organized a discussion about Resolution 1325, peace activism, and "including women's voices at peace-tables worldwide," called Coalition for Peace: Women take Action. Among the panelists were three Linden high school students, Katherine Chuba (grade 10), Ruthie Cowper Szamosi (grade 11), and Emma Warnken Johnson (grade 11). Below is an excerpt of their contribution to the discussion, with a particular focus on their questions addressing Resolution 1325:

"As students at the Linden School, we are constantly reminded that we are responsible for making our voices heard. This panel gives us a good opportunity to voice our own thoughts while at the same time representing many of the students from our school.

…With an increased amount of diversity and information among youth, finding our own opinions can be difficult. With this in mind, we feel that one of the best ways for youth to take action is by asking questions. By asking those in places of authority to attempt to answer our questions at a level that we can understand, we both educate ourselves and allow others to think about our questions.

…The United Nations and the resolutions they pass are not often discussed in our everyday lives. This makes the issue of resolution 1325 that much more difficult for us to understand. The following are some questions that arose when we and other members of the Linden student body looked at the resolution.

…A lot of the language used in the action plan of the resolution seems a little bit 'weak'. There is a lot of urging, emphasizing, and encouraging, but there aren't any deadlines, or anything that seems to be a concrete action plan. How then will it be possible to force the countries who signed this resolution to adhere to it? Is it possible that these countries made sure these little loopholes were in place so that they wouldn't have to act on it? Is there another resolution that goes with resolution 1325 and has a more concrete action, or is it just in the nature of United Nations resolutions to have flexible action plans? Also, how is it possible to force adherence to this resolution with countries whose cultures give women fewer rights than men?

…Also, resolution 1325 aims to put women at the table for peacekeeping and conflict resolution. Practically speaking, this means that women will fill some of the positions now held by men. The Security Council is made up almost entirely of men. What is their incentive to implement Resolution 1325 if it might cost them their jobs?

…Before anyone can have an understanding of what this resolution means for the world, we first need to know about the present situation. How many women currently play a part in the United Nations? How much has this number changed since the creation of the UN? Most importantly, though, our questions concern not the present, but the future. How many women would we like to see involved in the UN? What kind of numbers are we aiming for, and by what date would we like to see a distinct change in government policy?

In other words, how are we envisioning a future that includes the full implementation of this resolution? We have all been asking ourselves this question, and have not found anything in the resolution itself to answer it.

…Also, how will this resolution affect sexual minorities, such as gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered or transsexual people?

We realize this is a huge number of questions, and not all of them can be fully answered. But the fact that we have asked these questions means that we want to get involved, and in many ways, by showing our interest in the topic, we have."

For the full statement, click here.

For a comprehensive annotated bibliography of books, articles and analyses on women's peace theory and activities, as well as NGO position papers, reports, speeches, statements and tools for organisational building. Please go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/resindex.html

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5. FEATURE INITIATIVE

Iraq and UN Security Council Resolution 1325: A Letter to Prime Minister Blair
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, UK Section
April 17, 2003

The UK Section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom has sent a letter to Prime Minster Blair urging the implementation of Resolution 1325 in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. This letter has been adapted as a press release and circulated widely to the UK press. An excerpt from this letter is included below:

Dear Tony Blair,

Iraq and UN Security Council Resolution 1325

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was founded in 1915 to press, among other things, for women to have an equal voice with men in peacemaking and peace building and for the protection women in armed conflict. This has been at the forefront of our aims ever since. In 2000 we played a prominent part in the successful campaign to get Resolution 1325 agreed by the Security Council and we are proud that Britain played such a supportive role in its adoption and also its implementation.

Now we are calling on the UK government to press for women to be enabled to play an equal role with men in the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq.

We are pleased that you are advocating a major role for the UN in the reconstruction of Iraq. However, regardless of whether it is the US, UN, or some other 'coalition' who run Iraq, any interim administrations at national, regional and local levels, all aspects of the planning and policy development, and all entities set up to develop and govern the future Iraq should include at least 40% women and at least 40% men.

Women have particularly suffered during this war. Many have been widowed, and may be particularly vulnerable. The lawlessness currently rife in Iraq may well lead to rape and further abuse. If Iraq is to have a chance of progress with stability, gender considerations need to be mainstreamed into the entire reconstruction process. This does not mean the addition to any interim or long term governing bodies of a few token women, with neither power nor resources (as happened in Afghanistan). At least one third of Ministers of the interim Government should be qualified women with an understanding of the priorities for Iraqi women as well as men. If a Minister for Women is appointed she must have resources and the power and seniority to be effective in her task…

To read the full letter, click here.

For more PeaceWomen initiatives please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/outreachindex.html

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6. FEATURE RESOURCES

Feminist Under Fire: Exchanges Across War Zones (Available in May)
Edited by Wenona Giles, Malathi de Alwis, Edith Klein and Neluka Silva with Maja Korac, Djurdja Knezevic and Zarana Papic
Between the Lines (Toronto, Canada)
This new anthology explores the themes of women in conflict zones, with a comparative focus of the social, political, and economic situations of women during the civil wars in Sri Lanka and the former Yugoslavia. All the contributors are members of the "Women in Conflict Zones Network” (WICZNET), a network established in 1996, at Canada's York University.
For more information about this anthology, contact Between the Lines at: 1(800) 718-7201, btlbooks@web.ca or visit them online at: http://www.btlbooks.com

Violence against Women
Women's Human Rights net (WHRnet), April 2003
This revised and updated WHRnet report by Niamh Reilly provides an overview of existing human rights mechanism, facts and figures, key concepts and definitions, links to other key documents and reports, and policy developments that have emerged over the last decade in the “struggle to ensure that violence against women is recognized as a global human rights concern.” For the full report, visit: http://www.whrnet.org/docs/issue-VAW.html

For a comprehensive annotated bibliography of books, articles and analyses on women's peace theory and activities, as well as NGO position papers, reports, speeches, statements and tools for organisational building. Please go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/resindex.html

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7. CALENDAR EVENTS

Winning the Peace: Women's Role in Post-Conflict Iraq
April 22, 2003, 8:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Washington, DC
The Woodrow Wilson International Center Conflict Prevention and Middle East Projects and Women Waging Peace have organised this meeting to discuss the role of Iraqi women in transition and post-conflict reconstruction. Topics for discussion will include humanitarian relief, transitional justice, demobilization and reintegration of soldiers, and reconstruction. Participants will include: Ambassador Hattie Babbitt, Senior Vice President, Hunt Alternatives Fund and Women Waging Peace; Zainab Salhbi, President, Women for Women International; and Sanam Anderlini, Policy Commission Director, Women Waging Peace/Hunt Alternatives Fund. For more information about the event, click here.

The International Society Leaves Women in Areas Devastated by War in the Lurch: A Panel Discussion
April 23, 2003, UNDP Nordic Office, Copenhagen
WILPF Denmark, K.U.L.U. – Women and Development and UNDP have organized a panel discussion based on the conclusions of UNIFEM's independent experts' assessment Women, War and Peace, by Elisabeth Rehn and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for UNIFEM. The panelists will include: Elisabeth Rehn herself, Jinan Muhsin, teacher of Middle Eastern culture and society and former senior lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies; Pia Larsen, the Danish Liberal Party's spokeswoman on development policy; Annelise Ebbe, chairperson of WILPF – Denmark; and Dorrit Saietz, journalist for the newspaper Information. For registration and other information, please contact Helle Nordberg, at +45 3546 7154, helle.nordberg@undp.dk or Helle Nielsen, KULU - Women and Development, +45 3315 7870, or kulu@kulu.dk.

Borders, Babies, and Bombs: A Gendered Reframing of Security
May 29- 31, 2003, Oakland, California
The National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) is holding its 2003 Annual Conference in collaboration with the Women's Leadership Institute, Mills College on a “Gendered Reframing of Security.” The conference sessions will address a variety of issues, including women's studies in the 21st century, girls' education, the HIV/AIDS crisis, Islam and information technology. Speakers will include, Cynthia Enloe (Clark University), Linda Burnham (Women of Color Resource Center), Charlotte Bunch (Center for Women's Global Leadership), Pamela DeLargy (UNFPA), and Eleanor Smeal (Feminist Majority Foundation). For more information, visit the NCRW website, e-mail ncrw@ncrw.org, or call 212/785-7335 ext. 14.

Rethinking Gender, War, And Peace: Feminist Perspectives: Call for Papers for a Conference
October 10-12, 2003, Washington DC
Sponsored by the Psychologists for Social Responsibility and the Women's Studies Department of The George Washington University the principal objective of this upcoming conference is to “advance the field of peace psychology by examining its past, present, and future work from a feminist perspective.” Submissions are invited from many different fields and perspectives, and in varied formats, including panels, posters, and roundtables. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2003. For more information and for conference registration information, click here. http://www.psysr.org, or contact Martha Mednick or Anne Anderson at psysrusa@cs.com

For more calendar events please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/calendar.html

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