The contributions made by women need not be restricted to females or feminist topics. Women feel comfortable discussing a wide range of topics. Every time they have taken a place at the table or participated in negotiations, women have raised several crucial concerns, such as justice and human rights, that might not have otherwise come up.
Introduction
Although men and women are affected by armed conflicts and wars differently, women’s unique experiences during these times are frequently ignored in scholarly writing, making them invisible victims of violence. Women’s roles as helpless victims or obliging bystanders in conflict situations are the focus of the majority of literature on women, peace, and security. Still, this stereotypical view obscures the important contributions women make as leaders and peace agents, particularly in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts that follow conflicts. It is within this context of women’s underrepresentation that gender inequality remains consistent, with an upsurge in gender-based violence across the world. Since women make up nearly half of the global population and are an important component of society, it is important to analyze how they contribute to peacebuilding. In particular, their participation in formal peace processes and governance is essential to the long-term viability of peace efforts. The demands and interests of half the global population will go unconsidered if women do not actively contribute to establishing and maintaining peace. Furthermore, if women are not included in decision-making, they cannot be safeguarded. In this article, I discussed my thoughts on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, along with other resolutions that back the women, peace, and security agenda.
What is the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325?
The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (S/RES/1325) on women, peace, and security (WPS) was unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council on October 31, 2000, in acknowledgment of the disproportionate effects that war, armed conflict, and violent conflict have on women and girls. It expresses concern about the fact that civilians—especially women and children—make up the vast majority of those negatively impacted by armed conflict, including refugees and internally displaced people, and that armed groups and combatants are increasingly targeting them. It also recognizes the impact that this has on long-term peace and reconciliation.
Widely regarded as the landmark document on the women, peace, and security agenda, Resolution 1325 gives women’s efforts to promote peacebuilding credibility and establishes a framework for promoting gender equality and gender mainstreaming on matters and initiatives about peace and security. It also recognizes the ability and potential of women to support the creation, advancement, and upkeep of peace. The resolution emphasizes the critical role that women play in promoting peace and the need to bolster their involvement in both preventing and resolving conflicts. It reinforces how crucial it is for women to take an equal part in all endeavors aimed at preserving and advancing peace and security. The resolution further emphasizes how crucial it is to properly implement international humanitarian and human rights law to safeguard women’s and girls’ rights both during and after conflicts. Additionally, by passing this resolution, the UN member states also committed to promoting women’s participation and integrating gender perspectives into all peace and security initiatives.
The UNSCR 1325 was the outcome of concentrated lobbying efforts by several women’s organizations globally. It expands upon several international agreements and declarations, such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The UNSC recalls its resolutions 1261 (25 August 1999), 1265 (17 September 1999), 1296 (19 April 2000), and 1314 (11 August 2000). It also reiterates the commitments made in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (A/52/231) and the outcome document of the UN General Assembly’s twenty-third Special Session, “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century” (A/S-23/10/Rev.1), specifically addressing women and armed conflict.
Pillars of the UNSCR 1325
The UNSCR 1325 is organized into four major pillars: prevention, participation, protection, and relief and recovery.
1. Prevention: It urges UN member states to enhance intervention tactics to stop violence against women, such as by bringing legal action against individuals who break international law, bolstering national legislation protecting women’s rights, and assisting regional women’s peace initiatives and dispute settlement procedures.
2. Participation: It calls on Member States to ensure greater representation of women in national, regional, and worldwide organizations and systems for conflict management, prevention, and resolution at all decision-making levels. It also urges the Secretary-General to work toward increasing the representation of women in field operations of the United Nations, particularly in the areas of military observers, civilian police, human rights, and humanitarian workers.
3. Protection: It acknowledges that wars and armed conflicts often have a gender dimension and as such expressly demands that women and girls be shielded from gender-based and sexual assault/violence, especially in emergency and humanitarian settings like refugee camps.
4. Relief and Recovery: It demands that relief and reconstruction efforts be advanced to confront global crises through a gendered perspective. This includes acknowledging the humanitarian and civilian nature of refugee camps as well as taking into account the needs of women and girls while designing settlements and camps.
Other Resolutions that Support the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda
Since the adoption of the UNSCR 1325 in 200, the United Nations Security Council has passed other resolutions with specific provisions on women, peace, and security. These include UNSCR 1820 (19 June 2008); UNSCR 1888 (30 September 2009); UNSCR 1889 (5 October 2009), UNSCR 1960 (16 December 2010); UNSCR 2106 (24 June 2013); UNSCR 2122 (18 October 2013); UNSCR 2242 (13 October 2015); UNSCR 2467 (23 April 2019); and UNSCR 2493 (29 October 2019).
Importance of the UNSCR 1325 and other Resolutions supporting the WPS Agenda
There are numerous reasons why Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council is important. It first demands increased representation of women in decision-making and the inclusion of women’s issues in the agenda for peace and security. Second, the resolution established a first-ever connection between women and issues of peace and security, which is critical given the significant role that women have played in promoting peace and security around the world. Thirdly, the UNSCR 1325 holds great significance as it acknowledges women as both peace agents and victims of conflict. The fact that these resolutions act as frameworks for policy has made them even more significant since it has enhanced commitment to institutional transformation for women worldwide.
Conclusion
Women must be taken seriously if we are serious about achieving peace. Since women are crucial in both conflict and post-conflict settings, their opinions must be heard anytime the topic of peacebuilding is brought up.