Briefing on UNSCR 1325



Briefing: Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW)

Church Centre of the United Nations

25 February 2011

Introductions

Janis Alton of VOW (and also a CFUW member) opened the meeting and asked all present to introduce themselves.
 [I will continue to stay in touch with two interesting young woman: Renee, who did her university research on the language of UN Security Council resolutions (and who belongs to "Geeks Without Borders") and Josephine from the Youth Committee who has been thinking about joining CFUW and is interested in bringing young women to organizations that make a difference in women's lives.]


Monday 28 February - Meeting with Deputy Ambassador Gilles Rivard at the Canadian Mission - 9:00 - 9:45 am

Sunday - late pm - Planning meeting for the Mission visit - 5:00 pm - New Tower at Millennium Hotel.

Guest Speaker: Marilou McPhedran - President of Global College, University of Winnipeg

Topic: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325

It is up to UN Secretary -General to take a look at the resolutions. The UN General Assembly did not adopt the indicators at the 10-year anniversary of UNSCR1325. They had been "watererd down" by the Member States.

Global Network - Mavic Cabrera Balleza was with the International Women's Tribunal Network which was phased out last year and the Global Network phased in.

2000 - An unprecedented approach to peace and security occured. Has set the standard never reached again for the Security Council to deal with women, peace and security.

Condoleesa Rice and Hillary Clinton were influential in bringing in subsequent resolutions related to UNSCR.

There is a letter to sign re UNSCR 1960 - prime example of the Security Council's lack of engagement with civil society incl. (I had signed the letter at an earlier workshop on Feb. 23rd.)
It was a formative and driving role of women and highly strategic way in which they took 1325 to the Security Council.

UNSCR 1325 was much broader: involved women's participation during pre-conflict, conflict and post-conflict periods.

Vital role of women and if peace is to be achieved; women's leadership must be engaged.

Situates women as full participants and leaders within the whole process.

Coalition that placed UNSCR 1325 chose a very strategic time to present it. Ambassador Chowdhury was the President of the Security Council and was sympathetic and provided an open door that was previously shut.

Coalition saw need for National Action Plans on 1325.

2008 - Condoleesa Rice introduced UNSCR 1820 that addressed the elimination of rape as a weapon of war.

Put resources in place to monitor the resolutions.

(Shift for a minute to resolutions on children and armed conflict - the implementation is important because you need the resources to get into the countries to monitor the situation.)

2008 - a narrowing of the focus - gender-based violence

Named the violence

The Secretary-General followed up an named a Special Representative on rape as a weapon of war - Margot Walstrom

Change of leadership in US and in 2 weeks Hillary Clinton had both 1888 and 1889 proposed - both of which echo 1325 but focus on special gender-based violence. But the language goes back to the old Security Council resolution and loses the language for women that was relevent. Has left in the language of women as victims.

Need advocacy and resources.

Marilou thinks long and hard about what the groups headed by Cora Weiss or Mavic Cabrera Balleza have to say (e.g. on suggestions of demands in the letter to sign on 1960). She read the letter aloud.

UNSCR1889 - Looks at the key role women can play in looking at war-torn countries. Came out of the Security Council. References 1888 and 1325. Engages civil society.

It was a tipping point because after this cluster with UNSCR1888 quite focused and then UNSCR1889 broadening and referencing 1325, there is now 1960 narrowing again (Dec. 2010).

There is "an accordian effect" of opening and closing the focus.

Letter re demands concerning UNSCR 1960 - one paragraph looks at small arms.

Tension between tight focus looking at one aspect that is very necessary in asking Security Council for resources, and the the other aspect that is the broad picture such as the number of women who were actually at the peace tables, or who had positions in high places at the UN etc. Always it was under 10%.

Where are the resources going?

Liaison between Representatives on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Children in Conflict.

"Let's not subsume women only into their role as mothers. Let's also not stereotype them as being victims."

"Eternal vigilance" of CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) is important.

The reason we need to keep talking about UNSCR 1325 is the systemic nature in which the UN and other entities operate.

[Renee - "UNSCR 1325 was partly not taken on by the Security Council because it did not come from them."]

Huge shift for the Security Council to have a focus on women. They do not want to become a policy body and do not want to be hijacked by a bunch of special interest groups.

Rice and Clinton could have chosen issues other than ones on women, but they both acted quickly.

UNSCR 1820 took a status quo issue and redefined it. It is a human rights violation. It is a tool of war: command and control. It's a lot cheaper to use rape as a weapon than to buy other weapons.

Re the Canadian National Action Plan [rolled out on Oct. 5, 2010

CSOs can ask for implementation
Can ask for resources to National Action Plan
[Renee: Canada's pledge of $10 million to UN Women is only half of what Spain pledged. The Action Plan is very externally focussed and does not look as much at issues existing in Canada.]