WUNRN
Recognizing
that gender equality, development, and peace are mutually interconnected parts
of sustainable development, we call on member states to support an integrated approach
that puts people over profit and those at the bottom rungs of society at the
center.
Thematic Debate of the General Assembly
“Ensuring Stable and
Peaceful Societies”
UN Trusteeship Council Chamber, 24 April 2014
Statement by Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, FemLINKPACIFIC and Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed
Conflict on behalf of the Post 2015 Women’s Coalition, for Panel 2: Strengthening
national institutions towards achieving sustainable development
Chairperson,
Thank
you for this opportunity to contribute to the Thematic Debate as a representative of the
Post-2015 Women's Coalition and GPPAC
Ensuring Stable and
Peaceful Societies
We welcome the
articulation on Peaceful and non-violent Societies, and Capable Institutions in
the latest draft of the Open Working Group’s Focus Areas document.
It is vital
that the Post-2015 SDG agenda addresses the root causes of violence and
conflict and builds on existing commitments to promote sustainable development
and peace and to bring people to the centre of policy processes and
outcomes
This
requires a ‘Just’ Governance approach
which mainstreams deliberate and accountable governance through
transparent, inclusive, responsive, participatory, and gender equitable mechanisms
and institutions which address the specific disadvantages and injustices
confronting children, youth, women, LGBTQI community, persons with disabilities,
indigenous people and other minorities.
Recognizing
that gender equality, development, and peace are mutually interconnected parts
of sustainable development, we call on member states to support an integrated
approach that puts people over profit and those at the bottom rungs of society
at the center.
Peace requires
changing business as usual including a clear mandate and mechanisms for civil society
participation within the Post-2015 agenda. Peace requires development that respects and
protects human rights while tackling the intersecting and
structural drivers of inequalities and multiple forms of discrimination
Peace requires
a transformation of global financial priorities and practice so that
macroeconomic policies enable gender equitable social development.
Conflict prevention and development also require the
strengthening of democratic participation in decision-making at all levels
In the context of this
debate, it is critical to ensure the post-2015 agenda enables national infrastructures for peace which are established
on a permanent basis not only in times of crisis.
Resources must be made available for the creation of
civil-society-led platforms for dialogue and the peaceful resolutions of
tensions at local and national levels
Strengthening
the accountability of state and non-state actors for ensuring gender equality
and women’s human rights, is vital. This includes accountability for gender
budgeting, the full and equal participation of women in all forms of
decision-making, governance and peace negotiations, and the scaling-up of
women-led civil society.
In this light, the extraterritorial
obligations elaborated in the Maastricht Principles should be used as the
foundation for facilitating good governance in the context of the new global partnerships.
We call on the international community to support
national processes which reaffirm the link between development and peace,
values such as good governance, transparency and accountability.
There can
be no development without disarmament and the full and equal participation of
women.
We
call on the international community to prioritize and resource nationally-owned
processes and institutions for development including national implementation
mechanisms such as National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security which can
be possible by redirecting military spending toward equitable social
development and developing gender equality-strengthening macroeconomic policies
and debt workout mechanisms.
We
also ask the international community to enhance national participation and accountability –
through the availability of publicly accessible, regular and disaggregated data
and ensuring that mechanisms and
infrastructures
are in place to promote independent media, freedom of speech, and the public
access to information from both government and private sector.
Tackling external stressors are essential to
ensure stability and peace are not undermined and we reiterate civil society participation in the design,
implementation and monitoring of all institutional measures to reduce national and international
stresses that drive conflict and violence, including trade in arms and conflict
commodities, human and drugs trafficking, and climate change.
We ask governments to integrate
commitments and good practice from the Women, Peace and Security agenda
addressing participation, prevention, protection, and relief and recovery into
sustainable development efforts.
Conclusion:
Chairperson – Through women’s
eyes, there is a broader notion of security – one that is defined in human,
rather than in military, terms - one where peace is possible because all
citizens have faith in and are able to freely participate in the democratic
process of institution and state building.
When women feel secure
enough to organize for peace – expressed through arts, public demonstrations,
political leadership and the use of a free and inclusive media – peace is on
its way.
Which is why the principles of gender equitable conflict prevention and peacebuilding
in the post-215 development framework through the establishment of a standalone
goal in this Focus Area, as well as the mainstreaming of relevant targets in
other Sustainable Development Goals.