WUNRN
Via NGO Working Group on Women, Peace & Security
http://womenpeacesecurity.org/media/pdf-CSO_OpenLetter_15thAnniversary1325.pdf
Civil Society Letter in
Advance of the 15th Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000)
on Women, Peace & Security
To:
Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Permanent
Representatives to the United Nations, and UN Senior Leadership
20
April 2015
Excellencies,
As
you prepare to mark the 15th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council
Resolution (SCR) 1325 (2000) and the establishment of the Women, Peace and
Security (WPS) agenda, we call on you, all UN Member States and agencies, to
recommit to the principles and transformative potential of WPS and develop
effective and sustained implementation strategies.
Despite
the repeated commitments, the WPS agenda is far from being comprehensively
implemented in policy and practice. To achieve effective and sustainable
mechanisms for preventing and resolving conflict, UN Member States and the UN
system must take concrete action in terms of women’s meaningful participation
in all peace and security processes; national and regional implementation of
WPS obligations; delivering funding; implementing the prevention pillar;
ensuring accountability; and leading by example.
Women’s Participation
The
equal and full participation of women and women civil society including women
human rights defenders, in all efforts to create international peace and
security, and the protection and respect for their human rights, are imperative
to prevent or resolve conflicts and build lasting peace. The exclusion of women
and the lack of gender analysis lead to a failure to adequately address the
full drivers of conflict, threatening the sustainability of agreements and
forcing women to have to fight even harder for representation and justice.
We
call on Member States and the UN to: establish formal consultative forums with
civil society and incentives for parties in all conflicts to include women and
gender experts in all negotiation teams; fund the attendance of women civil
society at international and regional peace and security meetings including
donor conferences; and increase the recruitment, retention, and
professionalization of women across all justice and security sectors.
National and Regional
Implementation
The
WPS agenda requires full integration within the governing structures and
programs of all Member States and regional bodies. This necessitates a
commitment to the development, implementation, and review of existing national
and regional gender strategies including National Action Plans (NAPs) and
Regional Action Plans (RAPs). Such strategies should: increase coordination and
mobilization of inter-agency decision makers and resources; institutionalize a
civil society engagement process; include the development of strong,
results-based monitoring and evaluation mechanisms with clear indicators and
timeframes; dedicate specific funding for implementation; comply with
international human rights and humanitarian law standards; and commit to
gender-sensitive laws, policies, practices and institutions. Member States are
also encouraged to hold WPS parliamentary debates before the 1325 High-Level
Review that demonstrate cross-party support for the agenda, provide an update
on gender strategies and commit to regular engagement with civil society.
Delivering Funding
Increased
political support must be matched with greater and more sustained funding for
the WPS agenda. Women must have equal access to direct funding as well to
resource allocation in decision-making processes.
Member
States must: pledge multi-year large-scale financial support for WPS including
programs and for civil society organizations at national, provincial and local
levels; ensure core funding within the UN for gender and WPS experts in
missions and UN Headquarters; and reduce military spending and redirect this
expenditure as called for in the Beijing Platform for Action, which links
gender equality and the call for the control of excessive arms spending.
Implementing the Prevention
Pillar
Conflict
prevention lies at the core of the WPS agenda, yet too often is not considered
with the same level of urgency as conflict resolution and post-conflict
rebuilding. The full implementation of SCR 1325 and subsequent WPS resolutions,
the promotion of the Beijing Platform for Action, and adherence to the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) and other international human rights standards provide the roadmap for
the prevention of armed conflict and the integration of gender equality across
all peace and security efforts.
Member
States and the UN must: address the root causes of violence; promote gender
equality and invest in women’s human rights, economic empowerment, education
and civil society; call on States to stop exporting arms where there is a
substantial risk they will be used to commit serious violations of human
rights; ratify and implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and CEDAW without
reservations; support women’s leadership as well as women’s voices and perspectives
in efforts to combat, reduce and prevent terrorism and violent extremism; and
ensure WPS recommendations are integrated into all multilateral review
processes including the Peace Operations Review, Review of the Peacebuilding
Architecture, World Humanitarian Summit, Third International Conference on
Financing for Development, and the post-2015 development agenda, including the
sustainable development goals.
Ensuring Accountability
Accountability
must be insisted upon for atrocities and human rights violations−including for
sexual and gender-based violence and civilian casualties−committed by
all non-state armed groups, security forces including UN mandated troops, and
contractors. Sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) must be urgently tackled as
the perpetrators often enjoy complete immunity.
Member
States and the UN must: ensure all investigations and prosecutions are survivor
centered and conducted in accordance with international standards; mandate
pre-deployment training and vetting of all personnel; and recruit and train all
Women’s Protection Advisors (WPAs), prioritizing the recruitment of WPAs with
previous experience in gender-based violence response.
Leading by Example
The
highest echelons of UN leadership, within the Secretariat, specialized
agencies, programs and funds, as well as peacekeeping and political missions,
must be directly responsible and accountable to ensure more consistent and
systematic attention, action and follow-up on WPS. In order to advance these
efforts, Member States and the entire UN system must support a strong UN
structure to deliver on WPS over the next decade with gender expertise built
into operational and policy-making entities, field missions, inter-agency
initiatives and groups, and in technical expert rosters. These actors must also
ensure those entrusted with the office of Secretary-General, as well as all
members of the Senior Management Group, Special envoys and representatives, and
Senior Mediators have a responsibility in their respective fields to advance a
gender perspective and women’s participation.
It
is equally important that the Security Council, as the UN body responsible for
maintaining international peace and security, leads by example and address its
current lack of consistency in implementing the WPS agenda. The Security
Council must: ensure WPS is considered as a cross-cutting issue across all of
its work by including specific provisions related to women’s rights and women’s
participation in all mandates and requesting information and recommendations on
issues related to WPS from missions in reports and briefings; call for
gender-sensitive conflict analyses, which identify not only the differentiated
impact of conflict on women, girls, men and boys, but also barriers to women’s
participation in political, electoral and transitional justice processes,
security sectors, and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, to be at
the basis of planning and reporting in all missions both internally and
externally; and institutionalize briefings by civil society, the Executive
Director of UN Women and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on
Sexual Violence in Conflict during meetings on both country-specific and
thematic agenda items.
In
October, we expect more than a ceremony. We need real action, political will
and follow through.
|
Yours Sincerely, 1. 1325 Network
Finland |
2. 1325 Policy Group
|
3. ABAAD-Resource
Center for Gender Equality, Lebanon |
|
4. ABANTU for
Development, Ghana |
5. Affirmative
Action Initiative for Women (NCAA) Nigeria |
6. African Centre
for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) |
|
7. African Woman and
Child Features, Kenya |
8. African Women's
Development & Communication Network (FEMNET) |
9. Alliances for
Africa |
|
10. Amnesty
International |
11. Association for
the improvement of living and culture BONAVENTURA |
12. Association for
Women's Rights in Development |
|
13. Athena |
14. Bulgarian Armed
Forces Women Association |
15. Canadian Voice
of Women for Peace |
|
16. Center for
Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) |
17. Center for
Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University |
18. Centre
d’éducation pour les droits de la femme, Maroc |
|
19. Centro de
Educación e Investigación para la Paz |
20. Citizens' Voice
for Justice and Peace |
21. Civil Resource
Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) Nigeria |
|
22. Coalition for
Eastern NGOs (CENGOS) Nigeria |
23. Coalition for
the International Criminal Court |
24. Consortium on
Gender, Security and Human Rights |
|
25. Eastern African
sub-Regional Support Initiative for Advancement of Women (EASSI) |
26. Echoes of Women
in Africa Initiative |
27. Enlightened
Egypt Foundation |
|
28. EVE Organization
for Women Development - South Sudan |
29. Femmes Africa
Solidarité |
30. Femmes et droits
Humains Kati/Mali |
|
31. Finn Church Aid |
32. Forum for Women
and Development, Norway |
33. Forum for Women
in Development, Democracy and Justice |
|
34. Forum Norway
1325 |
35. Forum of women's
NGOs of Kyrgyzstan |
36. Gender Awareness
Trust, Nigeria |
|
37. Gender Equity,
Citizenship, Work and Family, Mexico |
38. Global Campaign
for Equal Nationality Rights |
39. Global Gender
Program of the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington
University |
|
40. Global Justice
Center |
41. Human Rights
Watch |
42. IANSA Women’s
Network |
|
43. Impact for
Change and Development, Nigeria |
44. Institute for
Inclusive Security |
45. Institute for
International Women's Rights at The University of Winnipeg Global College |
|
46. International
Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect |
47. International
Federation for Human Rights |
48. International
Federation of University Women |
|
49. International
Peace Bureau |
50. International
Organization for Victim Assistance |
51. Isis-Women’s
International Cross Cultural Exchange |
|
52. Kantha Shakthi
Organization, Sri Lanka |
53. Karama |
54. MADRE |
|
55. Mécanisme pour
l'Initiative de la Recherche de la Paix et le Développement |
56. Moroccan association
against violent towards women |
57. Mothers Legacy
Project |
|
58. Muslims for
Progressive Values (MPV) |
59. National Council of
Jewish Women |
60. National Organisation
for Women, Sierra Leone |
|
61. NGO Working Group on
Women, Peace and Security |
62. Norwegian Church Aid |
63. Norwegian Refugee
Council |
|
64. Okogun Odigie
Safewomb International Foundation |
65. Oxfam International |
66. PAX for Peace |
|
67. Positive Change for
Cambodia |
68. Poverty Action
Network in Ethiopia (PANE) |
69. Promundo |
|
70. Saferworld |
71. Sisters Arab Forum
for Human Rights (SAF) |
72. Society for
International Development |
|
73. South Professional
Women Association |
74. Union de l'Action
Feminine |
75. Union Internationale
des Avocats (UIA – International Association of Lawyers) |
|
76. United Nations
Association - Greater Philadelphia |
77. United Nations
Association of the United States of America, San Diego |
78. Urgent Action Fund
for Women's Human Rights |
|
79. West Africa Network
for Peacebuilding(WANEP -LIB) |
80. Widows for Peace
through Democracy |
81. Women and Youths
Environmental Safety and Empowerment Organisation |
|
82. Women Enabled
International |
83. Women for Afghan
Women (WAW) |
84. Women for peace ,
Germany |
|
85. Women Graduates-USA |
86. Women Human Rights
Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC) |
87. Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) |
|
88. WILPF-España |
89. Women Engaged in
Action on 1325, c/o Center for Peace Education, Miriam College, Philippines. |
90. Women’s Action for
New Directions |
|
91. Women's Initiatives
for Gender Justice |
92. Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom, Norway National Section |
93. Women's Learning
Partnership (WLP) |
|
94. Women Legislators’
Lobby |
95. Women News Network |
96. Women Peacemakers
Program |
|
97. Women, Peace and
Security Academic Collective |
98. Women's Refugee
Commission |
99. Women Thrive
Worldwide |
|
100. WOMEN’S UN REPORT
NETWORK |
101. Women's World Summit
Foundation |
102. World Federalist
Movement – Institute for Global Policy |
|
103. WO=MEN Dutch Gender
Platform |
104. Youth Advocacy
Network (YAN) Pakistan |
105. YWCA Zambia |
|
106. Zonta international |
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