WUNRN
NGO WORKING GROUP ON WOMEN, PEACE AND
SECURITY
A Project of Tides Center
777 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017
Tel: (+1) 212.557.7298
5 October 2015
OPEN LETTER TO PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES TO THE UN:
RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON WOMEN, PEACE &
SECURITY AND THE HIGH LEVEL REVIEW OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1325
(2000)
Dear
Ambassador:
Earlier this year, over 110 civil society organizations from around the world wrote to you calling for real action, increased political will, and implementation of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) commitments. Fifteen years after the establishment of the WPS agenda, despite progress at the policy level, women continue to remain largely excluded from peace, security and political processes; civil society organizations, women leaders and women human rights defenders are increasingly targeted; and there is minimal dedicated funding to implement the agenda.
At this month¡¯s Open Debate and High Level Review of SCR 1325 (2000), we urge Member States to reiterate their commitment to advancing sustainable peace that can solely be achieved by promoting and respecting women and girls¡¯ human rights¡¯ and meaningfully integrating women within all efforts to prevent, resolve, and rebuild from conflict. In your statement to the Security Council, we urge you to specifically outline how the following priority areas will be addressed and implemented through financial, technical, and political means:
¡ñ Prioritizing women¡¯s meaningful participation, including women¡¯s civil society leaders and women human rights defenders, in all peace and security processes, as well as efforts to combat, reduce and prevent terrorism and violent extremism. This requires:
¡ð Inclusion of women and gender experts in negotiation parties¡¯ delegations and supporting incentive mechanisms to promote their participation;
¡ð Attendance and participation of civil society organizations in formal, consultative processes parallel to peace negotiations, all international and regional peace and security convenings, and donor conferences;
¡ð Increasing the recruitment, retention and professionalization of women across all justice and security sector components including in peacekeeping operations; and
¡ð Ensuring strategies to protect civilians are designed and implemented in consultation with local women, making sure diverse groups of women are represented including those displaced and with disabilities, in order to identify and address their specific needs and safety concern
¡ñ Emphasizing conflict prevention by employing holistic approaches that aim to address the root causes and drivers of conflict and cycles of violence including violent extremism, and not just their impacts on women, men, girls and boys. This requires:
¡ð Engaging women in key political and decision-making processes, including in the development of any strategies or approaches aimed at preventing conflict; addressing the needs of local communities; and providing ongoing financial support for local women¡¯s civil society organizations;
¡ð Dedicating efforts to address gender-based violence by providing lifesaving and non-discriminatory GBV response services including health, psycho-social support, legal and safety services in line with international humanitarian law;
¡ð Supporting the development of gender-sensitive security and justice sectors that are accessible to women and girls, uphold the rule of law, and implement non-discriminatory laws, policies and practices;
¡ð Demanding accountability and reparations for all violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including GBV and civilian casualties, by armed groups, security forces including UN mandated troops, and contractors;
¡ð
Ensuring that
immediate and effective measures are put in place to ensure implementation of
the Secretary-General's zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse,
across all peacekeeping and special political missions, and with regard to all
military and civilian staff; and
¡ð
Strictly enforcing the Arms Trade Treaty to curb
the flow of small arms and light weapons where there is a risk they could be
used in violations of international humanitarian
and human rights law, including sexual and gender based violence.
¡ñ Developing, implementing and reviewing existing Regional and National Action Plans (NAP) on WPS and ensuring they are robustly monitored, well-funded, and inclusive of civil society. This requires:
¡ð Formalizing a consultative process to include civil society and relevant actors in the NAP design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation process; and
¡ð Establishing an interagency coordination system for comprehensive NAP implementation that offers clearly assigned roles and responsibilities, as well as strong, results-based monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
¡ñ Pledging to provide multi-year, large-scale financial support for WPS, in line with SCR 2122 (2013), including through existing funds and new mechanisms. This funding should be accessible to civil society organizations at national, provincial and local levels; to advance the implementation of WPS NAPs as well as ensure core funding within the UN is dedicated for such efforts. This requires:
¡ð Increasing Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to gender equality and women¡¯s empowerment programs including support for civil society organizations through the provision of accessible, long-term, sustainable and dedicated core financial support;
¡ð Dedicating specific funding to advance women¡¯s inclusion in efforts to counter violent extremism; and
¡ð In line with Critical Area E of the Beijing Platform for Action, reducing excessive military spending and redirecting this expenditure to efforts advancing women¡¯s rights and WPS implementation.
¡ñ Advocating for UN System Leadership to deliver on WPS over the next decade. This requires:
¡ð Actively supporting the Security Council¡¯s systematic integration of WPS as a cross-cutting issue;
¡ð Supporting and funding the recruitment of gender expertise, specifically in leadership capacities, both at UNHQ and in the field; and
¡ð Incorporating WPS into the Terms of References of UN leadership, including within special envoys and representatives and senior mediators.
As civil society organizations committed to ensuring more gender sensitive and inclusive peace and security processes, we will be carefully monitoring the outcome of the High Level Review and tracking the implementation of pledges made. We hope we can count on you to move this agenda forward next month and in years to come. Thank you very much for your time and attention to this important matter.
Yours Sincerely,
1325 Action Group, Nepal |
1325 Network Finland |
1325 Policy Group |
Amnesty International |
Alianza por la Solidaridad,
Spain |
Association Dea Dia, Serbia |
Association for the
Protection of Women's Rights, Azerbaijan |
Association of War Affected
Women, Sri Lanka |
Athena Consortium |
Basque Foundation Haurralde
For Women |
Center for Development of
International Law |
Center for Women's Global
Leadership |
Consortium on Gender,
Security and Human Rights |
Democracy Today |
Echoes of Women in Africa |
Education Center on the human
rights of women, Morocco |
Equidad de G¨¦nero:
Ciudadan¨ªa, Trabajo y Familia. M¨¦xico |
Femmes Africa Solidarit¨¦ |
Femmes Cote d¡¯Ivoire
Exp¨¦rience |
Femmes et Droits Humains,
Mali |
Forum for Women and
Development, Noway |
Foundation United Women Banja
Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Gender Agency |
Gender and Mine Action
Programme |
Global Gender Program |
Global Justice Center |
Global Network of Women
Peacebuilders |
Global Partnership for the
Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) |
GPPAC Eastern and Central
Africa Region |
International Alert |
International Alliance of
Women |
International Campaign to
Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict |
International Peace Research
Association |
International Planned
Parenthood Federation |
International Women's Rights
Project |
Iraqi Al-Amal Association |
Iraqi Women Network |
Isis-Women¡¯s International
Cross Cultural Exchange |
Karama |
Kvinna till Kvinna
Foundation, Sweden |
MADRE |
MenEngage Alliance |
Muslims for Progressive
Values |
Nairobi Peace Initiative -
Africa |
Nataj Organization for
capacity development of woman |
National Council of Women of
Australia |
NGO Working Group on Women,
Peace and Security |
Older Women's Network
Australia |
Oxfam |
PAX for Peace |
Pacificwin |
Pacific Women's Watch, New
Zealand |
Positive Change for Cambodia |
Promundo, Brasil |
Protect the People |
Regional Center for Strategic
Studies |
Saferworld |
Society Without Violence,
Armenia |
Sonke Gender Justice, South
Africa |
Soroptimist International of
UK |
SOS SEXISME, France |
The Institute for Inclusive
Security |
Union Internationale des
Avocats/ International Association of Lawyers |
UN Women National Committee
UK |
Urgent Action Fund for
Women's Human Rights |
Widows for Peace Through
Democracy |
WILPF Spain |
Woman Problems Research Union
- Woman's Institute, Azerbaijan |
Women's Action for New
Directions |
Women's Action Network - Sri
Lanka |
WomenEnabled International |
Women for Women International
|
Women for Progress Center,
Iraq |
Women Graduates-USA |
Women's International for
League for Peace and Freedom |
Women, Peace and Security
Academic Collective |
Women Peacemakers Program |
Women's Refugee Commission |
Women¡¯s UN Report Network |
Women Watch Afrika |
World Federalist Movement -
Institute for Global Policy |
Youth to End Sexual Violence |