Frauensicherheitsrat

 deutsch        english         français        italiano

Plan of action for accelerating the implementation of Resolution 1325

We propose that the government concentrates in the near and medium-term period on some specific parts of Resolution 1325. In the long term perspective, of course all the demands have to be implemented.

Our recommendations are based on a critical view of three reports:
(1.) The report of the UN working group, applied by the UN Security Council “Women, Peace and Security“
(2.) the 21-Point Plan of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan concerning the implementation of Resolution 1325, which he presented on the basis of the study “Women, Peace and Security“ on 16.10.2002 to the UN Security Council
(3.) The study based on the experiences from crisis regions “Women, War and Peace” by Elisabeth Rehn and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This report was written in 2002 and was mandated by UNIFEM and completed with many recommendations towards UN Institutions.

In virtually all crisis regions in the world, there are women’ initiatives engaged in dialogue for peace and reconciliation. Women and girls are not only victims (sometimes even perpetrators), they are also actors with a great social potential. The international community should do all it can to encourage and re-enforce this role.

It is a pity that this aspect appears only in the study of Rehn and Sirleaf, whereas it does not play a major role in the recommendations of Kofi Annan.

We have first concentrated on those aspects of the Resolution 1325 that strengthen the active role of women. The most important demand is: “Women must be better represented in the national, regional and international institutions, mechanisms for prevention, management and solution of conflict.”

This request must be accompanied by concrete objectives (quotas). Quotas are, of course, not a panacea, and it could be difficult in some situations to implement them. However, to reject outright concrete quotas would present an invitation to non-binding regulation, and would strengthen the power of those are interested in keeping women to the periphery of political processes, for various reasons.

• In all peace processes and in all institutions, working for the implementation of peace treaties, we need at least 30 % participation of women. This is the case at the moment in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel-Palestine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  
• An UN-Intern Monitoring-Group should be appointed to report back to the UN Secretary-General and the respective UN institutions on the progress of these conditions. If they are not implemented, already accorded money for reconstruction should be decreased. Example: If the minimum quota of 30% reaches less than 10% the money will be decreased by 10%.
  
• Since women dispose of much less financial resources than men, especially in non-industrialised countries, we support strongly the idea of Rehn and Sirleaf of UN Trust Funds for the support of women peace activists
  
• We must look upon the establishing of equal opportunities in the reconstruction phase of a country ravaged by war. At least 30% of participants should be women involved in the commissions working on the future legal system and elaborating the constitution of the respective country
  
• The preceeding should equally apply for the first elections in the reconstruction phase. At least 30% of the seats in national and regional parliaments have to be reserved for women. The few experiences with such regulations are very positive and should be examined by an UN-financed study in a differentiated way and be published for a broad and international audience.
  
• Also this process should be supervised by an UN-Monitoring-Group and there should be sanctions with decreased financing in case of non-co-operation.
  
• Education and training play a significant role in reconstruction processes. At least 50% of all educational programs should be reserved and promoted for women and girls. The German government has taken strong engagements in Afghanistan and should reinforce the creation of unity within the UN, responsible for the co-ordination of education and training programs for women and girls in crisis regions.
  
• Equal participation of women in the security and justice sectors must be urgently promoted. Even before the training of police and judges begins, attention should be called to the fact that as many women as possible should be mobilised into this process. The programs should be gender sensitive. To the internationally guaranteed women and human rights, as well as to the fight against sexualised and domestic violence should be given due attention.
  
• The funds for humanitarian aid must be distributed through gender budgets in order to allow women and girls to profit from the funds as equally as men and boys. There has to be taken into account that in some crisis regions, gender imbalances occur due to the high amount of killed men during the war. In Afghanistan it is estimated that women compose of 60-65% of the population and 55-60% in Iraq.
  
• Globally, about 80% of the refugees are women and children. The female refugees must be obligatorily integrated in the building and managing of refugee camps, their experiences be used and their needs recognised. The high percentage of women refugees must be adequately considered for the construction of sanitary and protection facilities, for the supply with hygienic articles, medical and gynological care.
  
• Women should have many more positions of leadership in the UN than they have up to the present. We strongly support the demand for the next Secretary-General being female and we ask the government to be engaged in the search and in the presentation of qualified women candidates.
  
• At the same time we are asking that before 2005 at least 10% and before 2015, at least 30% of all UN-leading positions be fulfilled with women. At the moment there are only six women at the head of an UN sub-organisation. The UN Secretary-General, who is in favour of this quota, has failed until now because of a lack of support from the UN member States in the search for qualified female candidates. We ask the government to present more female candidates and to support the consultation with other States, the candidatures of women and to support female candidates of other States.
  
• It is a similar case with the post of UN Special advisers and ambassadors. Amongst 68 special advisers only six of whom are women. We ask to fulfil at least the quota of 30% before 2005 and 50% before 2015. We ask the active support of female candidates by the government.
  
• We also need a female quota for the military and civilian personal of UN peace missions. The percentage of women should increase to 10% before 2005 and 30% before 2015. At the moment only 4% of UN police forces and 3% of the UN military are female.
  
• The missions of the UN-Security Council must from now on immediately be composed according to the gender balance principle (at least 40% of all missions should be women, and 40% men). The gender perspective should be obligatorily integrated in the missions’ reports and prior to this gendered data be collected. Women’s groups on the local, national and international level must be consulted. The government should support the UN Secretariat in the establishment of a databank of gender specialists, support women and peace networks.
  
• Sexualised violence, torture and rape are part of the most horribly violent acts and have nearly always have consequences for the whole life of the victim. Nevertheless, there is in many countries of the world still impunity for the perpetrators. In order to abolish this, or at least to limit it, there should be introduced, as already asked in CEDAW, a systematic necessity of annual reporting. Organisations of the civil society, women groups and peace initiatives should be consulted and integrated into this process. The materials should go from case to case to the International Criminal Court.
  
• In this context there should be implemented, as suggested by Rehn and Sirleaf, an International Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where victims of sexualised violence could testify.

This document of the Women’s Security Council Germany is carried by its member organisations according to their constitutional tasks.