UN Women co-hosts an expert workshop on women’s role in peace and security
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UN Women’s Regional Office for Arab States, together with the Government of Sweden and the Cairo Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa hosted an expert workshop Thursday on the role of women in peacebuilding based on the principles of the historic UN Security Council resolution 1325.
Under the title of “The Global Study on the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325: Enhancing Women’s Participations and International and Regional Partnerships”, the workshop took place in Cairo and included in-depth discussions by 20 experts from the Middle East Africa and Europe representing the UN, peacekeeping training institutes, civil society and the diplomatic community.
The first international recognition of women’s disproportionate suffering in times of conflict and the need to include them in peace processes, resolution 1325 has been followed by seven more resolutions that added depth and context to support its implementation since its adoption in 2000. Last year, a Global Study on the implementation of resolution 1325 reinvigorated the global discussion on women’s role in peace and security.
“The positive impact of women in peacebuilding and peacekeeping process cannot be under-estimated”, said Mohammad Naciri, UN Women’s Regional Director for Arab States, “Women and girls bear the brunt of conflicts, but also are often marginalized in post-conflict decision-making processes, resulting in further loss of their rights. Nations lose by failing to engage with and promote participation of one half of their population.”
Five countries in the Arab region are going through open or protracted conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Palestine. At such times, women become increasingly vulnerable to sexual violence and limited mobility that leads to losing years of education and deteriorated reproductive healthcare. This landscape of war and violence has led to the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War where women are also disproportionately vulnerable including to threats sexual violence, rising domestic violence, increasing rates of child marriage and economic exploitation. At the same time, women continue to be largely marginalized as mediators, peacekeepers and negotiators and they are often excluded from leadership positions during transitional periods.
The workshop discussions tackled a broad array of subjects regarding the challenges and opportunities for the full implementation of resolution 1325 at the global and regional levels. Specifically, discussions focused on the importance of women’s contributions to sustainable peace and the need for strong partnerships between the UN and regional organizations, in particular the League of Arab States and the African Union. The workshop participants highlighted the need for capacity building and training activities including through ensuring adequate financing. Another theme that has emerged was the importance of national ownership of the implementation of resolution 1325 to ensure its sustainability.
The hosts closed the session with a common understanding that more needs to be done to ensure practical and sustained implementation of international humanitarian law and the principles of resolution 1325, and a joint commitment to keep the dialogue active.
“We are grateful for the strong partnership and support from the Embassy and Cairo Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa, as well as the regional institutions and entities that participated,” Mr. Naciri concluded urging participants to continue broadening the scope of partnerships in the region to face its significant challenges.