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.
Via NGO Working Group on Women, Peace & Security
http://womenpeacesecurity.org/media/pdf-CSO_OpenLetter_15thAnniversary1325.pdf
Извор: WUNRN – 21.04.2015
