UN Security Council sees women's participation, leadership crucial to peace process

The UN Security Council and senior UN officials on Friday issued a strong call on the international community to strengthen its commitment to ensuring that women play a more prominent role in conflict prevention, resolution and in post-war peace building.

While unanimously adopting a new resolution in the day, the 15- nation Security Council reaffirmed that sustainable peace hinges on an approach that integrates "political, security, development, and human rights, including gender equality" concerns and urged member states and UN entities to ensure women's full and meaningful participation in peace and security issues.

The Security Council, the most powerful UN body, also voiced its commitment to increasing focus on their adequate access to justice in conflict and post-conflict settings.

"I welcome your call for concrete actions to not only increase the number of women in peace-making, but crucially to improve the way gender issues are addressed by peace and security institutions, including the Council itself," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said as he opened the council's day-long debate on "Women, Rule of Law and Transitional Justice."

"Women's participation in peace efforts is a matter of gender equality and universal human rights -- and crucial to achieving sustainable peace, economic recovery, social cohesion and political legitimacy," Ban said. "Today's resolution makes that point loud and clear."

The open debate, which is held annually, provides an opportunity for the wider UN membership to reflect on the progress made, and accelerate action on implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, which requires parties in a conflict to respect women's rights and support their participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction.

Friday's meeting featured addresses given by Phumzile Mlambo- Ngcuka, executive director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Navi Pillay, UN high commissioner for human rights, and Brigitte Balipou, founder of the Association of Women Jurists of the Central African Republic, who spoke on behalf of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security.

"The rule of law, women's access to transitional justice, and women's participation are deeply connected," Ban said. "Women must be involved at every stage of efforts to reassert the rule of law and rebuild societies through transitional justice.

Their needs for security and justice must be addressed. Their voices must be heard. Their rights must be protected."

The secretary-general also urged the Security Council to deal with the full range of conflict-related violations of women's rights, adding that political and peacekeeping UN missions should support national prosecution for serious international crimes against women.

While women have been increasingly taking leadership positions in business and politics, progress has been slow in peace processes, Ban said. "Gains in the representation of women are often achieved through the use of temporary special measures, including quotas.

Similar special measures could help increase the number of women at all levels of mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding."

The new resolution makes the council, the wider United Nations, regional organisations and member states responsible for providing seats at the peace table for women, said Mlambo Ngcuka, who presented the secretary-general's annual report on the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda.

She said inclusion must be accompanied by access to gender expertise, and gender analysis must be used to identify the impact on women's rights of all peace-related decisions.

For her part, Pillay underscored the importance of not only prosecuting individuals who violate women's rights during conflict, but also addressing structural gender-based discrimination and inequality.

"Efforts to halt violations must be framed in State obligations to address structural and systemic gender inequality and discrimination through comprehensive legislative policy and institutional reforms," she told the Council via a video conference.

She insisted that it is crucial to support women's participation in political processes in countries emerging from conflict and ensure women have a space in the public sphere without fear of intimidation.

"A human rights based approached is to successfully address the root causes of conflict and threat to women's security," she concluded.