Mission
The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGOWG) was formed in May 2000 to advocate for a United Nations Security Council resolution on women, peace and security. Following the unanimous adoption of SCR 1325 in October 2000, the group began the work of pressing for its full implementation. The NGO Working Group believes that a peaceful future depends on the full participation of women in all decision making to prevent violent conflict and to protect women and girls. A broad and positive impact on the lives of all people experiencing conflict will result from the full implementation of SCR 1325 and promotion of the Beijing Platform for Action and CEDAW. Adherence to SCR 1325 is a necessary tool for the prevention of armed conflict and for the inclusion of gender in the ongoing peace and security discourse taking place within the United Nations and the international community.
Core Documents
- Security Council resolution 1325
- The full text of the resolution.
- SCR 1325 in over 80 Languages
- Five Years On Report—From Local to Global: Making Peace Work for Women
- This report examines the how SCR 1325 has been operationalized at the international, national and local levels.
- SCR 1325 Checklist
- Checklist for integrating 1325 into Security Council resolutions.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN Press Conference on Role of Women in Peacebuilding Barbara Bangura, National Coordinator of Grassroots Empowerment for Self-Reliance addresses a press conference on the role of women in peace consolidation, at UN Headquarters in New York. 26 October 2006
SCR 1325 and the Peacebuilding Commission
25 October 2006
On 25 October 2006, The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security released a 6 Years On Report on SCR 1325 and the Peacebuilding Commission. The report examines the recent establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission (a body intended to advise and propose integrated peacebuilding, development and reconstruction strategies for countries emerging from violent conflict), its structure, mandate and obligation to implement SCR 1325 in the achievement of durable peace and development.
Download Report [PDF]
Gina Torry, NGOWG Coordinator Addresses UN Security Council. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
NGOWG Addresses UN Security Council Urging Greater Accountability
23 October 2007
The United Nations invited the NGOWG to deliver a statement at the October 2007 Open Debate entitled "Towards a Coherent and Effective Implementation of Security Council resolution 1325". NGOWG Coordinator, Gina Torry, raised concerns and presented recommendations to the Council regarding accountability to SCR 1325 on behalf of the coalition.
Download Speech [PDF]
View Archived Video Webcast
Original Language: 3 hours and 17 minutes
(Gina Torry's speech begins at minute 42:31)
Accountability Needed for SCR 1325
16 October 2007
In advocacy efforts leading up to the October Security Council Open Debate, NGO Working Group members, led by the PeaceWomen project, prepared an issue brief on accountability. The brief discusses critical gaps and challenges in implementing SCR 1325 and provides recommendations for stronger implementing mechanisms.
Download Issue Brief [PDF]
An Effective Place at the Table: Women's Equal Participation in Peace Processes & Peacebuilding
29 February 2008
During the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Gina Torry, Coordinator of the NGO Working Group addressed Member States in an interactive dialogue on "Women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution in post-conflict peacebuilding."
Download Speech [PDF]
Open Letter to Ambassadors on Need for Accountability to SCR 1325
16 October 2007
In a letter to Member States, the NGO Working Group urged a critical assessment of concrete and specific efforts to implement SCR 1325 at all levels and, in particular, the role of the Security Council in such efforts. Persistent challenges to the implementation of SCR 1325 require urgent attention. These range from a lack of awareness of the importance of a gender perspective to peace and security and the gender dimensions of conflict, to problems around limited capacity, resources and information provision.
Download letter [PDF]
High-level Roundtable Discusses Gender and Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone and Burundi
5 June 2007
During a high-level roundtable, United Nations and civil society representatives discussed the gender dimension of peacebuilding in Sierra Leone and Burundi. Participants heard directly from leading Burundian and Sierra Leonean women peacebuilders, key national governments and UN representatives as part of a wider effort to enhance communication between local women's organizations and decision-makers.
Download Outcome Document [PDF]
Burundi Civil Society Leader makes Recommendations for the Peacebuilding Commission
2 March 2007
During the 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, leading civil society representative Goretti Ndcayisaba from the Burundi national women's network Dushirehamwe, joined the NGOWG in advancing the Peacebuilding Commission's implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 and attention to gender priorities in Burundi. In a presentation given at a PBC Roundtable Event, Ms. Ndcayisaba noted, "The Commission and the government have, already in place, an effective, established base to start from. It is, therefore, imperative that women be involved in the process of reflection, planning and execution of the work of the Commission in Burundi—and should be viewed and integrated as central stakeholders, not just as beneficiaries."
Download Speech [PDF]
Member Organizations
© 2008 NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security