Remarks on Women's Role in Post-Conflict Peace-Building
Press briefing following the Security Council Open Debate on the Role of Civil Society in Post-Conflict Peace-Building
Isha Dyfan, NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
22 June 2004
First, I'd like to thank Denis Caillaux and Kate Hunt from CARE and Ian Martin from the International Center for Transitional Justice for inviting the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security to co-host this press conference. We are especially pleased to have the opportunity to highlight the critical role of women in post-conflict peacebuilding.
We would also like to thank the Philippines, as President of the Security Council, for initiating today's open debate on "the role of civil society in post-conflict peacebuilding."
Yesterday the Panel chaired by Fernando Cardoso released its report on "Civil Society, the United Nations, and Global Governance." The Report declares that in order for the UN to become fully effective and to remain fully relevant, it must undertake paradigm shifts in the way it approaches relations with civil society. It must act on principles based on reaching out to multiple constituencies, formulating global goals based on local realities, and strengthening democratic participation in global governance.
It is precisely these principles which have formed the basis for the efforts of women—at both local and international levels—to build peace. In post-conflict societies, women understand that, in order to recover from violence, their communities must not just reconstruct but indeed reinvent themselves. Building sustainable peace, in other words, is possible only with the active consultation and participation of the entire population.
The United Nations, and in particular the Security Council, is beginning to recognize this. In 2000, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security was instrumental in working with Council members and UN representatives to achieve the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. The resolution is a historic step in calling for women's participation and the integration of a gender perspective in conflict prevention, conflict management, peacekeeping and post-conflict peace-building.
Today, nearly 4 years later, the NGO Working Group recognizes that the full implementation of 1325 can only be achieved through collaboration among civil society, UN bodies and Member States, particularly Security Council members. The Working Group also recognizes that implementation will only take place within the framework of the '3 Ps'—conflict prevention, the participation of women in peace and security, and the protection of civilians with consideration of the specific needs of women, men, girls and boys. An example of collaboration among civil society, UN bodies, and Security Council members is a recent working roundtable, hosted by the NGO Working Group and the Permanent Missions to the UN of Canada, Chile and the UK, which used this framework of the '3 Ps' to examine the linkages between various thematic resolutions of the Security Council.
These same partners will host a second working roundtable, to focus more specifically on developing practical tools to advance the implementation of 1325, on 1 July. The theme which the Council addressed today is fundamental to its mandate to maintain international peace and security. It is particularly relevant to its commitments as expressed in its resolution on women, peace and security. We expect that today's debate signals the Council's readiness to translate these principles into systematic action within assessment missions, regional and country visits, and in its resolutions and decisions. As NGOs, we look forward to an increased level of transparency and strengthened dialogue with Council members, and working collectively to bring about human security. Only then can the Council ensure that its work has a positive impact on those with the greatest stake in building long-lasting peace.
Member Organizations
© 2008 NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security