Mercy Global Concern - 2004
Report from the NGO Working Group on Women:
Briefing Paper Number 1, August 2004
Partnership in Advancing Human Security. What does "human security" really mean to the work
of the Security Council? How can we ensure that resolutions which
consider violent conflicts from the perspective of people who are
most affected by them ----- women, children and civilians ----
are implemented systemically by the council?
During the year Council members gathered at the Rockefeller Foundation
to discuss these questions in a working round table entitled " Towards
International Peace and Human Security: Advancing Prevention, Participation
and Protection in the work of the Security Council." Sponsored
by the NGO working group on Women, Peace and Security and the Permanent
Missions to the United Nations of Canada, Chile, and the United Kingdom,
the roundtable brought together 13 current and 5 outgoing Council
member, UN officials and civil society representatives for a three
hour discussion.
The agenda addressed how to strengthen conflict prevention, the
participation of women in peace building and protection of civilians
in all if the Council's work. Participants tackled the question
of how to move beyond ad hoc implementation of thematic resolutions
towards measures that strengthen, systematize and institutionalize
full implementation.
In an unprecedented format, Council members, UN Officials and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sat "elbow to elbow" as
equal participants to examine a new conceptual framework known
as the "three Ps" - prevention, participation,
and protection.
Five Security Council resolutions formed the basis
for discussion, as well as all groundbreaking initiatives that
call on the Council
to integrate the "three Ps" into its work.
- Resolution 1265 (1999) and 1296 (2000) on the protection
of civilians in armed conflict;
- Resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security;
- Resolution 1366 (2001) on the role of the Security Council in the
prevention of armed conflict; and
- Resolution 1460 (2003) on children and armed conflict.
Participants divided into four groups, each consisting of representatives
of the Security Council, UN agencies and NGOs, discussed what the
Council had done so far to implement these resolutions in conflict-affected
regions, as well as to brainstorm ways that can ensure more effective
implementation.
Partnership was a recurring theme. It was noted that the roundtable
co-sponsors - three governments, a six member coalition of
NGOs, and two supporting organizations: International Peace Academy
and Women Waging Peace- themselves represented this crucial spirit
of collaboration. Speaking on behalf of the NGO working group,
Isha Dyfan explained: "Preventing the scourge of war is the
particular task of the Security Council. But it is not one that
can be tackled alone. We must all work together."
On a similar note, Ambassador Heraldo Munoz of Chile emphasized that "achieving
the full implementation of these resolutions is a joint task, in which not only
Governments but also the United Nations system and civil society must participate." Ambassador
Jones Parry of the United Kingdom opened the discussion with a reminder that "these
resolutions should provide a frame work for much of the Security Council's
activities. Each time we, as Council members, instruct the UN to act, these resolutions
should be central to our decision-making."
The discussants highlighted positive examples of the advancement
of five resolutions: UN missions more regularly consult local women's
groups; disarmament, demobilization and reintegration initiatives
have begun to address the specific needs of girls, boys and women;
and the Secretary General for the past two years has published
a list of actors who recruit and use child soldiers. But nearly
all those participating expressed the conviction that the Council
could take more action - and take action more systematically - to
advance these resolutions.
Some ideas of practical measures that could be taken included:
appointing one Member State or a network of States to act as a
focal point for each issue; developing a checklist to ensure integration
of thematic resolutions in all country-specific resolutions; and
increasing opportunities for gender and children experts to brief
the Council. Also discussed were the role of regional organizations
in implementing Council resolutions, a general lack of awareness
of the resolutions in conflict areas, and the overall need to maintain
a regular of information between NGOs and the Security Council.
Many participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity
to come together to discuss these issues in an informal neutral
setting. In closing his speech, Ambassador Munoz called the exercise "novel
and unique." Yet, he went on, "while we deserve to
congratulate ourselves, we now face the task of ensuring that these
principles of prevention, participation and protection are addressed
in some way throughout all of the work of the Security Council."
A
follow roundtable is planned for later in the year, which will
build on the first meeting by seeking to develop more concrete
benchmarks and tools to advance
the implementation of Council resolutions, while focusing more specifically
on women, peace and human security.
Deirdre Mullan
Mercy Global Concern
Representing the Sisters of Mercy at the UN
August 2004
|
