Women and Peacebuilding in Africa

The Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) in Cape Town, South Africa, and the United Nations (UN) Development Fund for Women’s (UNIFEM) Southern and Central African Regional Offices co hosted a policy advisory group meeting on “The Impact of United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in AfricaÀ, on 27 and 28 October 2005.
The intention of this seminar was to review the progress of the implementation of the resolution in Africa in the five years since its adoption by the United Nations in 2000.
The policy seminar created a forum for about 40 participants, including representatives from the African Union the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) in Cape Town, South Africa, and the United Nations (UN) Development Fund for Women’s (UNIFEM) Southern and Central African Regional Offices co hosted a policy advisory group meeting on “The Impact of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in AfricaÀ, on 27 and 28 October 2005.

The intention of this seminar was to review the progress of the implementation of the resolution in Africa in the five years since its adoption by the United Nations in 2000.The policy seminar created a forum for about 40 participants, including representatives from the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), academics, civil society groups and other policymakers, to assess the progress, relevance and future significance of UN Resolution 1325 to peace and security concerns on the African continent. The meeting also investigated the current debates over restructuring the UN in light of the resolution and its implications for the future of peace building interventions in Africa. The policy advisory group further provided a platform for women working in conflict zones across the continent to share their experiences of the successes and challenges associated with engendering peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace building.

In October 2000, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 proposed a framework to address women’s peace and security issues at the local, regional and international levels. The resolution is noteworthy in that it is the first internationally-recognised document to acknowledge the disproportionate impact of conflict on non-combatants, and the fact that women and children constitute more than 80 percent of the 40 million refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide. Broadly, 1325 recommends that the UN Security Council, UN member states and civil society should endeavour to address four important issues: first, the need for the participation of women in all decision-making and peace processes; second, the importance of integrating gender perspectives and training into peacekeeping operations; third, the obligation to protect women from gender-based violence in conflict zones; and fourth, the need to mainstream gender into UN reporting systems and programme implementation mechanisms.

The resolution thus seeks to address the reality of the impact that armed conflicts, human rights abuses and humanitarian law have had on women and children, as well as the need to create gender parity at all levels of decision-making within UN Security Council-mandated missions. It also serves to remind governments of the still unachieved goals of gender equality previously set by national and international instruments. Potentially, the resolution provides both an advocacy tool for engendering peacemaking processes and an instrument of international law that is binding on all UN member states which “agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security CouncilÀ. Five years after its adoption, 1325 has been heralded as having achieved significant results internationally, but its impact on the peace and security debate in Africa is far more ambiguous.

With Resolution 1325 having been passed, the real challenge is to ensure its consistent implementation worldwide, particularly in those conflict and post-conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan and Burundi where it is most urgently needed. As with other UN resolutions, adherence and implementation rely heavily on the extent to which member states are committed in both word and deed. The fifth anniversary of Resolution 1325 in 2005 provided an opportunity to consider the impact of these commitments thus far; the challenges to the resolution’s implementation, and the reality of women’s participation in peace building and in influencing national and regional policies in Africa. This also afforded an opportunity to formulate policy recommendations for the more effective functioning of 1325 in the future. The Cape Town seminar thus created a continental platform for women’s groups from South, East, Central and West Africa to share their experiences of local and regional peacemaking and peace building efforts and to identify some of the essential concerns for Africa in this critical area.

(AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), academics, civil society groups and other policymakers, to assess the progress, relevance and future significance of UN Resolution 1325 to peace and security concerns on the African continent. The meeting also investigated the current debates over restructuring the UN in light of the resolution and its implications for the future of peace building interventions in Africa. The policy advisory group further provided a platform for women working in conflict zones across the continent to share their experiences of the successes and challenges associated with engendering peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace building.

In October 2000, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 proposed a framework to address women’s peace and security issues at the local, regional and international levels. The resolution is noteworthy in that it is the first internationally-recognised document to acknowledge the disproportionate impact of conflict on non-combatants, and the fact that women and children constitute more than 80 percent of the 40 million refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide. Broadly, 1325 recommends that the UN Security Council, UN member states and civil society should endeavour to address four important issues: first, the need for the participation of women in all decision-making and peace processes; second, the importance of integrating gender perspectives and training into peacekeeping operations; third, the obligation to protect women from gender-based violence in conflict zones; and fourth, the need to mainstream gender into UN reporting systems and programme implementation mechanisms.

The resolution thus seeks to address the reality of the impact that armed conflicts; human rights abuses and humanitarian law have had on women and children, as well as the need to create gender parity at all levels of decision-making within UN Security Council-mandated missions. It also serves to remind governments of the still unachieved goals of gender equality previously set by national and international instruments.

Potentially, the resolution provides both an advocacy tool for engendering peacemaking processes and an instrument of international law that is binding on all UN member states which “agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security CouncilÀ. Five years after its adoption, 1325 has been heralded as having achieved significant results internationally, but its impact on the peace and security debate in Africa is far more ambiguous.

With Resolution 1325 having been passed, the real challenge is to ensure its consistent implementation worldwide, particularly in those conflict and post-conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan and Burundi where it is most urgently needed. As with other UN resolutions, adherence and implementation rely heavily on the extent to which member states are committed in both word and deed. The fifth anniversary of Resolution 1325 in 2005 provided an opportunity to consider the impact of these commitments thus far; the challenges to the resolution’s implementation, and the reality of women’s participation in peace building and in influencing national and regional policies in Africa. This also afforded an opportunity to formulate policy recommendations for the more effective functioning of 1325 in the future. The Cape Town seminar thus created a continental platform for women’s groups from South, East, Central and West Africa to share their experiences of local and regional peacemaking and peace building efforts and to identify some of the essential concerns for Africa in this critical area.

Publisher: UNIFEM
Year of Publication: 2001