Gender and Peacebuilding: Global Policy Project

Between June 5-9^th 2000 the UN General Assembly Special Session on the review of the Beijing Platform for Action was held in New York. On June 10^th, the Preparatory Committee of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) submitted the final document, also known as the ‘Outcomes’ document, to the General Assembly for adoption at the Beijing +5 Special Session.

This document is a review of the agreements made by governments at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. It outlines the further actions and initiatives that need to be taken to implement the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action (BPFA). 188 countries are signatories to this document.

Delegates initially began negotiations in three separate blocks, G77 which includes 134 developing nations plus China, Juscanz which includes Japan, USA, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland and Liechtenstein, the EU block and the Holy Sea. Both G77 and EU groups vote as a block but the Juscanz group can either vote independently or as a block. The main debate was on the wording of the Outcomes document.

In the course of the following months, the G77 splintered into a series of ‘like-minded’ groups and independent nations. These included SLAC (Some Latin American Countries), CARICOM (Caribbean community), and SADC (Southern African Developmental Community Countries). These regional groups are now taking forward the monitoring of the implementation of the Beijing +5 declaration.

Chapter E – Women and Armed Conflict was bitterly disputed. Despite initial signs of support for women’s increased involvement in conflict resolution processes, and recognition of increases in gender-based crimes in times of conflict, the resistance to these issues became clear during the early days of the June meeting.

Within the G77, a number of African countries in particular (those suffering or at risk of conflict) are most concerned about issues relating to women and armed conflict. The EU made little mention of conflict issues, calling for more assertive action by the UN and increased participation of women in decision-making and peace processes. They recommended that there be gender advisers on all UN peace missions. Despite extensive splinter discussions, no consensus was reached.

It was difficult for NGOs to follow events and know which countries were resistant to each issue. Those countries offering regular briefings (e.g. UK, US, Canada), often gave their own perspectives, with no specific detail. In many instances the negotiators on women and armed conflict themselves were not available for comment during the debriefings.

Acknowledgement and acceptance of rape and gender-based violence as war crimes and crimes against humanity (as defined in the ICC statutes)
Acknowledgement that women make contributions to peacebuilding
Recognition that international assistance programmes have not addressed women’s needs adequately
Recognition that international personnel are not adequately trained to deal with women in conflict situations

Para. 122a, 122b bis: Develop gender-sensitive strategies in humanitarian crises resulting from conflict.

Para. 102l: Mainstream gender perspectives into national immigration and asylum policies…including recognizing gender-related persecution and violence when considering grounds for granting refugee or asylum status.

Para. 100a: Set and encourage the use of time bound targets to promote progress towards gender balance in all areas and levels of public life, especially decision- and policy making in political parties and activities, all government ministries, key institutions and local authorities.

Para; 130f: Provide gender sensitive training to all actors in peacekeeping missions.

Para. 133I: Involve refugee and displaced women in design and management of humanitarian activities so they derive equal benefits to men.

Para. 133m: Explore new ways of generating resources for peace and development through reduction of excessive military expenditure, and trade and investment in arms production and acquisition.

Para.13: Encourage greater NGO-Government partnerships in the implementation of the PFA.

Develop and maintain consultative processes and mechanisms in partnership with women’s organisations and NGOs…to ensure that women are fully involved and informed about decisions impacting their lives. (formally para. 129b - but moved to actions at national level).

Para. 126a bis Strengthen South-south cooperation programmes with a view to building the capacities of national machineries on women, sharing expertise and experience on women’s empowerment, gender issues and mainstreaming approaches in all areas of the PFA.

Para. 128d: Support national efforts to promote education and training for women including leadership, advocacy and conflict resolution skills.

Para. 133j: Seek to ensure the full participation of women in the promotion of peace, in particular through the full implementation of the UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme.

In terms of women, conflict and peacebuilding, the following concerns were highlighted by NGOs and not addressed in the Final Outcomes document:

There is no mention of the need to vet peacekeepers to ensure that none have criminal records, or the need for civilians in peace support operations.
The need for peace and tolerance education and non-violent conflict resolution training is not mentioned.
There is no mention of the need for research and policy development on conflict prevention, gender sensitive indicators, women’s peacebuilding efforts, and gender-sensitive post conflict recovery programmes and other issues relating to conflict and peace.
No progress has been made on arms reduction or measures to limit the proliferation of arms and landmines that primarily harm women and children.
No explicit commitments are being made to protect and assist ‘internally displaced’ people in accordance with international laws. The term has been omitted from the document and replaced by ‘displace’ which has a broader and less legally binding meaning.

The Beijing+5 review of the Beijing Platform for Action (BFPA) revealed that few states have acted to implement the obligations they undertook in 1995. Despite the escalation of violence in many parts of the world, little is being done to stem the violence against, and deliberate victimisation of, women in war, or to include women’s voices in peace negotiations. In contrast to the lack of action by governments, the BPFA encouraged the action of women’s organisations worldwide and contributed to the growth of a vibrant women’s peace movement.