"If we desire peace, we must prepare for peace. The most important thing is to build a culture of peace" -AKC
UNSCR 1325
BACKGROUND
The members of the Security Council recognized that peace is inextricably linked with equality between women and men and affirmed the equal access and full participation of women in power structures and their full involvement in all efforts for peace and security.
​
It is unfortunate that the intrinsic role of women in global peace and security had remained unrecognized since the creation of the United Nations. For a long time, there has been an impression of women as helpless victims of wars and conflicts.
The role of women in fostering peace in their communities and beyond has often been overlooked. The inexplicable silence of 55 long years was broken, for the first time, on the 8th of March 2000. Thereby, the seed for the Security Council resolution 1325 was sown.
If one looks into the relevance of contents, potential for change and expected impact of any global declaration for women, two stand out head and shoulder above all others.
The Beijing Platform for Action and 1325 are unparalleled in terms of what they can do to empower women, not only to give 50% of world’s population their due but also to make the world a better place to live. But where do
we stand in terms of there implementation?
​
Adoption of 1325 opened a much-awaited door of opportunity for women who have shown time and again that they bring a qualitative improvement in structuring peace and in post-conflict architecture. One shining example of this has been the Mano River Women’s Peace Network that brings together women from the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
What then can we do in the coming months and years to move forward an effective implementation of 1325 in letter and spirit? The main question is not to make war safe for women but to structure the peace in a way that there is no recurrence of war and conflict.
​
That is why women need to be at the peace tables, women need to be involved in the decision-making and in the peace-keeping teams, particularly as civilians to ensure real and faithful implementation of 1325.
The time has come to prepare an exhaustive and comprehensive list of indicators to monitor and measure progress in the implementation of 1325 in its letter and spirit. Included in that should be the statement by the Security Council on 8 March 2000 as that laid the foundation of the resolution.
THE CONCEPT
The members of the Security Council recognized that peace is inextricably linked with equality between women and men and affirmed the equal access and full participation of women in power structures and their full involvement in all efforts for peace and security.
​
It is unfortunate that the intrinsic role of women in global peace and security had remained unrecognized since the creation of the United Nations. For a long time, there has been an impression of women as helpless victims of wars and conflicts.
The role of women in fostering peace in their communities and beyond has often been overlooked. The inexplicable silence of 55 long years was broken, for the first time, on the 8th of March 2000. Thereby, the seed for the Security Council resolution 1325 was sown.
If one looks into the relevance of contents, potential for change and expected impact of any global declaration for women, two stand out head and shoulder above all others.
The Beijing Platform for Action and 1325 are unparalleled in terms of what they can do to empower women, not only to give 50% of world’s population their due but also to make the world a better place to live. But where do
we stand in terms of there implementation?
​
Adoption of 1325 opened a much-awaited door of opportunity for women who have shown time and again that they bring a qualitative improvement in structuring peace and in post-conflict architecture. One shining example of this has been the Mano River Women’s Peace Network that brings together women from the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
What then can we do in the coming months and years to move forward an effective implementation of 1325 in letter and spirit? The main question is not to make war safe for women but to structure the peace in a way that there is no recurrence of war and conflict.
​
That is why women need to be at the peace tables, women need to be involved in the decision-making and in the peace-keeping teams, particularly as civilians to ensure real and faithful implementation of 1325.
The time has come to prepare an exhaustive and comprehensive list of indicators to monitor and measure progress in the implementation of 1325 in its letter and spirit. Included in that should be the statement by the Security Council on 8 March 2000 as that laid the foundation of the resolution.