Global Policy Forum

With women and children accounting for over three quarters of the 40 million people displaced worldwide by armed clashes or human rights violations, the United Nations Security Council today held its first-ever debate on women's experiences in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Sponsored by Namibia, which is presiding over the Council this month, the discussion under the theme "Women, Peace and Security" aimed to address the needs of women in all UN peace operations, as well as the broader issue of women's role in building and maintaining peace.

Opening the debate, in which more than 40 speakers took part, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that women are often better equipped than men to prevent or resolve conflict. "For generations, women have served as peace educators, both in their families and their societies," Mr. Annan said, stressing that they had proved instrumental in building bridges rather than walls. He urged the Council to do everything in its power to protect women and girls in conflict situations and to include them in peace negotiations.

While efforts are being made in the UN to recruit more women for peacekeeping and peace-making missions, the potential contribution of women remains "severely under-valued," Mr. Annan said, adding that women are still "grossly under-represented" at the decision-making level.

The absence of women in conflict resolution processes was also stressed by Angela King, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, who said that the socio-economic fabric of a country had to be the "major focus of attention" during peace negotiations, and that groups within society -- and especially women's groups - should be a part of all stages of the process.

Referring to the findings of a recent in-depth UN study on the role of women in peacekeeping, Ms. King said women's participation in missions had the effect of encouraging local women to become involved in the peace process. Women were found to be less hierarchical in dealing with local communities, while local women were more likely to confide in women peacekeepers about rape and other sexual violence, Ms. King said, stressing that more should be done to encourage women to serve on peacekeeping missions, and that future operations should include gender equality aspects.

Echoing these concerns, Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), said that peace processes suffered when women were not included. "[If] women are half of every community, are they therefore not half of every solution?" she asked. "How can we, in good conscience, bring warlords to the peace table and not women?"

She recommended that the Security Council improve women's protection in conflict and support their role in peace building by ensuring that human rights verification, observer missions and peacekeeping operations focus on gender-based violations and women's human rights. The Council could also request that all peacekeeping personnel be trained in their responsibilities to women and children, and call for the elaboration of a code of conduct and the establishment of clear reporting on sexual violence in a peacekeeping environment, she said.

Link to the Press Release on the open forum held in the Security Council on Women and Peace

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