‘Women Count for Peace’, Say Participants of Regional Consultation of Women for Peace and Security in Dushanbe

Representatives from civil society organizations, women’s groups, gender advocates from Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan and Tajikistan participated in a Regional Consultation of Women for Peace and Security which took place in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on 25-26 June 2010. The Regional Consultation was held in a framework of the Open Day event organized by UNIFEM in partnership with other UN bodies as UNFPA, UNHCR, UN Country Representative office and UN Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA).
The Regional Consultation aimed at defining practical actions to design and implement national and regional mechanisms for the implementation of the UN SCRs 1325 and 1820.
During the meeting, participants discussed the progress of realization of the Resolution 1325, and, in particular, a current situation in the region in the field of protection of women and girls’ rights in conflict and post-conflict situations. The agenda of the meeting also included participation of women and women’s NGO in the peace building and post-conflict rehabilitation.
Link between instability of the peace in regions and a low participation of women in prevention and a resolution of conflicts, especially at decision-making level, were especially underlined. Participants have paid a special attention for numerous cases of murders, rapes and abductions of women and girls in the conflict and post-conflict countries. In many cases it has been used as tactics for advancement of considerably-fundamentalist values and negation of the rights of women.
Participants expressed a serious concern of an inadmissible low representation of women in peace-making missions and United Nations dialogues. They also pointed out at a low efficiency of the measures undertaken by the United Nations and member states for maintenance of effective participation of women in formal peace processes.
Following the results of meeting, participants have adopted the Appeal to the UN Secretary General and UN Security Council in which they expressed a serious concern in inefficient realization of the SC Resolution 1325. “Such mechanism of responsibility is important for rupture overcoming between the international norms and standards, including global political obligations, with realities and experience of women on places of conflicts”,
“The ongoing events in Kyrgyzstan serve as a terrible reminder of the extremely vulnerable situation many women and children find themselves in during conflict situations. UN family priority is to ensure the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to the those displaced by the crisis, as well as those who dare not leave their homes from fear, and to create the conditions for the return of refugees and displaced people to their homes. Ensuring post-conflict reconciliation will be an enormous task. Here, women’s groups can play a very important role, and the UNIFEM as a part of UN family will certainly fully support such efforts”, Nargis Azizova, UNIFEM Gender and Governance Advisor for Tajikistan stressed.
As head of UNRCCA, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) Ambassador Miroslav Jenča in his statement delivered once again reiterated his personal commitment to the implementation of resolution 1325 and to the promotion of a gender-based perspective in all the activities of the Centre. “I would like to express my readiness to meet with regional and local women’s groups, on a regular basis, to discuss issues related to conflict-prevention, peace-making and peace-building, including in Kyrgyzstan, and to ensure that these issues and views will be heard in forums on all levels dealing with the topics mandated to the Centre”, says in the UNRCCA Head’s statement.
Participants of a meeting have signed the petition «Say NO to Sexual Violence during Conflicts». Signing of petitions was devoted to the 10-years anniversary of the SC Resolution 1325 adoption.