United Nations news
UWAN walks with Women for Women International
8 March 2010.
Three core members of UWAN joined hundreds of women and men on the morning of March (th, International Women's Day, to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to demonstrate solidarity with women worldwide.
Special representative on Sexual Violence in conflict appointed
3 February 2010.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Margot Wallström of Sweden as his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Ms. Wallström has been a long-time advocate of the rights and needs of women throughout her political career -- first as Swedish Minister and later as Environment Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission.
Since her appointment to the European Commission in 1999, she has been actively engaged in promoting the participation of women in peace- and security-related issues, most notably the injustice and violence faced by women during armed conflict. Since 2007, she has served as Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Ministerial Initiative, where she actively promoted the appointment of women to positions of responsibility. Ms. Wallström also played a leadership role in raising awareness about the urgency to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008).
Security council resolution 1889 adopted.
5 October 2009.
SCR 1889 focuses on women’s participation and urges Member States, UN bodies, donors and civil society to ensure that women’s protection and empowerment is taken into account during post-conflict needs assessment and planning, and factored into subsequent funding and programming.
The resolution also calls on all those involved in the planning for disarmament, demobilization and integration programmes, in particular, to take into account the needs of women and girls associated with armed groups, as well as the needs of their children. Through the text, the Council also requests the Secretary-General to submit a report within 12 months focused on women in post-conflict situations, and to ensure cooperation between the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Representative on sexual violence in armed conflict, whose appointment had been requested by SCR 1888.
Statement on behalf of the European Union
Statement by Permanent Representative of Finland, H.E. Viinanen
security council resoluton 1888 adopted.
30 September 2009.
SCR 1888 builds on two earlier resolutions: SCR 1325, adopted in October 2000, which provides a political framework that makes women and a gender perspective relevant to all aspects of peace processes; and SCR 1820, adopted in June 2008, which recognizes the links between sexual violence in armed conflict and its aftermath, and sustainable peace and security. SCR 1820 commits the Security Council to considering appropriate steps to end sexual violence and to punish the perpetrators and requests a report from the UN Secretary-General on situations in which sexual violence is being widely or systematically employed against civilians and on strategies for ending the practice. Through SCR 1888, the Special Representative would coordinate a range of mechanisms and oversee implementation of both SCR 1325 and SCR 1888.
Other provisions of the text include identifying women’s protection advisers among gender advisers and human rights protection units; the strengthening of monitoring and reporting on sexual violence; the retraining of peacekeepers, national forces and police; and calls to boost the participation of women in peacebuilding and other post-conflict processes.
Statement by Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom H.E. Sawers
security council resolution 1820 adopted:
19 June 2008.
The Security Council today demanded the “immediate and complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all acts of sexual violence against civilians,” expressing its deep concern that, despite repeated condemnation, violence and sexual abuse of women and children trapped in war zones was not only continuing, but, in some cases, had become so widespread and systematic as to “reach appalling levels of brutality”.
Capping a day-long ministerial-level meeting on “women, peace and security”, the 15-member Council unanimously adopted resolution 1820 (2008), which noted that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide”. It also affirmed the Council’s intention, when establishing and renewing State-specific sanction regimes, to consider imposing “targeted and graduated” measures against warring factions who committed rape and other forms of violence against women and girls.
security council resolution 1325
October 2000.
Recognizing that an understanding of the impact of armed conflict on women
and girls, effective institutional arrangements to guarantee their protection and full participation in the peace process can significantly contribute to the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security,...
http://www.un.org/events/res_1325e.pdf