1. Include more women in decision-making aimed at resolving armed conflict, and protect women living in situations of armed conflict or foreign occupation.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

The United Nations must ensure that women and men are equally eligible to participate in all of its principal and subsidiary bodies, under conditions of equality. CUN 8

ACTIONS:

• Promote women's equal participation in conflict resolution at decision-making levels.
  
  
• Promote women's equal participation in peace movements and recognize their important role and contribution to peace movements throughout the world.
  

2. Reduce military spending and control the availability of war weapons.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

Countries should never use or develop, produce, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, anti-personnel mines. CPAPM 1

Countries should never use or develop, produce, stockpile, retain or transfer chemical weapons. CPCW I

ACTIONS:

• Reduce excessive military expenditures and speed up the transfer of military resources to peaceful purposes.
  
  
• Work towards general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
  
  
• Work towards universal ratification of the Anti-Mine Convention and Protocol by the year 2000.
  
  
• Within the United Nations context, support efforts to coordinate a common response programme of assistance in de-mining.
  
  
• Facilitate the exchange of information and transfer of technology and scientific research on mine clearance.
  

3. Promote non-violent forms of conflict resolution and reduce human
rights abuses in conflict situations.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

Countries have a legal obligation to try to settle their disputes with other countries by peaceful means. CUN 2:3, 33

In situations of international armed conflict, you and your children have the right to humane treatment and to respect for your person, your honour, your family rights, your religious convictions and practices, and your customs. As a woman, you must be especially protected against attacks on your honour, including rape, enforced prostitution, or any form of indecent assault. 4GC 27

Attacks and bombings of the civilian population are prohibited. PII 51:2; DPWCEAC 1

Organized attacks against civilians that involve sexual violence, like rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity, or similar offences committed during international armed conflict, may, in certain circumstances, constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, and must be punished accordingly. CPPG II; ICC 5,6,6; GC 73a

In situations of internal armed conflict, you and your children have the right to protection against violence to life and person, hostage-taking and outrages on personal dignity. 4GC 3; PII 2:2

Slavery and the slave trade in all its forms are prohibited during armed conflict. ICCPR 8:1,2; 4GC 32; PII 4:2f

Countries cannot use war, internal conflict or any public emergency as an excuse for torture. A person cannot use orders from a superior to justify their use of torture. ICCPR 7; CAT 2

ACTIONS:

• Ratify international instruments on the protection of women and children in armed conflicts.
  
  
• Reaffirm that rape in the conduct of armed conflict is a war crime and punish members of the security forces and others who violate women's human rights in situations of armed conflict.
  

4. Encourage women's contribution to developing a culture of peace.

ACTIONS:

• Encourage peaceful settlement of conflicts as well as peace, reconciliation and tolerance through education, training, community actions and youth exchange programmes.
  
  

5. Provide protection, assistance and training to refugee women, other displaced women in need of international protection and internally displaced women.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

Refugee women should be protected from threats to their physical safety and sexual exploitation. GC 54; GC 60a; GC 64a:v; GC 73

Countries and concerned agencies should provide refugee women and girls with effective and equitable access to all basic services including water, food, health and sanitation, education and skills training, and wage-earning opportunities. CRR 17, 21, 23, 24; GC 64a:ix

Specific affirmative action may be required to ensure equal treatment of refugee women. GC 64

Countries should recognize that women refugees often experience persecution differently from refugee men, and that women who have a well-founded fear of persecution through sexual violence should be recognized as refugees when it is based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. GC 73d,e

Resettlement programmes for refugee women at risk should be a priority.
GC 54; GC 60c; GC 64a:xi

Refugee women should participate as agents, as well as beneficiaries, in the planning and implementation of protection and assistance programmes. GC 54; GC 60a; GC 64a:I

ACTIONS:

• Protect, assist and train refugee and displaced women.
  
  
• Provide educational materials in appropriate languages for refugee and displaced children.
  

6. Provide assistance to women in colonies and other non-self-governing
territories.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

All peoples have the right of self-determination, which means they have the right to freely determine their political system and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. ICCPR 2:1; ICESCR 2:1

ARMED CONFLICT: ACHIEVEMENTS

• Wider recognition that armed conflict has different impacts on women and men, and that a gender-sensitive application of international human rights by armed forces is important.
  
  
• Steps have been taken at national and international levels to end impunity for crimes against women in situations of armed conflict.
  
  
• The adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court recognizes rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization and other forms of sexual violence as war crimes and, in certain circumstances, crimes against humanity.
  
  
• Women’s potential contributions to peace building/peacemaking and conflict resolution are recognized.
  
  
• Education and training on non-violent conflict resolution have been introduced.
  
  
• Guidelines for the protection of refugee women have been adopted.
  
  
• Gender-based persecution has been accepted as a basis for refugee status in some countries.
  
  
• Recognition that women and men experience humanitarian emergencies differently and that there is a need to integrate a gender perspective in the planning, design and implementation of humanitarian assistance.
  

ARMED CONFLICT: OBSTACLES

• Armed and other types of conflict prevent the advancement of women.
  
  
• The targeting of civilians, including women and children, and the displacement of people have a particularly adverse effect on gender equality and women’s human rights.
  
  
• Armed conflict increases the number of female-headed households, many of whom live in poverty.
  
  
• The absence at all levels of women in decision-making positions related to peace keeping, peace building, post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction.
  
  
• Failure to provide sufficient resources and adequately distribute them to the increasing number of refugees, most of whom are women and children.
  
  
• Inadequate training of personnel dealing with the needs of women in situations of armed conflict or as refugees, and a lack of programmes that address healing of women from trauma and skills training.
  
  
• Excessive military expenditures, trade in arms and investment for arms production take funds away from social and economic development, particularly for women. Economic sanctions have also had a negative effect in some countries.
  
  
• Continued violation of women’s human rights in situations of armed conflict, including sexual violence and displacement. Girls are also abducted or recruited as combatants, sexual slaves or providers of domestic services.