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IWTC Women's GlobalNet #360 ACTIVITIES &
INITIATIVES OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION 1820 MARKS ONE YEAR August 12 2009 Helena Gronberg and Tina Johnson 1. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL (SG) ON UNSCR 1820
RELEASED 2. INITIAL REACTIONS BY NGOs TO THE SG’s REPORT 3. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN DEBATE ON
THE SG’s REPORT 4. UNSCR 1882 ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT |
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1. REPORT OF SG ON UNSCR 1820 RELEASED On June 19, 2008, the UN Security Council
unanimously adopted resolution 1820, which recognizes sexual violence as a
tactic of war and links it with the maintenance of international peace and
security. In noting that sexual violence can constitute a war crime, a crime against
humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide, while stressing the need to
increase women’s role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention
and resolution, UNSCR 1820 was both a milestone in itself and a
reinforcement of UNSCR 1325. The resolution demands the “immediate and
complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all acts of sexual
violence against civilians;” calls for women’s participation in peace talks;
urges sanctions for perpetrators; and requires that sexual violence be
excluded from amnesties. The resolution also requested the SG to submit a report to the Council, one
year after the passing, on the implementation of the resolution in the
context of situations which are on the agenda of the Council. The
report would include analysis of prevalence and trends; benchmarks for measuring
progress; and plans for a lasting solution to the lack of reliable sexual
violence data. For background on SCR 1820 see IWTC Women’s Globalnet #335 http://www.iwtc.org/gnets/335.html.
For an analysis of the resolution see the IWTC website www.iwtc.org where an assessment paper “United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 – A Preliminary Assessment of the
Challenges and Opportunities” will be available shortly. The
Secretary-General’s report on SCR 1820 was released on July 15. It contains
some important recommendations including:
For the full SG report on SCR 1820, see http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/405/56/PDF/N0940556.pdf?OpenElement For
the text of UNSCR 1820, see http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/106577.pdf |
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2. INITIAL REACTIONS BY NGOS TO THE SG’s REPORT NGO reactions to the SG’s report on 1820 are
just now beginning to surface. The
feature article by Sam Cook in the July issue #109 of the Women’s
International League for Peace and Freedom’s (WILPF) PeaceWomen
e-journal offers a sampling of NGO response. The article notes that despite
several good recommendations in the report that touch on how sexual violence
may be taken into account in the various parts of the Security Council’s
work, there is still a need for an ongoing way of ensuring that this is
consistently the case. NGOs question whether an annual report really serves
any purpose beyond ensuring that the issue of sexual violence in conflict is
considered at least once a year. Rather, they want a mechanism that ensures
the integration of women, peace and security issues into the consideration of
each and every country-specific situation and as a regular and systematic
part of the Council’s work. Such a mechanism – a long-standing recommendation
of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security – might consist of a new Special Representative.
It has also been suggested that a Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
be created comparable to the Working Group on Children in Armed Conflict
established by resolution 1612 (2005). NGOs also felt that some critical areas were
inadequately addressed. For example, several thought that the highest
priorities should have been “proposals for strategies to minimize the
susceptibility of women and girls” to sexual violence and “plans for
facilitating the collection of timely, objective, accurate, and reliable
information on the use of sexual violence … including through improved
coordination of UN activities on the ground and at Headquarters”. It was also
noted that little attention was devoted to concrete protection or prevention
strategies and that the request for benchmarks to measure progress in
addressing and preventing sexual violence was all but ignored. The article also notes the disappointment
among NGOs that no mention was made in the report about the establishment of
a new UN entity for women – a discussion currently ongoing in the General
Assembly. Although the creation of such an entity is not within the purview
of the Council, it is nonetheless an urgent need if gender equality issues –
such as sexual violence in conflict – are to be more effectively and
strategically addressed by the UN system. For the complete article, see http://www.peacewomen.org/un/sc/Open_Debates/Sexual_Violence09/PW_Review1820Report09.pdf |
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3. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
OPEN DEBATE ON THE SG’s REPORT On 7
August 2009 the Security Council hosted an open debate on the SG’s report on
SCR 1820. Calling on the Council to focus on concrete actions to prevent and
respond to sexual violence, the SG introduced his report by noting that,
despite some progress over two decades, the deliberate targeting of civilians
through acts of sexual violence continues on a widespread and systematic
basis. He furthered assured the Council of his commitment to strengthening
the UN system to ensure its ability to “deliver as one”, and also urged the
General Assembly to conclude its deliberations on the creation of a UN
institution to advance gender equality and women’s human rights. For the full
statement see http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12404.doc.htm. Forty-two
countries made statements at the debate. Australia, Austria, Belgium, France,
Italy, Norway, Sweden on behalf of the European Union, Sierra Leone,
Timor-Leste and the United States supported the idea of appointing a senior person
to coordinate UN system-wide work on prevention of and response to sexual
violence. Other issues discussed included: ·
The establishment of
an independent commission of inquiry, as recommended by the SG; ·
Annual reporting on UNSCR 1820; ·
The need for systematic,
timely and reliable data collection on sexual violence in conflict; ·
Medical, legal and
psychosocial assistance to victims of sexual violence; ·
Strengthening the rule
of law, supporting legal reforms and tackling impunity; ·
The importance of
including women in conflict resolution, mediation and peace processes, and in
post-conflict peacebuilding; ·
Better coordination
within the UN system; ·
Incorporating a gender
perspective in dealing with situations of armed conflict; and ·
The need to promote
gender equality and address the root causes of conflict, such as poverty and
competition for resources. Several countries
including Croatia, Finland, Papua New Guinea speaking on behalf of the
Pacific Small Island Developing States, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland
stressed the need to fully and jointly implement Resolutions 1325 and 1820.
Additionally several member states referred to the recently passed SCR 1882
on Children and Armed Conflict as a valuable mechanism for monitoring
implementation of 1820, especially for women and girls age 18 or younger. |
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4. UNSCR 1882 ON CHILDREN AND ARMED
CONFLICT UNSCR 1882,
adopted on 4 August 2009, provides a further tool in the struggle to end
sexual violence in conflict. It expresses deep concern about
and condemnation of the high incidence and appalling
levels of brutality of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed
against children in the context of and associated with armed conflict
(including in some situations as a tactic of war). It calls on those parties listed in the
annexes of the SG’s report on children and armed conflict that commit these
violations and abuses to prepare concrete time-bound action plans to end
them; and reaffirms its
intention to take action against persistent perpetrators. In the resolution,
the Security Council welcomes the
sustained activity and recommendations of its Working Group on Children and
Armed Conflict; calls for enhanced
communication between the Working Group and relevant Security Council
sanctions committees; and requests the
SG to more systematically include specific information regarding the
implementation of Working Group recommendations in his reports on children
and armed conflict. The resolution
also stresses the importance
of timely, sustained and adequate resources and funding for effective welfare
programmes for all children affected by armed conflict. It calls on concerned Member States to
take decisive and immediate action against persistent perpetrators of
violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed
conflict, and bring perpetrators to justice – including, where applicable,
through international justice mechanisms and tribunals. The full text can
be found at http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/442/14/PDF/N0944214.pdf?OpenElement
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