Plenary Panel 3: Could 1325 Be a New Frame of Reference: From Local to Global and Back
(with the support of Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces)
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 will turn 15 in 2015. The resolution, sponsored by a globally diverse coalition of governments and NGOs, took concerns identified locally by human rights activities, women’s organizations, and international NGOs and raised them on a global platform, sparking a high-level debate on issues rarely discussed before. The initiative resulted in a series of responses to those concerns, articulated more often on the global stage. The proliferation of National Action Plans has brought UNSCR 1325 back to a local level, and raises a series of important questions: Does UNSCR 1325 offer sufficient guidance to address gender inequalities at a local level? Is it applicable only to situations of active conflict or post-conflict recovery? Has the conflict prevention component of UNSCR 1325 been forgotten? The upcoming fifteenth anniversary of the resolution should invite a period of reflection leading to renewed commitment to the principles embodied in the resolution.
Discussion Topics:
- Recent developments have highlighted the international community’s shortcomings, not only in responding to armed conflict, but particularly in preventing it. Has the potential of UNSCR 1325 as a conflict-prevention tool been sufficiently explored? Has UNSCR 1325 been relegated to post-conflict recovery initiatives?
- Several initiatives on an international level have tried to articulate UNSCR 1325 in clear mandates with built-in monitoring mechanisms. How have those mechanisms informed, inspired, or affected the development of national-level mechanisms? Is there sufficient communication between internationally-focused and locally-focused stakeholders?
- Most National Action Plans for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 have a strong, and sometimes exclusive, focus on development, aid, peace support operations and foreign policy. How much has the adoption of an outward-looking NAP affected domestic policies and practices? Does UNSCR 1325 only apply to donor-beneficiary relationships, or can donor countries learn something?
Speakers:
Amb. Miroslava Beham‚ Senior Advisor on Gender Issues, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Elisabeth Nauclér‚ Member of the Parliament, Parliament of Finland
Constanze Stelzenmüller‚ Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF)
Daniel de Torres‚ Deputy Head of Operations III, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) (Chair)