After fourteen years of armed conflict in Liberia (1989-2003) has managed to establish a full functioning, democratic elected government that is highly committed to human development, equality, and sustainable peace. The only African nation that has a female head of state has proven its political will to move beyond and develop outstanding and gender friendly policies. Nonetheless, the country faces still the aftermaths of its civil conflict which resulted in atrocities such as systematic rape, recruitment of child soldiers, and the spreading of HIV and relies on the support of the international community.
In Liberia, during the conflict years, serious human rights abuses and war crimes were committed against civilians and especially against women and girls who constitute the major target of atrocities such as rape, other forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
The recovery from the armed conflict and violence experienced and the establishment on a society enjoying inclusive peace, human security and gender equality highly depends of the recognition of major challenges and the coordinated planning of activities and initiatives to respond to such. The following sections aim to outline in accordance with the three dimensions of Resolution 1325 the core gendered security issues and the existing initiatives and programmes in place.
Mrs. Munah Siel, Director of the Liberian National Police
At International Women’s day and during the International Colloquium for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, Liberia launches its National Action Plan on women, peace and security implementing UN Resolution 1325. This plan is unique due to its inclusive and participatory process, the joint effort made by the international community, civil society organizations and the Liberian government.
Beginning in August 2008, UN-INSTRAW and the Office of the Gender Advisor of the United Nations Missi
on to Liberia (UNMIL-OGA) established an inter-agency team supporting the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development and Development in order to lead the action planning process. A Steering Committee composed of representatives from other governmental institutions, UN agencies and civil society organizations was established in order to guide the drafting of the plan, which was also negotiated on an ongoing basis with community chiefs and organizations working outside Monrovia
The UN-INSTRAW project on the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Liberia had the following objectives:
To support the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in Liberia by generating a national action-planning process on women, peace and security issues.
To conduct a women, peace and security baseline assessment of existing government initiatives, awareness and capacity that will serve as the basis for the action plan.
To raise awareness among government policymakers and other relevant stakeholders on women, peace and security issues, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
To build capacity on how to develop and implement a national action plan on women, peace and security in the context of Liberia.
Tropical Strom Noel affected the Dominican Republic in October 2007, leaving around 79,728 displaced persons, hundreds of communities isolated and almost 20,000 damaged homes. According to estimates from ECLAC, this natural disaster event caused losses of more than US$439 million (1.2% of the country’s GNP), affecting more than 70% of the population in a direct or indirect manner.
This study seeks to analyze the impact of natural disasters on vulnerable populations, such as boys, girls, adolescents, women, persons living with HIV/AIDS, the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as analyze the provision of sexual and reproductive health and the prevention of violence against women in the Dominican Republic.
This study is a product of the emergency funds (CERF) of the United Nations and a joint initiative between the United Nations Populations Fund in the Dominican Republic and UN-INSTRAW. The study aims to indicate and make the most vulnerable with respect to natural disasters and its aftermath in the Dominican Republic visible and stimulate a consistent representative and disaggregated data collection process taking into account the different needs of the affected populations.
Since the collapse of Siad Barre’s regime in 1991, a highly chaotic armed conflict has plagued Somalia, with the result that the civilian population currently lives in a state of humanitarian crisis that has made Somalia one of the poorest countries in the world. Almost half of the population in Somalia lives on less than US$1 per day, over a million people are internally displaced and even more have been obliged to resettle abroad.
Women suffer extremely high rates of gender-based violence, including rape, female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Due to the absence or weakness of state institutions, victims of gender-based violence can count on very little effective support and have almost no legal recourse. The cultural stigmatization surrounding rape also prevents many women from reporting it to either formal judiciary structures or traditional justice mechanisms. Within this context, Somali women have mobilized to actively engage in the ongoing conflict-resolution and peace-building processes and have assumed responsibility for meeting the basic needs of society, such as health care and education, as well as their participation in economic activities such as trade.
As a result of the humanitarian crisis, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that up to three million Somali nationals are living abroad. The women of the Somali Diaspora in various countries have played a crucial role in terms of input and support for women’s participation in the peace process, which was also acknowledged by a number of international observers. However, much still needs to be done in order to encourage and support women’s participation as voters and as candidates in the political elections that are currently planned for November 2009.
UN-INSTRAW in collaboration with Italian-based Associazione Diaspora e Pace (ADEP) and with financial support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is implementing the project Gender and Peace in Somalia-Implementation of Resolution 1325 with the following aims:
Supporting the full and sustainable implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in Somalia;
Creating an enabling environment for women’s equal participation in conflict-resolution, peace-building and political processes; and
Fostering ongoing collaboration between women’s groups in Somalia and Somali women’s groups from the Diaspora living in Italy.
International Conference on Women, Peace and Security in Somalia
From September 2nd to 6th 2008 in Dar-es–Salaam, Tanzania, UN-INSTRAW and ADEP will co-organize a conference on Women, Peace and Security in Somalia. The Conference aims to bring together representatives of Somali women organizations with representatives of the Somali Diaspora in Italy and other stakeholders in order to:
Establish an open and continuous dialogue among Somali women both from Somalia and the Diaspora;
Support the creation of an enabling environment for women’s equal participation in conflict-resolution, peace-building and political processes in Somalia and among the Somali Diaspora;
Outline a roadmap for the development of a National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Somalia, and define strategies and mechanisms for its participatory negotiation and implementation.
As preparation for the International Conference to be held in July 2008, UN-INSTRAW and ADEP co-organized two seminars with women of the Somali Diaspora in Milan (Northern Italy) and Bari (Southern Italy). These seminars aimed to bring women together in order to share information about Resolution 1325 and its applicability to the case of Somalia, to discuss how to support women’s participation in the ongoing conflict-resolution and peace-building processes and to identify initial recommendations for the International Conference:
Associazione Diaspora e Pace (ADEP)
Associazione Diaspora e Pace (ADEP) is an Italo-Somali association working for Somali women’s empowerment in Somalia and for the rights of Somali immigrants in Italy. The group involves Somali women living in Italy in advocacy initiatives that aim to strengthen the role of Diaspora women in conflict-resolution and peace-building processes in Somalia.
This tool focuses on the institutional reform of the judiciary, law reform and access to justice, with specific emphasis on gender equality. It is directed toward the personnel responsible for justice reform within national governments, international and regional organisations and donors. Parliamentarians, law societies and judges’ networks, civil society organizations and researchers focusing on justice reform may also find it useful. It examines justice reform within the broad and often overlapping contexts of post-conflict, transitional, developing and developed countries. Any justice reform effort is highly context-specific, and no one-fits-all template can be applied to a reform process. The tool provides suggestions and recommendations that can be adapted to the specific reform context within which you are working. The tool includes:
An introduction to justice reform
The rationale for why integrating gender strengthens justice reform processes
Practical actions to integrate gender into justice reform initiatives
An overview of particular gender and justice reform issues in post-conflict, transitional, developing and developed country contexts
This tool is intended for use by various actors working on police reform including: police officers and recruitment staff, government officials, international and regional organisations and civil society organisations as well as parliamentarians and researchers. It is designed as a reference tool, with a mix of background information and practical examples and tips to assist in the design and/or implementation of the reform process. The following information can be used as a starting point for incorporating gender issues into a police reform processes The tool includes:
An introduction to police reform
The rationale behind integrating gender issues and ways in which this can strengthen police reform initiatives
Entry points for incorporating gender issues into different aspects of police reform, including practical tips and examples
An examination of particular gender and police reform issues in post-conflict, transitional, developing and developed country contexts
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