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During the previous year’s Gender in Armed Conflict zones has proved to be one of the most important topics addressed by the United Nations, European Union, National Governments and NGO’s.
The strong focus on the advancement of women, gender equality and gender mainstreaming through the United Nations over the past years has led to increased international recognition. As a result of this understanding, the189 Member States expressed their commitments in very strong and explicit intergovernmental mandates. This is illustrated in the Beijing Platform for action, the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Women, Peace and Security and the European Parliament resolution on participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution (2000/2025(INI)) and currently the follow-up report on the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) Women, Peace and Security, presented to the Security Council in October 2004.
Gender is an extremely important issue in current times. Gender mainstreaming should be promoted both because it is a matter of equality and human rights and because it provides an important means of ensuring that development goals are achieved in an effective, sustainable and people centered manner. Leaving out 50 per cent of the population - denying their contribution and neglecting their needs, can never be considered an effective strategy for sustainable development in any area. Inclusion of 100 % population means greater potential and embracing the contribution of all participants becomes the foundation of an effective strategy
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What is gender mainstreaming?
The strategy of gender mainstreaming is defined in the ECOSOC. and agreed Conclusions, 1997/2, as
“The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislations, policies or programmes, in all areas and in all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and social spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.”
The term mainstreaming came from the objective to bring attention to gender equality in the mainstream of development activities. An important element in the mainstreaming strategy is the ambition to give attention to gender equality from the initial stages of processes so that there is potential to influence goals, strategies and resource allocations and thus bring about changes in policies, programmes and other activities and make a real difference to gender equality.
Mainstreaming involves acknowledging gender equality perspectives as relevant in analysis, data collection, and other activities, to ensure that all processes take into account the contributions, priorities and needs of the entire stakeholder group, women as well as men. Attention to the goal of gender equality needs to be mainstreamed into research, analysis, policy development as well as operational activities. The Platform for Action (Beijing 1995) made it very clear that gender analysis is the first essential step in the mainstreaming strategy. Before any decisions are taken in any area of societal development an analysis should be made of the current responsibilities and contributions of both women and men and the potential impact of planned processes and activities on women and men respectively
Responsibility for gender mainstreaming
Overall responsibility for implementing the mainstreaming strategy should rest at the highest levels within Governments and other organizations. Management levels should develop adequate accountability mechanisms for implementing and monitoring progress with mainstreaming. One means of ensuring accountability is to establish clear indicators of progress, which can be monitored over time by management. A Gender mainstreaming strategy does not replace the need for targeted activities to promote gender equality. Mainstreaming and targeted activities are complimentary strategies. Both strategies are critical for achievement of gender equality. A gender equality policy should incorporate targeted activities as well as gender mainstreaming. Nor does the mainstreaming strategy imply that gender specialist resources are no longer needed
Gender in peacekeeping operations in armed conflict zones appears on three levels: within the local population, in the contacts between the local population and the peacekeepers and within the group of peacekeepers.
A gender balance men’s women’s presence in the Mission does make a difference. It improves access to the local population by creating a more “normal” environment. A Balanced presence also tends to improve the behaviour of male and female members of the mission in positive way, it increases the range of skills, approaches and perspectives within the mission, thus adding to its effectiveness. We have committed ourselves to gender issues, in relation to peace and justice.
But without commitment and resources nothing can change.
We direct our findings to all off you and those with the power and the resources to make a difference.
I hope that we can count on you and that you will be an active member within gender transition and transformation for CIVPOL and within other future missions you will participate in.
If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the CIVPOL Gender Unit by e-mail or phone!
Signed by
Police Commissioner Mr. K. Vittrup.
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United Nations Mission in Kosovo
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UN and EU Gender Resolution