Improving the status of women in peace and security.

• Author: Karakat, Pauline
• Position: United Nations

The Secretary-General's final report on women, peace and security to the Security Council was released on 21 October 2002, coinciding with the second anniversary of the Council's adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), which mandated the SecretaryGeneral to carry out a study on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls, women's roles in peace-building and the dimensions of gender in peace processes and conflict resolution. The report contains recommendations on how the United Nations can improve the status of women in peace and security processes, and hasten implementation of the resolution.

The study analyzes the effects of armed conflict situations involving women and girls, who are both victims and perpetrators of violence, and whose contributions to all aspects of peace operations-peacemaking, peace-building, humanitarian operations, and reconstruction and rehabilitation-would increase the chances to achieve sustainable peace. The study asserts that there has been a failure to integrate gender perspectives into peace processes and conflict resolution due to a lack of know-how and accountability mechanisms on the part of policy- and decision-makers.

Although examples show how women have contributed to the rebuilding of their communities, gender mainstreaming continues to falter, and existing prejudices against women and girls continue to be exacerbated during wartimes. Women continue to be excluded from formal peace processes, and very few have been placed in high-level positions in political and peace-building missions, as well as in humanitarian, military and police operations.

The report also reviewed developments in international humanitarian, human rights, refugee and international criminal laws regarding women and girls-the progressive work of ad hoc International Criminal Courts for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

Increased understanding of women and girls in armed conflict...