UN Security Council Resolution 1325

Event Title: Six Years Later, Has UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Reached its Full Potential?
Sponsor: SID Washington and IRG
Location: IRG
Date: Thursday, October 26, 2006
Time: Noon – 1:30 pm
Approximate Number of Attendees: 30
Intern Attending: Kristin Broyhill

Speakers: Carla Koppell, Director of the Initiative for Inclusive Security and the Washington, DC Office of the Hunt Alternatives Fund; Sarah Martin, Advocate, Refugees International; Patricia Morris, Director of Programs, Women for Women International; Deborah DeYoung, Moderator, National Information Officer, United Nations Information Center.

“The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was passed in October of 2000, and stands as the first resolution passed by the Security Council specifically addressing the impact of war on women and the importance of women’s contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace.”

In today’s conflicts, with the majority of refugees and internally displaced persons being women and women being specific targets of violence and gender related war crimes, the participation of women in sustainable conflict resolution is crucial. The speakers addressed this issue, specifically discussing the role Resolution 1325 has played in recognizing the need for and catalyzing women’s participation in the conflict resolution process.

Resolution 1325 is symbolic as an official international recognition of the importance of female contributions in peace negotiations. It can be drawn on as a tool for ensuring that 50 percent of the population’s needs are adequately addressed, for understanding the impact that conflict has on women, and to advocate for women’s rights, education, literacy, job training and equality.

The resolution has been used as a tool for peace-building during Pacific Island coos, repelling Shar’ia Law in Iraq and in advocating for Resolution 1590 in Sudan, which calls for the inclusion of women as peace managers.

Resolution 1325 has achieved a transformation in diplomatic language; however, it has not realized its full practical potential, as it lacks sufficient enforcement and implementation mechanisms. The UN must take a stand and put its words into practice by showing political will and working to translate that into the real and the practical. Organizational culture must be encouraged to support female inclusion by being awarded for such policies, practices and accountability systems.