ACO/ACT Gender Newsletter #01

GENDER IN MILITARY OPERATIONS NEWSLETTER Allied Command Operations | Allied Command Transformation

A message from the ACO & Why a newsletter? ACT GENADs: Men, women, boys and girls face different dangers during conflict In the summer of 2014 the Alliance released its new NATO policy and action plan, situations according to their gender completing several other guiding and directing documents that form and frame the roles. These differences are being work within ACO and ACT structures. included to prevent and resolve conflicts, to ensure sustainable One task given was to establish two databases; the first consisting of trained Gender peace. These differences are also Advisors (GENADs) and/or national subject matter experts and the second consisting equally taken into account with of gender trainers. Through the process of establishing these databases (which are to respect to internal aspects of be updated on an annual basis) it became acutely clear that there is a need for better making the military more effective. communication and information with the gender community of interest. The purpose In addition to this, the active and meaningful participation of women of this newsletter is that you, as an the identified gender advisor, subject matter in all phases and activities related expert or trainer, is given the opportunity to be more up to date with what is to security, stability and peace is happening. The ambition is to distribute the newsletter every two months as a tool to crucial for the success of the support a better informed community of interest. Alliance. The implementation of a gender perspective into all NATO operations, missions, policies and programs is thus of utmost IN THEATRE importance. NATO Strategic Commands; Allied Command Balkans Operations (ACO) and Allied Command Transformation (ACT) First woman commander in NATO HQ Sarajevo are tasked by NATO Nations to On June 9, U.S. Army Brigadier General Giselle Wilz became the first ever female implement the resolutions on commander of NATO Headquarters, Sarajevo (NHQSa), at Camp Butmir in Sarajevo, Bosnia Women, Peace and Security and Herzegovina. She is thus the 21st commander and the most senior military of NHQSa. (UNSCR 1325 and related U.S. Navy Admiral Mark Ferguson, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples resolutions). Fifteen years after the presided over the Transfer of Authority. first resolution, the importance and positive influence of gender Key Leader Conference on Gender Perspective in KFOR mainstreaming continue to be underestimated and a better KFOR Commander held a Gender Conference in KFOR communication could make a HQ. The participants were ministers, Head of difference. This first Bi-Strategic municipalities, leading members of Kosovo Parliament, Gender Newsletter contributes to Kosovo Police, Kosovo Security Forces, DHoM of EULEX, the work done to inform about OSCE, members of NGOs, KFOR Gender Focal Points and what is happening in the Strategic selected students. Several media actors including local Commands, in theatres but also TVs covered this event. Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga around the world. expressed in a video message recorded for the occasion the importance of implementing a gender perspective to We hope you will find this helpful and valuable. Key Leader Conference audience. ensure the stability of the country for all the citizens. Picture : KFOR HQ Ms Charlotte Isaksson Major Stephanie Nicol 1

ACO/ACT Gender Newsletter #01

Gender around the Afghanistan world Ambassador Schuurman in Afghanistan NIGERIA. UNICEF reports an In April, Ambassador Marriet Schuurman, the NATO Special Representative for Women, Peace "alarming spike" in suicide and Security travelled to Kabul for the first time. She met people from Resolute Support bombings by girls and women Missiion, representatives of the civil society, and Afghan officials. Meetings, office calls, social used by Boko Haram in events, interviews for NATO TV and local radios provided her good opportunities to encourage northeastern Nigeria. Women and acknowledge the existing implementation of a gender perspective in Resolute Support and children have made three- mission. quarters of all reported Boko Haram suicide bombings.

PAKISTAN. Only 2 of the 10 men reportedly jailed for the attempted assassination of Nobel Prize owner Malala Yousafzai have been convicted, according to BBC sources. As officials said in April that 10 Taliban had been arrested and received 25-year jail terms, the Ambassador Marriet Schuurman meeting with Afghan First Lady Mrs Rula Ghani. Picture: NATO website validity of the trial has raised suspicions. Rula Ghani joined Women in Security Advisory Committee

IRAQ. Women protestations took First Lady of Afghanistan Ms Rula Ghani was named Honorary Chair of Women in Security place in al-Mutanabbi Street in Advisory Committee. The inaugural meeting of the Committee has been convened by Resolute central Baghdad on June 2 , to Support Gender Advisor Office to coordinate the international community effort in terms of denounce fasliya marriage — recruitment, training, continued education, childcare support and safety of women in the marriages arranged as Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. compensation to resolve tribal 4 female ministers in the Afghan government conflicts. Blood money marriages are forbidden but make a President Ashraf Ghani committed just after the elections to constitute a government with 4 comeback as a result of a failed female ministers. The 4 nominees he designated have been approved by the Parliament on state. Protection and April 18th. Dr Fareeda Momand became the Minister of Higher Education. Dr Naserin Development of Iraqi Family Oryakhail is now the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disable. Ms Salam Azimi Association notes around 250 took the head of the Ministry of Counternarcotics while Ms Dilba Nazari has been introduced fasliya marriages in Iraq annually, as the Minister of Women’s Affairs. most of them in southern and President Ghani also appointed recently two female governors, Ms Masooma Muradi as the central provinces. governor of central Daikundi province and Ms Seema Joyenda in Ghor province. Nevertheless, none of them have been able to take office yet because of opposition and protests. SYRIA. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), separatist group based in southeast Turkey, is NEWS FROM ACO now one of the key forces battling ISIS and has in its ranks around 40% of female fighters. ACO Gender Advisors Conference Some of them are also in the On 24-25th March, the fourth ACO senior command. GenderAdvisor Conference took place in Izmir at LANDCOM. The aim was firstly to gather the NAMIBIA. Namibia wants its gender community within ACO and to provide Defense Force to consist of at the opportunity to exchange information, best least 30% women. Namibia was practices, achievements, methods and one of the initiator of UNSCR difficulties/challenges that each person is 1325 on Women, Peace and meeting in his/her job. Secondly, to start the Security. revision of Bi-SC Directive 40-1 to be finalized by the end of the year 2015 by exchanging Conference room duringthe ACO Gender Advisor MAURITIUS. Dr Ameenah Gurib- points of view and suggestions based on new Conference. Fakim became Mauritius’s first UNSCRs, NATO policy, NATO Action Plan, Lessons PictureLearned : NATO. LandCom female president in June, the third one on the African continent. 2

ACO/ACT Gender Newsletter #01

Gender around the Exercises world Throughout the year of 2015 four HQs are to be evaluated within a Joint Evaluation. As gender perspective is part of the evaluation criteria, SHAPE conducts the four evaluations TURKEY. The number of women in with a gender subject matter expert appointed by the ACO GENAD Office. The HQs and Turkish Parliament increased from exercises being evaluated are JFCBS (Trident Juncture 15), MARCOM (Trident Jewel 15), 79 in 2011 to 96 after the 25th NRDC ITA and HQ ARRQ (both HQs Trident Jaguar 15). Within the evaluated HQ the parliamentary elections of June. respective appointed GENAD is being exercised and takes part in the planning and conduct of the exercise. The GENAD to COM JFCBS has taken part in the MEL-MIL scripting for the . Lt Gen Chris Whitecross, upcoming TRJE 15. ACT, supported by SHAPE, is looking for a Gender SME who could take commander of Canadian Armed part in EXCON for TRJE 15 in Zaragoza Spain (30 Sept-14OCT appx). Forces Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct, scheduled Seven by SHAPE visits of bases across Canada, to meet with On May 7th, the ACO Gender Advisor office together with SHAPE WoMen arranged the non-commissioned members and reading of the documentary play SEVEN for the second time. This international project officers to explain the stages of created in 2007 is based on interviews with seven women's rights activists from around the her action plan. She also planned globe. Seven male senior leaders (SHAPE COS General Werner Freers, JFCBS DCOM Air trips to other countries dealing Marshal Graham Stacey, SHAPE DCOS RES Major General Fernando Alejandre, SHAPE DCOS with this kind of problems such as PLANS Major General Jerzy Biziewski, SHAPE DCOS OPI Major General Gordon Davis, Swedish Australia, USA or France to MILREP Rear Admiral Odd Werin and NATO CSEL CMSgt Richard T. Small) lend their voices exchange lessons learned and best and read the roles of these women. practices. SACEUR General Philip Breedlove delivered a very strong video message USA. After three trials, the three on the necessity to implement a gender women remaining in the Army's perspective within and throughout gender-integrated assessment of NATO actions and to work for gender Ranger School have completed the equality and women’s empowerment “Darby Phase”, the first of the as this is critical to the security and the three segments of the course. success of the Alliance and its partners. They can continue now with the Ambassador Schuurman summed up an “Mountain Phase”. This year, 19 emotional evening and she expressed how important and impressive it is that women attempted to pass this Maj. General Davis and Maj. General Alejandre revising their physically and mentally demanding the ACO leadership gives their time and text with the producer during a rehearsal program. voices to support women’s rights and Picture : SHAPE PAO empowerment. UNITED NATIONS. On June 19, the United Nations General Assembly approved by consensus a new NEWS FROM ACT resolution to commemorate this day as the International Day for Gender Education and Training Package for Nations the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Special Representative HQ SACT has developed, with the support of the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms Operations (NCGM) as a Department Head, a package of training and education tools. The Zainab Bangura highlighted the challenge of transforming the objective of this package is to assist NATO Allies and Partners to build their gender capacity “political will into concrete actions and capabilities. This education and training solution offers best practices examples and and protections on the ground.” guidance on the institutionalization of a gender perspective. It includes three modules adapted to specific audiences and specific levels (strategic-operational, tactical, pre- G7. Leaders of the G7 met in deployment). The Gender Education and Training Package for Nations has been presented in Elmau () for their annual Summit on 7 and 8 June 2015. June, for the first time during the gender annual discipline conference and then in front of Women’s economic the Military Committee by Brigadier General ROGA, ACOS JETE, and is now available as a empowerment and pilot course. entrepreneurship has been described in their declaration as of Key Leader Seminar by NCGM the world’s most pressing issues, a “key driver of innovation, growth On June 15-16, the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations (NCGM), NATO and jobs”. Department Head (DH), organized its fourth NATO accredited Key Leader Seminar at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm.

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14 key leaders participated in the seminar. Some of the senior leaders attending were the 2 questions to… SRSG WPS Ambassador Marriet Schuurman, ACT COS Lieutenant General Phil Jones and Colonel Amanda Fielding Lieutenant General Christine Whitecross, who heads the Canadian Armed Forces’ strategic response team on sexual misconduct. The seminar consisted of presentations

Gender Advisor to COMRS, Headquarters Resolute Support mission Afghanistan What are your main achievements so far? Leaders listening to General Morrisson’s presentation on Day 2. Picture: Nordic Centre for Gender in Military operations Ensuring there are long term plans and and roundtable discussions related to a gender perspective. It also highlighted the fact projects in place to provide a safe and appropriate working environment for that a fully committed leadership is necessary to mainstream gender. It was an women serving in Afghanistan’s National opportunity for the briefers and the participants to share experiences, best practices and Defence and Security Forces (military and points of view. The evaluation of the seminar showed clearly that the participants where police). both incredibly positive to the content of the seminar as eager to ensure that this concept We also established Afghanistan’s first will be further implemented within their respective areas of responsibility. The planning Strategic-Political steering committee that is for additional Gender KLS is ongoing. purely focused on Women Peace and Security. The Resolute Support Women in Security Advisory Committee is chaired by Discipline Conference COMRS and membership includes; the First Lady of Afghanistan as the honorary chair, The 2015 Gender in military operations Annual Discipline Conference (ADC) was the chief advisors on women’s affairs to the conducted by NCGM on June 1st at NATO HQ, under the guidance of HQ SACT. The aim of President and CEO, the Chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, the this ADC was to present the most current and updated information on gender education Minister of Women’s Affairs, the and training. SHAPE as the Requirement Authority and NCGM provided the way ahead for International community, UNAMA, EUPOL, the further development of an education and training program. NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative and RS leadership. The Committee is an important body to LOOKING AHEAD ensure that the work and efforts of the Resolute Support GENAD Office and regional advisors is enduring and supports the - The first Gender Functional Planning Guide will be released (end of July) and integration and participation of women in the security sector beyond the RS mission. will become a practical tool on « how to » integrate gender perspective into planning at all levels. It will allow improving the integration of gender What would be your advice to perspective from the very initial steps of planning. someone who would like to do this job? - Gender training package for Nations is now available at http://www.act.nato.int/gender-training Try not to get overwhelmed by the vast amount of work to be completed and - Update of the Bi-SC Directive 40-1 by the end of 2015 optimize your relationships with all stakeholders to achieve mutual goals; Upcoming events international community, civil society, Afghan government, NGOs and the Afghan - Additional Key Leader Seminar is planned to take place in USA next year. women serving. Identify and tackle those - ACO Gender Advisor Conference NOV 19-20 (SHAPE) big issues that will have maximum impact as - Gender Conference UNSCR 1325 15th anniversary, NOV 18 (SHAPE). you can’t possibly address everything. The safety and security of those women currently serving must be your number one priority; positive results in recruiting and Please do not hesitate to contact ACO or ACT Gender Advisor Offices if you have any retention will result from looking after these women. Take baby steps because you can’t suggestions to improve this newsletter or feedback that you would like to share with us! change cultural perceptions overnight. Contact : charlotte.isaksson@shape..int or [email protected] 4