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“All peace and security advocates – both individually and as part of organizational work - should read the 2012 civil society monitoring report on Resolution 1325! It guides us to where we should focus our energies and resources to ensure women’s equal participation in all peace processes and at all decision- making levels, thereby achieving sustainable peace.” -Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under- Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations “The GNWP initiative on civil society monitoring of UNSCR 1325 provides important data and analysis Security Council Resolution 1325: Security Council Resolution WOMEN COUNT WOMEN COUNT on the implementation of the resolution at both the national and local levels. It highlights examples of what has been achieved, and provides a great opportunity to reflect on how these achievements can Security Council Resolution 1325: be further applied nationwide. In this regard my Ministry is excited to be working with GNWP and its members in Sierra Leone on the Localization of UNSCR 1325 and 1820 initiatives!” - Honorable Steve Gaojia, Minister of Social Welfare, Gender & Children’s Affairs, Government of Sierra Leone Civil Society Monitoring Report 2012 “The 2012 Women Count: Security Council Resolution 1325 Civil Society Monitoring Report uses locally acceptable and applicable indicators to assess progress in the implementation of Resolution 1325 at the country and community levels. The findings and recommendations compel us to reflect on what has been achieved thus far and strategize on making the implementation a reality in places that matters. Congratulations to GNWP-ICAN on this outstanding initiative!” - Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate “The civil society monitoring report on UNSCR 1325 presents concrete data and analysis on Civil Society 2012 Report Monitoring the implementation of the resolution at national level. It helps us identify priorities for implementation and allocate resources to ensure women’s participation in all peace processes and achieve long lasting peace. A must read for all peace and security actors and advocates. Congratulations to GNWP on this outstanding initiative!” - Sadhu Ram Sapkota, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Government of Nepal “A beautifully presented, thoroughly documented accounting of what is happening to a resolution that came from the grass roots, was vetted by the grass roots and was lobbied for by women for unanimous adoption by the Security Council. Cheers to the women of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders for their careful, detailed work. GNWP is also making a unique contribution working at localization. It’s about time that some western based organization relied on local women to plan their own peacemaking program. Local women are planning their own strategies in peacebuilding and adapting UNSCR1325 to meet their needs.” - Cora Weiss (former President, International Peace Bureau, now its UN representative, President, Hague Appeal for Peace) A project of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Liberia, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Uganda 1 EUROPE Spain Researcher and author: Ana Sánchez Mera Acknowledgements: Center of Defense Documentation (Centro de Documentación de Defensa) Kristian Herbolzheimer and Nerea Bilbatúa from Conciliation Resources, Maria Villellas and Manuela Mesa from CEIPAZ and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders. 2 Women Count 2012 Civil Society Monitoring of UNSCR 1325 I. Women, peace and security profile Introduction 2011 was a difficult year for Spain. The global financial crisis The Spanish Ministry of Defense introduced many changes has had a devastating impact on the Spanish economy, which is in domestic policies over the last couple of years aimed at currently one of the most fragile European economies. increasing women’s participation in the Spanish defense forces. The most important one is the Law 39/2007, which High unemployment rates (up to 52 percent of unemployment incorporates a gender approach to the military career at all among youth), huge cuts in public services such as health or levels, from recruitment to promotions, trainings, etc. education and a loss of social rights led to a general feeling of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. This has created a favorable In 2011, the percentage of women in the army was 12 percent atmosphere for a popular uprising and led to the appearance (see more detailed information in the data analysis) and Spain of many social movements, such as the 15M or Real Democracy has participated in several Peacekeeping Operations: Now (Democracia Real Ya). ▶ ATLANTA, Horn of Africa: The aim of this mission is to The Spanish population took to the streets on May 15th 2011 protect and guarantee safe sea transport around the Horn and, like in other parts of the world, they crowded squares of Africa. and fought for a real democracy in Spain, reminding their ▶ EUTM Somalia: This mission aims to promote peace and politicians that, “We are not merchandise in politicians’ or development in Somalia. Spanish defense forces are bankers’ hands.” implementing a capacity building action plan in order to Since then, many other demonstrations and strikes have taken improve the capacities of the Somali security forces. place. Social tension keeps growing while the economy keeps ▶ UNIFIL, Lebanon: Spain works on the enforcement of the getting worse. While unemployment continues to increase, UNSCR 425/1978 and UNSCR 426/1978, helping the social, political, cultural and economic rights move backwards. Lebanese government to improve their control over the area and making sure the Israeli Defense Forces withdraw their After the great success of the 15M demonstration, people created troops from the south Lebanon area. Spain also works on different assemblies. One of them is the “Assembly of Feminisms” removing mines from the field, provides health assistance to which drafted a number of gender-sensitive demands to be the civilian population, facilitates Spanish language courses included in the popular requests of the movement.1 and promotes civilian-military cooperation. Another movement, the “Violet Tide” (Marea Violeta), was ▶ UNIMIK, Kosovo: The objectives of the mission are to created as well, aiming to protest against government cuts establish a civil administration in the area, to protect and towards gender issues. This a platform of various women guarantee Human Rights and improve financial activity and and feminist organizations claiming that all “the cuts applied reconstruction plans. to gender issues mean a violent aggression to the advances ▶ UNIFIED, Libya: Under the scope of the UNSCR 1970/2011 achieved by women in all these years of democracy.”2 and 1973/2011, Spain has contributed to this mission in Libya by carrying out embargo and no fly zone operations. 2011 was also the year that Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA, the Basque Country terrorist group) announced the end of its ▶ ISAF, Afghanistan: The Spanish mission in Afghanistan armed fight, following two years without any violence. After follows the mandate of the UNSCR 1991/2011. Having having announced a ceasefire at the beginning of the year been present in the country since 2001, the Spanish on October 20th, 2011, the group announced the end of its forces deployed currently focus on improving the security violent resistance. Yet, the negotiations have yet to be finalized conditions of the area, providing humanitarian aid and due to concerns and disagreements on key issues such as the empowering Afghan defense forces. placement of the prisoners.3 ▶ EUSEC, DRC: This mission aims to help and provide technical assistance within the Security Sector Reform in the DRC. A. Nature of the conflict ▶ MONUSCO, DRC: Following the UNSCR 1991/2011, Spain Spain approved a National Action Plan (NAP) for the has contributed to the maintenance of peace in the country 4 implementation of the UNSCR1325 in 2007. The and supporting the government efforts in its peacekeeping implementation of the NAP involves various bodies and operations. ministries, such as the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health, The number of women deployed in the aforementioned Social Affairs and Equality. An inter-ministerial group was Peacekeeping Operations (PKO)s is still low (only six percent) created in order to monitor and evaluate the implementation and there are no women in high-level positions. of the NAP but this group is not operational anymore. 1 http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=128966 B. Impact of the conflict on women 2 http://www.movimientosdegenero.com/wp-content/uploads/ ManifiestoMareaVioleta.pdf Since there is no armed conflict in Spain, this section will 3 http://www.elpais.com/especial/eta/ instead focus on Spanish interventions in the field of 4 http://www.maec.es/es/MenuPpal/Asuntos/Polticasigualdaddegenero/ development and/or humanitarian aid programs in conflict or Documents/Plan%20Acci%C3%B3n%20Espa%C3%B1a%20Resoluci%C3%B3n%20 1325.pdf post-conflict situations. 3 All the measures taken in order to assess, evaluate and reduce II. Data presentation and analysis the impact of the conflict on women are considered in the Spanish Plan for Women and Security, which recognizes that “Women and men are affected differently by armed conflict A. Participation because of gender relations already built up in different