From June 30 to July 2, 2015, 26 international civil society representatives from over 25 countries working on Women, Peace & Security came together in The Hague for the Global Consultation “Candid Voices From the Field: Obstacles to Delivering Transformative Change within the Women, Peace & Security Agenda” organized by Women Peacemakers Program (WPP), Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and Cordaid.
The consultation brought together a wealth of knowledge and experience on Women, Peace and Security, comprising a wide variety of backgrounds and regions. Building upon this expertise, the consultation reflected on the obstacles and opportunities for women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding processes. The stories shared were a reality check of 15 years implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, unveiling the underlying obstacles to transformative change in participants’ peace work. Discussions during the Global Consultation touched upon narrow UNSCR 1325 implementation; the need to combine insider and outsider implementation tactics and the importance of a holistic Women, Peace & Security approach.
"Pluralism was recognized in Beijing, but #UNSCR1325 has been very homogenized, which limits transformative change" #CandidvoicesWPS
Several participants shared good practices from their local communities, in which they took a holistic approach to advance women’s leadership in community peacebuilding. Community ownership of UNSCR 1325 processes in Uganda; participatory approaches and active nonviolence to advance women’s leadership within communities in Zimbabwe; indicators on transformation in regards to masculinities and conflict in India; an holistic approach to address domestic violence in Palestine; nonviolent mobilizing of women leaders against militarism and impunity in India; and lobby and advocacy campaigns - including mass actions - to support peace negotiations in the Philippines were shared as inspiration and enriched the strategy discussions during the consultation.
During the Global Consultation, the participants had the chance to meet over 15 representatives of Embassies based in The Hague, as well as representatives from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Ministry of Defense, and Dutch civil society members during a “Meet & Greet”, on June 30. This Meet & Greet proved to be a unique opportunity to network and exchange insights and information about the Women, Peace & Security agenda.
"Re-integrating values such as 'solidarity' and 'empathy' will strengthen movement building for transformative #Unscr1325" #candidvoiceswps
The Global Consultation is part of the Action and Research Project “Candid Voices From the Field: Obstacles to Delivering Transformative Change within the Women, Peace & Security Agenda”, a joint project of WPP, Cordaid and GPPAC. In light of 15th anniversary of UNSCR 1325, this project draws on existing research to ask challenging questions about the persistent gaps to the full implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Findings from the Consultation will be incorporated in the research.
"Masculinities is crucial point: #UNSCR1325 hasn't been able to address that men are losing out in conflict & war too" #candidvoicesWPS
Moving beyond the UN Security Council’s definition of conflict situations, the project looks at case studies, highlighting the importance of women’s efforts for conflict prevention, nonviolent conflict resolution, and post-conflict rebuilding. Drawing on these perspectives, the project will provide action-oriented recommendations for governments, international organizations, and civil society colleagues.
"This project is not just a research; it is about #mobilisation & #advocacy on #UNSCR1325 and #Women #Peace & #Security" - #CandidvoicesWPS
The results of this action research will be presented in October 2015, to coincide with the 15th anniversary of UNSCR 1325. Preliminary results have been fed to the Global Study on the implementation of UNSCR 1325, which is currently being conducted by UN Women, under the leadership of Radhika Choomaraswamy.
Quotes from the Consultation can be found on Twitter: #CandidvoicesWPS
12 Dec '17 Today, we are pleased to share with you the Conference Report “Financial Inclusion for Freedom and Security” by the Women Peacemakers Program, Duke Law International Human Rights Clinic, Human Security Collective, Transnational Institute, the Charity & Security Network, in cooperation with the Knowledge Platform Security and Rule of Law.
7 Dec '17 Today, on the 13th day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, we bring you the sad news that from 15 December onwards, the Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) will have to close its doors. We would like to ask for your time to read what has driven us to make this decision.
7 Nov '17 On Thursday, 26 October 2017, a side event entitled, “Pulling the Rug from Under Our Feet: What is the UNSCR 1325 Without Civil Society Freedoms?” was hosted on the margins of the 17th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325. The event was hosted by the Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) and the Dutch Mission, in collaboration with Duke Law’s International Human Rights Clinic, Al-Hayat Center for Civil Society Development, Arab Women Organisation of Jordan, NOVACT, Free Sight Association, Iraqi Al-Amal Association, Women Empowerment Organisation, NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. This article briefly looks at the main issues discussed during the event.
