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UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1325:
 WOMEN, PEACE & SECURITY		  


RESOLUTION 1325: FIVE YEARS ON

On 31 October 2000, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. This historic document was the first of its kind to address specifically the impact of war on women, and women's contributions to conflict prevention, management and resolution. Resolution 1325 stressed the importance of bringing gender perspectives to the centre of all UN efforts related to peace and security, and recognised that women are not only victims of conflict but also key actors in the maintenance of international peace and security.

Resolution 1325 has had some positive impact as an advocacy and monitoring tool for gender issues. However, it still faces some significant challenges, not least the continuing poor representation of women at decision-making levels, including within the UN itself. Resolution 1325 'urges the Secretary-General to seek to expand the role and contribution of women in United Nations field-based operations'. However, as outlined in the box adjacent, progress is so far inadequate.

At the September 2005 UN World Summit - five years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 - world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the resolution. More recently, in October 2005, in response to a request from the Security Council, the Secretary- General delivered an action plan for the implementation of resolution 1325 across the UN system. This is the first time that the UN system has embarked on a planning effort of such breadth and complexity.

The action plan is designed to be used by UN entities to:

• prepare concrete strategies and programmes to advance the role of women
in peace and security areas;
• guarantee more efficient support to member states and others in implementation
of resolution 1325;
• strengthen the commitment and accountability of the UN system; and
• enhance cooperation among agencies.

Strategies and activities proposed in the action plan provide a long-term framework
for action and for achieving concrete results in the period between 2005 and 2007.
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GENDER BALANCE IN UN PEACE OPERATIONS (as of June 2006)

• Women comprised 26.1% of professional staff (345 out of 1,324) with appointments of one year or more in UN peace operations, representing an increase of 0.4% since the previous year
• Two out of 27 peace operations were headed by women
• There was one female Deputy Special Representative of the UNSG in a peace operation
• Of 23 peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions with more than 20 professional staff members:
- four had more than 30% women
- 12 had between 20% and 30% women
- seven had less than 20% women
• Women represented 4.4% of civilian police contingents in 16 peacekeeping missions
• Ten missions had gender advisors and/or gender units

These figures were taken from the website of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi).

© 2006 Amelia Rule

KEY DOCUMENTS

To view Security Council resolution 1325, visit the Security Council's website.

To read the 2005 World Summit Outcome's section on gender, go to the dedicated section of the
General Assembly's website:

To read both the Secretary-General's action plan and other essential information on the status of women within peace and security visit the website of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women


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