User:Lad04/Peacekeeping

Women's Participation In Peacekeeping

Women's Participation in the United Nations

Security Council Resolution 1325 was the first major step taken by the UN to include women as active and equal actors in "the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security". UNSCR 1325 establishes support through its four pillars: Participation, Protection, Prevention, Relief, and Recovery. The participation factor addresses the rise of women’s involvement across all sectors of dispute resolution and government. Protection provides for safeguarding civilians from sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.Prevention entails enhancing protocols for mediating violence against women in conjunction with assisting local women’s peace measures, reinforcing women’s rights, and repercussions for those who infringe on international law. Relief and recovery are a form of assistance through a gendered perspective in times of crisis. In 2010, a comprehensive 10-year impact study was conducted to assess the success of this resolution and found that there was limited success with the implementation, particularly in the increasing women's participation in peace negotiations and peace agreements, and sexual and gender-based violence has continued to be prevalent, despite efforts to reduce it.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 calls for states to initiate specific protocols to safeguard women and girls from gender-based crimes, specifically rape and sexual abuse. In 1975, the Decade for Women was established, which marked the beginning of the Women, Peace, and Security strategy. There was a greater call for action after the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia. Resolution 1325 acts as supporting the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, which addresses the role of gender and the term gender mainstreaming, the incorporation of an outlook on gender regarding topics such as security. Women's participation in peacekeeping is vital to implementing safety and security through a series of mission improvements. There is greater diversity, first-hand accounts, and precedent for more women peacekeepers. With more women participating in missions, there are more opportunities for reform because of experiencing the indirect effects of issues such as war.

Ghanaian women serve as UN Peacekeepers

In 2013 the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2122, which among other things calls for stronger measures regarding women's participation in conflict and post-conflict processes such as peace talks, gender expertise in peacekeeping missions, improved information about the impact of armed conflict on women, and more direct briefing to the Council on progress in these areas. Also in 2013, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a UN women's rights committee, said in a general recommendation that states that have ratified the UN Women's Rights Convention are obliged to uphold women's rights before, during, and after conflict when they are directly involved in fighting, and/or are providing peacekeeping troops or donor assistance for conflict prevention, humanitarian aid or post-conflict reconstruction The Committee also stated that ratifying states should exercise due diligence in ensuring that non-state actors, such as armed groups and private security contractors, be held accountable for crimes against women.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant challenge to UN peacekeepers. UN women peacekeepers are an important integral part of the peacekeeping process and faced the challenge directly. Women peacekeepers have contributed to promoting scientific protection knowledge, providing local medical services, and distributing supplies. Furthermore, women peacekeepers not only actively participated in peace and political processes, but also promoted the integration of gender into response planning under the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the efforts of UN women peacekeepers to maintain peace and promote gender equality, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have serious negative impacts on women through four aspects. In terms of economy, women who were already living on the economic margins had been hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic, with their incomes reduced by layoffs and housework. In terms of health, women formed 70% of health workforce, so they have been affected by the virus more severely; in addition, women's unique health needs have not been guaranteed. In terms of unpaid care work, the number of unpaid nursing and unpaid childcare work undertaken by women in the community and families has increased significantly due to the pandemic, which has reduced women's equal opportunities to work and girls' right to continue their education. In terms of gender-based violence, the data reported shows a 25% increase in cases of gender-based violence against women. In 2020, the UN Women chief pointed out that the further participation and leadership of female peacekeepers is crucial to advancing the peace process and promoting gender equality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of July 2016, women serve in every UN peacekeeping mission either as troops, police, or civilian staff. In 1993, women made up 1% of deployed uniformed personnel. In 2020, out of approximately 95,000 peacekeepers, women constituted 4.8% of military personnel, 10.9% of police personnel, and 34% of justice and corrections personnel in UN peacekeeping missions. As of September 2021, no state contributing more than 100 UN peacekeepers nominates more than 25% women; in absolute numbers, the largest female contingents are provided by Ethiopia (578 female peacekeepers, or 12% of its total forces), Rwanda (500/10%), and Ghana (389/17%). While there is no set target for the proportion of women among military personnel, the UN is requesting contributing states to nominate a minimum of 20% women for policer officer positions and 30% for justice and corrections personnel.

Effect of Women's Participation In Peacekeeping

A rise in women's participation in peacekeeping significantly contributes to an increase in safety and in security. Effects include wider dissemination to civilians by acting as a safe environment to report abuses such as sexual violence. There are circumstances in which certain settings are not disclosed to men and women peacekeepers aid in acquiring intelligence regarding such events within the local population. These circumstances coincide with women peacekeepers examining women combatants during disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration procedures. Dispute resolutions are enriched due to women peacekeepers' decreased reliance on undue force compared to men peacekeepers. Gender parity within peacekeeping acts as diversification within missions giving rise to participation empowerment and a rise in a mission capacity. For instance, in Liberia, there was an eleven percent increase in the national security division. The backlash factor leads to increased visibility; women in peacekeeping subvert the cultural expectations of women within states where peacekeeping occurs. Women become inspired by these roles that women peacekeepers take on as they go against the societal norm and illustrate that such actions are possible.

Women's participation outside the UN

Here are some examples of women's peacekeeping work outside the UN:

• Visaka Dharmadasa, the founder of Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action and the Association of War-Affected Women
• Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
• PAIMAN Alumni Trust
• Voice of Libyan Women
• Realizing Inclusion in Practice: The Philippines

Outside UN, women have also been involved in peacebuidling. Women set up different organizations in the local area, calling on the society to stop violence and maintain peace. For example, women have been fighting in the front line of peacekeeping, shuttling between the two sides of the conflict, actively coordinating and organizing peace negotiations, and promoting the peaceful development of the country. Women also provide some psychological counseling and living assistance to refugees and victims. Through these actions, women let the media and the world know that their efforts are proving the importance of peace.

It is not easy for women to participate in peacekeeping outside the UN, but there are still some factors that motivate them take part in the work. From the perspective of individual women, the danger to life, gender-based violence, and disruption of education all drive women to stop the war. Also, the leaders of the government and the armed forces are not promoting peace, which makes women come forward and participate in peacekeeping work. From a community perspective, women are more likely than men to reject hierarchy within their group, further promoting women to build peace across differences. From the perspective of the warring parties, women as intermediaries are perceived as honest and less threatening, which leads to women's access to warring parties' leaders and facilitates negotiations.

Challenges

Women in peacekeeping are exposed to constant challenges, such as an unsafe working environment, unequal access to opportunities, lack of information regarding missions, and lack of resources. Women peacekeepers can often be sent to a mission without sufficient information and training; this leads to peacekeepers dealing with dangers when they happen rather than being knowledgeable on what steps to take prior to such circumstances.

Women's participation in peacekeeping outside the UN also faces problems and difficulties. First, women's peacekeeping is rendered ineffective by the fact that operations are ad hoc and decentralized, with modes of operation limited to public marches or observation. Second, lack of funding prevents women from further peacekeeping operations. These restrictions include women's inability to attract more people to join, limited activity locations, and limited activity forms.

References

1. UN Peacekeeping (2022). “Women peacekeepers in the COVID-19 response”. United Nations.
2. UN Peacekeeping (2020). "Women peacekeepers on the front lines of COVID-19". We The Peoples.
3. UN Peacekeeping (2020). "Implementing WPS mandated tasks in the context of COVID-19". United Nations.
4. UN Women (2020). "UN Secretary-General’s policy brief: The impact of COVID-19 on women". United Nations.
5. UN Peace and Security (2020). "Women integral to battling coronavirus and pushing for lasting peace and security". UN News.
6. "Visaka Dharmadasa", Wikipedia, 2021-11-18, retrieved 2022-11-16.
7. "Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace", Wikipedia, 2022-04-13, retrieved 2022-11-16.
8. Ejaz, Muhammad (2022-06-30). "Civil Society, Gender and De-Radicalization Programs: A Case of PAIMAN Alumni Trust". Pakistan Social Sciences Review. 6 (II). doi:10.35484/pssr.2022(6-ii)42. ISSN 2664-0422.
9. "Voice of Libyan Women", Wikipedia, 2022-10-11, retrieved 2022-11-16.
10. O’Reilly, Marie; Súilleabháin, rea Ó; Paffenholz, Thania (2015-06-16). "Reimagining Peacemaking: Women's Roles in Peace Processes". International Peace Institute. Retrieved 2022-11-16. p. 19-26.
11. Alaga, Ecoma. "Background brief "Pray the Devil Back to Hell:" Women's ingenuity in the peace process in Liberia". doczz.net. pp. 6–8, 10, 12. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
12. O’REILLY, Marie (2015). "WHY WOMEN? Inclusive Security and Peaceful Societies" (PDF). Inclusive Security. pp. 5–7.