Peace & freedom the first group responsible for violence is the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

strengtHenIng Women’s rIgHts and securItY In tHe mena regIon

MENA AGENDA 1325

WORKING TOGETHER FOR PEACE

Women’s InternatIonal league for

Peace & freedom

“Weapons are not only in the hands of the state; Women are afraid of the arms held by their husbands and children. We need to start a public discourse about private Weapons” Woman, Lebanon, Spring 2012 “the first group responsible for violence is the police”

Woman, Tunisia, Spring 2012

dealIng WItH damagIng trends In tHe mena regIon

there is no doubt that women activists played a vital role in the uprisings demanding democracy in the middle east and north africa (mena) region. they fought side by side with the men in the underground movements, in the streets and from behind computers. the uprisings came with a promise of equality and freedom, but so far it is strikingly clear that the women’s efforts did not translate into an increased public participation in the reform process. the promise of equality and freedom seems forgotten and women in the region find themselves more marginalised and excluded from the formal decision-making than before. stories about acts of violation and discrimination against women are

• verspilling from the region; these incidents illustrate that women are still

considered as subordinate to men. slowly the old masculine structures are rebuilt and strengthened, and we see an increase of militarism, arms flow and violence that has gender specific impacts in the region. moreover, it is highly likely that social services will be cut or not be considered a priority as a result of increased military budgets. these are damaging trends that need to be dealt with immediately. Women in the region have to integrate peace and security issues in their activities. they need to challenge the increased militarisation and escalating violence and demand access to the decision-making process in accordance with the international human rights obligations. In spring 2012 – one year after the uprising – Women’s International league for Peace and freedom (WIlPf) has started the mena agenda 1325 in order to draw attention to discrimination against women and support the efforts to reinforce peace and security in the region.

PALESTINE

mena regIon

middle east & north africa

“democratic transition is taking place at the expense of Women’s rights” Women, Morocco, Spring 2012

eIgHt countrIes

during the first phase, mena agenda 1325 focuses on the following eight countries in the mena region: Iraq, libya, tunisia, egypt, Jordan, lebanon, Yemen and morocco. WIlPf has teamed up with a national partner in each country and invited national experts and grassroots activists from a variety of women’s and youth organisations to participate.

Women, men, and tHe rIgHt to Influence

each country has its own agenda and specific challenges, but what all eight countries have in common is that, historically, women’s rights have been subordinate to men’s power. moreover, as a result of this, women in the region face heavy obstacles that prevent them from participating in the public sphere and they are excluded from the decisionmaking process concerning peace and security.

maPPIng tHe Issues

to strengthen women’s rights and security in the region, women need to define their strategies, develop their knowledge about security policy issues and use their networks. Without this they will not be able to gain access to participate in and influence security-related discussions and actions. this is where mena agenda 1325 steps in. throughout 2012, the project is working to identify obstacles to, and

• pportunities for the advancement of, women’s rights and their influence
• n the peace and security policy-making in the region.

the issues being mapped include:

• What is the relationship between human rights obligations and women,

peace and security in each country?

• How safe are women human rights defenders and what can be done to

ensure their security?

• How is the women’s rights agenda being addressed in peace building,

conflict resolution, and in decision-making processes at government and grassroots levels?

• How can this be built so that women become partners in peace and

security decision-making?

• How is it possible to create and promote a strong network between

women’s organisations and groups working with peace and security issues in the region?

lInKIng state oBlIgatIons

the project will enforce and strengthen the link between the convention

• n the elimination of discrimination against Women (cedaW), the Beijing

Platform for action (BPa), unscr 1325 and its subsequent resolutions in order to strengthen the ‘women, peace and security agenda’ in the mena region. according to these instruments, the state is obliged to realise women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

Process

mena agenda 1325 is carried out in collaboration with partners, experts and grassroots activists from the eight countries, who are contributing to discussions at a national level. during spring 2012, WIlPf has coordinated and conducted national consultations in the eight countries. these focused on the existing specific challenges and opportunities facing each country, as well as identified commonalities in the region. the outcome of the national consultations is the foundation for an international conference with participants from each country that will take place in geneva, switzerland, in June 2012 during the 20th session

• f the Human rights council.

an outcome document will analyse the experiences and recommendations

• f women from the mena region and – not least – point out the way

forward to strengthening women’s rights and peace and security in this highly militarised region.

“everything in the region is changing, yet We do not have the language to talk about gender, peace and security. We need to create neW terms” Woman, Jordan, Spring 2012

“there is no clear understanding of What gender equality is”

Woman, Iraq, Spring 2012

Foto: UN Women/Fatma Elzahraa Yassin

“change Will not be transformative if Women are not presented in all elements of that change”

Madeleine Rees, Secretary General, WILPF

Foto: Rowan Farrell

donor and Partners

mena agenda 1325 is coordinated by the Women’s International league for Peace and freedom (WIlPf) with financial support from the government of norway, the government of the united Kingdom, the government of the netherlands, and the government of switzerland. the national partners are:

neXt steP

the project will be brought back to the national level after the international conference. each country will develop an action agenda to follow-up on the recommendations made. as the national consultations have already advocated for, emphasis will also be made on networking and research on women, peace and security in the region. Jordan: arab Women organisation lebanon: aBaad-resource center for gender equality morocco: union de l’action féminine tunisia: association des femmes tunisiennes pour la recherche sur le développment iraq: 1325 ngo network libya: el Karama and the libyan Women’s Platform for Peace yemen: Human rights Information & training center egypt: appropriate communication techniques for development

“Women had a place to go and express ourselves during the uprising – We Went to the square. but noW, Where do We go? Which institutions support us to share our vieWs?” Woman, Yemen, Spring 2012 “Women are absent from all negotiations, meetings and security decisions”

Woman, Iraq, Spring 2012

“We need to keep What We gained from the revolution. We need to change the portrayal of Women in the media and educate people about the history of Women’s struggle for equality”

Woman, Egypt, Spring 2012

Women’s InternatIonal league for

Peace & freedom

WIlPf

1, rue de Varembé case Postale 28 1211 geneva 20 / switzerland t: +41 (0)22 919 70 80 e: mena1325@wilpf.ch www.wilpfinternational.org the Women’s International league for Peace and freedom (WIlPf) is a non-profit peace organisation that brings women together to

• ppose war, violence and global militarisation.