Investing in Women, Investing in Peace: Financing 1325, Gender Equality and Peace

 Excellent session presented by ICAN – International Civil Society Action Network & The Global Network of Women Peacebuildiers – Bridging Global Policy with local action on Women, Peace and Security

Photos from the sessions

Yes, joining us in the audience was Leymah Ghowee, Nobel Peace Prize recipient!

Mavic Cabrera-Balleza – welcome, and background on GNWP

2010, SGs, 10^th anniversary of 1325, identified 2 key factors, 1. Lack of political will, 2^nd. Inadequate financing for implementation. About 35 countries, or 16% of the countries. Study – Costing 1325 – how much does it cost to implement 1325. Not enough resources to implement 1325. Took up recommendations and piloted them – established a platform for resources. Platform of performance for accountability. Using resources properly. Mulitstakeholders financing – want more resources from donor community. All saying 1325 important, now need financing. Telling countries to put into budget. Started multi stakeholders financing – Look at UN system – UNDP – price of peace, financing gender equality for post conflict recovery. Saw Netherlands – actual support for developing action plans. Outcomes of workshop – to go into outcomes document.

Catherine Mabobori – Burundi – national action plan adopted Dec. 2011.

Was activist, now in government – Context of adopting 1325 – Burundi – post conflict country. Benefited from special post conflict process. 2005 – emerging now to developing country. Peacebuilding – include poverty reduction. No development without peace, and no peace without development. 

Policies VS R 1325. Constitution calls on equality and non discriminatory principle between men and women. CEDAW is incorporated in the Constitution. Have affirmative action – quota system for participation making. Burundi Vision 2025 – Development of Action Plan

Planning – Budgeting and Financing Process – specific budget line – increased from $44,000 to $100,000. Also budget to deal with violence against women, and have project from the Trust Fund.

Challenges, economic empowerment, ongoing gender based violence, integrating gender in security sector reform and peace missions, transversality, capacity budgeting, research, women and transitional justice. Multistakeholder financing mechanism: a model of financial cooperation. The ultimate success of national action plans on SCR 1325, and 1820 depends on their funding and commitment to ensure their full implementation. Although NAP was recently adopted it’s implementation was already in progress.

Other commitments – Sept. 2011 – embassies, Netherlands recently adopted the 2^nd NAP and is ready to take the lead for the MSHFM. MSHFM will insure more transparency and accountability. Best way to coordinate is  by establishing a technical coordinating mechanism. One of the very few multistake holders funders – 

Peter van de Vliet – Netherlands – Supporting women’s empowerment in emerging democracies. Investing in Women – UNDP – gender gap one of the reasons for lack of development – in countries own advantage to have women in power structure, Had their first action plan in 2007 – emphasized complementary work of government and NGOs. Successful training courses – Spanish and dutch officials. Netherlands launched 2^nd Action Plan. Aligned with 3 pillars – freedom, security, and economic growth. 2^nd plan to support women’s role in post conflict countries. Expertise not enough – without money, action plans never implemented. Dutch Action plan where many partners commit resources – financially and expertise. 10 million euros per year. Some joint initiatives. Dutch contribute to multistakeholders – other partners commit too. 

Coraid’s WPS   programme

Facilitation multi stakeholder mechanisms for NAP UNSCR 1325 implementation. Enhancement of women’s political participation in peacebuilding process. Integration of WPS issues in national and international security strategies, protection of Women Human Rights Defenders. Civil Society Organiations (CSO) participation is crucial. Women’s organizations involved – a precondition for inclusion and local ownership leads to sustainability. Women’s organizations have a lot of resources to commit – mobalizing the society. Guiding Principles: Locally owned frameworks, based on comprehensive and accurate assessment of needs, resources and capacities. Earmamark 1325 funds, review military and other government budgets and identify windows through which 1325 implementation could be funded. Engage private sector – where we can find resources. 

Process for establishing multistakeholders mechanism –

Assessment: needs, benchmark analysis

Joint planning process, government, and others.

Budget eamaked specifically for CSOs, linking and learning, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation. 

UNDP – Dr. Ozonnia Ojielo

Just came from a meeting with Fiji – Stand by generator. Help us to learn from the past. Easier when gone thru major events – spirit of 1325 – need to go thru war? Challenges of postconflict recovery. Reintagration of community members – also related, security – unskilled – need for effective financing for gender advancements essential Legacy of violence – must deal with this. Recovery of livelihoods – social capital, financial capital. NDPP – reminds us of this – Decades of work by women’s global movement. Attn. to women’s empowerment post conflict – fairly widely accepted society hasn’t supported women and girl  post conflict. UNDP supported women thru all parts of the process. Inclusive development – 10 gender advisors – in many countries affected by conflict. UNDP in 177 offices, comply with UNDP Steering committee-  Recovery assets better placed with women who made better use of the resources when invested in women. 

Liberian leader – take both Christian and Muslim sectors together. Heal divisions. 

Fiji – truth and reconciliation – rules that restrict – women not comfortable talking with men. So much fear – how can consultations happen? Fear of torture. Answer – women have to be vigilant – women have to think it is their business – not accepted – did have observatory status – could observe, and interact – support from UN women – have to mobalize together – women were united to be part of peace negotiations. Do we take revolutionary process or step by step process. Success of change of political process  MDGs not being achieved in post conflict and fragile states. What will be our agenda after 2015 when MDGs expire. When preconditions lacking for development- have poverty. 

Janis Alton – bloated budgets on military arms, compared with what supporting 1325.

Speaker from Ghana – countries going from yellow to red. Saw machetes – conflict is for others. Need to be vigilance – pay attention to warning signs. Military expenditures compared with development expenditures.   Plan well ahead of time capacity building for elections. Working on sexual and gender based violence -