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Congo-Kinshasa: Seventh Anniversary of the UN Resolution On "Women Peace And Security"
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United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
INTERVIEW
2 November 2007
Posted to the web 3 November 2007
Oscar Mercado
Kinshasa
October 31, 2007 marks the seventh anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on "Women, Peace and Security", which focus on gender issues. We talked to Asseta Ouedraogo, Head of MONUC Gender Office, who explained to us the content of this resolution and its application in the DRC.
What is the content of resolution 1325?
First, it is a resolution that has been adopted unanimously by the Security Council. It is the first resolution that speaks about the impact of war on women and what should be done in order for the victims to be taken in charge. It is a resolution that takes care of the main victims of wars and armed conflicts, that is girls and women. For example, if you take a look to the displaced people, you will see that most of them are women and girls. Moreover, in a war situation, the rate of sexual violence committed against women is dramatically higher than usual.
What is the impact of this resolution?
The resolution 1325 aims at taking into consideration the gender dimension with regard to conflict resolution. To arrive there, the key point is women's participation in the decision-making process in the country.
In the post-conflict period, we notice the setting up of the institutions and the legal framework, and then it is an opportunity to be able to integrate women in the decision-making process and to increase their representation within the institutions, because we can not build a lasting development without the involvement of everybody, men and women.
What do you do to achieve the recommendations of this resolution in DRC?
The Gender Office of MONUC, in collaboration with the UN agencies, the civil society and the Congolese government through the Ministry of woman's condition, worked a lot in the framework of women's participation in the decision-making process. We made awareness campaigns to make people understand that women must be integrated in the decision-making. We also popularized the text through readings and, in collaboration with the Ministry of woman's condition, we implemented an action plan for the resolution 1325.
Currently, we are working with the Ministry to elaborate a national action plan on the implications of this resolution, including the protection of women against the sexist violence and the sexual violence as well as the fight against impunity, which is a very important factor in DRC.
We also work in the way that women's initiatives in the consolidation of peace are recognized. That is also an important element in the resolution 1325 which stipulates that everything that women make concerning the consolidation of peace is taken into account.
What are the main problems that you face in the application of this resolution in the DR of Congo?
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I believe that the key problem is the understanding of the resolution, the acceptance of its content by everyone and that everybody adheres to it. There, we have some serious difficulties with men and even with women because it is necessary to understand the well-founded resolution, in order to adhere to it and to make contributions. The resolution cannot only be admitted by an institution but by everybody, either on DRC's level or the international one. As long as this understanding is not unanimous, we will always have some problems for its application.
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| Copyright © 2007 United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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