Radical Shift Needed on Bringing Women's Input on Peace, Security

New goals and effective plans for women's involvement in peacebuilding are needed before it is too late, Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women has said. Bahous was speaking during a United Nations Council meeting to reaffirm the importance of Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, adopted in October 2000, and to take stock of implementation since it turned 20 nearly three years ago. The meeting was chaired by Mozambique, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency this month.

Bahous acknowledged the strides made towards achieving gender equality in the first two decades since the resolution was taken but said "we have neither significantly changed the composition of peace tables, nor the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls."

Bineta Diop of the African Union Commission also addressed the Council, highlighting its work in getting countries to accelerate the implementation of the resolution saying this is being done through a strategy focused on advocacy and accountability, and in building a network of women leaders on the continent.

There are currently more than 100 armed conflicts raging around the world, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The organization sees the daily brutal impacts of armed conflict on women and girls which include sexual violence, displacement, and deaths during childbirth because they lack access to care.