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Critically Examining UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

2011; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 13; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14616742.2011.611658

1468-4470

Nicola Pratt, Sophie Richter-Devroe,

Gender Politics and Representation

Abstract Here, we introduce the articles that comprise this special issue of IFJP, entitled, ‘Critically Examining UNSCR 1325’. The aim of this special issue is to examine the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and its implications for women's activism and for peace and security. Given that the articles in this volume approach UNSCR 1325 from various perspectives and in different contexts, our aim in this introduction is to point out a number of conceptual, policy and practical issues that are crucial in the debates around UNSCR 1325 specifically, and women, peace and security more broadly. We do this in four parts: first, problematizing the resolution in relation to changes in global governance; second, examining the Resolution's assumptions about (gendered) agency and structure; third, examining the Resolution's assumptions about the links between conflict and gender; and, fourth, comparing different contexts in which 1325 is implemented. To some degree, differences between contributors may be accounted for by different understandings of feminism(s) as a political project. Different feminisms may underpin different visions of peace and, consequently, different projects of peacebuilding. Ultimately, this volume, while answering the questions that we originally posed, throws up new questions about transnational feminist praxis. Keywords: UNSCR 1325gendersecuritywomenwarpeaceparticipationviolence Notes While pointing out possible potentials of UNSCR 1325 authors, of course, also highlight contradictions and/or shortcomings inherent in the resolution. See, for example Hill (2002 Hill, F. 2002. NGO Perspectives: NGOs and the Security Council. Disarmament Forum, 1: 27–30. Available at: http://www.unidir.ch/pdf/articles/pdf-art9.pdf (accessed 29 June 2011) [Google Scholar]), Hill et al. (2003 Hill, F., Aboitiz, M. and Poehlman-Doumbouya, S. 2003. 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These 25 countries are Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, DRC, Holland, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Liberia, Nepal, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda and the United Kingdom. See http://www.peacewomen.org for updates. For such critical enquiries see, among others, Orford (2002 Orford, A. 2002. Feminism, Imperialism and the Mission of International Law. Nordic Journal of International Law, 71(2): 275–296. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Otto (2009 Otto, D. 2009. “The Security Council's Alliance of “Gender Legitimacy”: The Symbolic Capital of Resolution 1325”. In Fault Lines of International Legitimacy, Edited by: Charlesworth, H. and Coicaud, J.-M. 239–275. Cambridge: University Press Cambridge. [Google Scholar], 2010 Otto, D. 2010. Power and Danger: Feminist Engagement with International Law through the UN Security Council. Australian Feminist Law Journal, 32: 97–121. 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We would like to thank all the participants in those panels for the stimulating discussions that led to this special issue. See Anderlini (2007 Anderlini, S. N. 2007. Women Building Peace: What They Do, Why it Matters, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), Whitworth (2004 Whitworth, S. 2004. Men, Militarism and UN. Peacekeeping, London: Lynne Rienner. [Google Scholar]), Hill et al. (2003 Hill, F., Aboitiz, M. and Poehlman-Doumbouya, S. 2003. Nongovernmental Organizations’ Role in the Buildup and Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 28(4): 1255–69. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and Cockburn (2007 Cockburn, C. 2007. From Where We Stand: War, Women's Activism and Feminist Analysis, London: Zed Books. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]: 132–43) for a more detailed account on the build-up to the passing of UNSCR 1325. See http://www.peacewomen.org for an up-to-date account of activities and strategies developed to support and enforce the implementation of 1325 in different country contexts. For full details, see UNSC (2008 United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 2008. ‘Resolution 1820’, S/RES/1820. Available at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions08.htm (accessed 29 June 2011). [Google Scholar], 2009a United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 2009a. ‘Resolution 1888’, S/RES/1888. Available at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions09.htm (accessed 29 June 2011). [Google Scholar], 2009b United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 2009b. ‘Resolution 1889’, S/RES/1889. Available at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions09.htm (accessed 29 June 2011). [Google Scholar]). For such critical evaluation see, for example, NGOWG (2004 NGOWG. 2004. Four Years On: An Alternative Report and Progress Check on the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325, New York: NGOWG. Available at http://www.un-ngls.org/orf/cso/cso5/FourYearsOnOct04.pdf (accessed 29 June 2011) [Google Scholar], 2005 NGOWG. 2005. From Local to Global: Making Peace Work for Women, New York: NGOWG. Available at http://womenpeacesecurity.org/media/pdf-NGOWG_5_Years_On_Report_EN.pdf (accessed 29 June 2011) [Google Scholar]) as well as Abbas, Aroussi, Farr and Owen in this volume.