Women in War Zones
"We need to listen to the priorities that women define, to the barriers that women perceive. Their opinions are invaluable contributions to finding solutions to conflicts. I hope to receive a call for action on women’s political participation, in particular in electoral processes; on effective ways of supporting community based approaches."
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to welcome you to the Swedish-Dutch Conference on Women in War Zones, on the second anniversary of the Dutch national action plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. This is a very important event.
As holder of the EU Presidency, Sweden has proved to be a firm advocate of promoting this important theme within the EU. With the Council Secretariat, Sweden convened the first EU member states’ meeting on Resolution 1325 in October, and secured approval of measures to step up efforts by the EUSEC RD mission to combat sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I am also very pleased with this series of three conferences on the subject of Gender Equality. This is the second conference in the series. Its theme, Women in War Zones, is one of my major concerns.
We will have to move now from ideas to actions that make a real difference to the women in direstraits.
To me, as minister for Development Cooporation, it is unimaginable that in some parts of the world girls and women are still used as instruments or weapons of war. Or that half of the population – the women – are quite simply factored out of any effort to achieve and maintain stability.
And that’s the whole point, ladies and gentlemen. When women are granted equal access to education, health care and employment, they invest in their families, their communities and their countries. We need to listen to the priorities that women define, to the barriers that women perceive. Their opinions are invaluable contributions to finding solutions to conflicts. And that is why we are here today, to look for ways to enhance opportunities for women to actively participate in peace processes.
For instance, in South Sudan, especially in the years before the comprehensive peace agreement was concluded in 2005, I remember a trip were, women had organised themselves across the ethnic divide to help the leaders of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement close their ranks. And they were able to take part successfully in the negotiation process with the North.
An added benefit was the fact that the South Sudanese women had developed good working relations with their sisters in the North, and they trusted each other. It came as no surprise, therefore, that the women’s movement was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
Ladies and gentlemen, during my visits to fragile states like Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have to take the authorities to task regarding the role of women in peace processes, not from an arrogant point of view.
Yesterday for example, I returned from a visit to Kabul, Afghanistan. I could see the contribution of the Dutch Development Cooporation. On just about every count – education, health, security and economic and political life – the position of women in Afghanistan is among the worst in the world. This undermines a sustainable peace and reconstruction process. Nevertheless, we are also seeing more hopeful trends. In Uruzgan, for instance, more and more women are in a position to work outside their homes and participate in public life.
I am therefore committed to pushing for a consolidated national action plan for Afghanistan – based on Resolution 1325. And I have urged the UN Mission in Afghanistan and the Afghan government to draft it and support it financially. We are helping them to do this as we agreed during our discussions with parliament on the subject of Afghanistan.
Fortunately, there is an increasing worldwide focus on this issue. More and more countries, including post-conflict countries like Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, are now drawing up action plans to implement Resolution 1325.
In the DRC, which I have visited several times, we recently agreed collective funding arrangements for sexual and gender-based violence interventions through the UN Stabilisation and Recovery Funding Facility. This is necessary.
This approach will greatly enhance coordination of sexual violence interventions by MONUC and the UN Funds and Programmes, and will improve donor harmonisation on this issue. Above all, it will put sexual violence at the centre of our security and development efforts. What is more, the project we launched a year ago with the NGO Heal Africa to tackle impunity for acts of sexual violence in the province of Maniema has already resulted in several prosecutions.
Ladies and gentlemen, this conference is about women as actors in conflict and reconstruction situations. However, if we look at the statistics and take some distance from the good examples, few opportunities have been provided for women to actively engage in these processes. Of the 21 peace agreements that have been signed since 1992, only 6% of the negotiators were women and just over 4% of the mediators were women. If we look at funding for implementation of the peace agreements, the position of women was addressed in about a third of them, but in only 8% were specific outputs included to address their needs.
Last year, on 25 November, the international day for the elimination of violence against women, we watched the documentary Pray the Devil back to hell here in the Peace Palace. This documentary tells the story of thousands of women from Liberia who made a vital contribution to the peace talks leading up to the end of the civil war. It took tremendous persistence and talent for mediation on the part of these Liberian women, but eventually the country’s male negotiators had no option but to consult them on a solution. Today, we have Leymah Gbowee in our midst. She figures prominently in the film. She played an important part in the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently director of the regional Women Peace and Security Network Africa.
9 December 2008 marked the first anniversary of the Dutch national action plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325.
This year, two resolutions on women, peace and security were adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council. Where the language used in Resolution 1325 is weak and non-committal, the wording of Resolutions 1888 and 1889 on the role of women in armed conflict and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war is stronger and more compelling. This renewed commitment by the UN is an excellent opportunity to facilitate a much more active role for women. It provides a basis for women’s participation in early recovery and peacebuilding. However, we need to remain vigilant and ensure that these commitments are indeed integrated into the mandates of UN peace missions, appointed mediators and Special Envoys. We will continue to focus as a Dutch government on this matter, and on the crucial role of the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Peacebuilding Fund in explicitly promoting an active role for women in early warning systems, peace negotiations, early recovery and reconstruction processes.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see – we are talking the talk, but are we walking the walk?
Yes, we are.
Every single speaker you will hear today is walking the walk. Strong women who have fought for peace and freedom in their countries. Women who have evolved from activists to national politicians and international authorities on human rights and women’s rights. Their voices are now heard in many places in the world.
You will also hear Ilse and Femke van Velzen. They are Dutch documentary makers who give a voice to those we usually do not hear at all.
Their stories are very powerful. They will show you scenes from Weapon of War, their latest documentary about the perpetrators of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Last week, I had the great honour to open the premiere of this film during the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in the Tuschinski cinema.
The stories you will hear are horrendous, but again, those who come out strongest are the women. The mother and the wife of the perpetrator. Even the victim. She takes the lead in a reconciliation session with the man who raped her. She wants to rebuild her life from the ruins he left behind.
The power of this documentary, is in bringing men to the forefront. Though the women come out strong, we also need strong men. Men who dare to speak up against these atrocities. Men who confront and condone other men who commit atrocities. Make them see how their acts destroys their own wives, mothers and girl childs. And as a consequence how it debilitates the structures of their own communities and societies. I strongly belief educating the Congolese army on sexual violence and human rights can and will have an impact on the behaviour of the military, especially if it is being provided by fellow military. In Congo I went into one of these cinemas. It was full of men, watching this movies that is really confronting.
This is why I am seriously looking into supporting Ilse and Femke van Velzen of their project to start using this documentary for training purposes of the Congolese army. We need the men to act and act right.
One man who is acting, and not giving up, is Dr Denis Mukwege. Dr Mukwege will also speak today. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on being awarded a well-deserved Légion d’Honneur two weeks ago. Dr Mukwege has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, we have several Nobel Peace Prize nominees among our speakers today.
An increasing number of men – like Dr Denis Mukwege – are walking the walk. Particularly in the military. Therefore, I am truly pleased that Major General Bengt Andersson and Colonel Jan Blacquière are here today. They will underline the responsibility of the international community to protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights laws. They are change makers, male change makers. I believe men play an essential role in providing the space for change to happen. This is why only a few days ago, I made the commitment to becoming a member of the male leaders’ network on the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Ladies and gentlemen, how are we walking the walk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
NGOs are crucial partners in assisting women’s movements in fragile states, encouraging them to play their part and make their voices heard. This is why the Dutch national action plan is a joint effort between government and civil society. With the support of my Ministry, IFOR’s Women Peacemakers Programme – also one of the organisers of today’s event – is currently engaged in a pilot Trainer of Trainers course on masculinities, violence and peace. It is being given to 20 men from countries all over the world, from Burundi to Northern Ireland and from Fiji to Nicaragua. I am pleased to tell you that these men are here today.
Through the MDG3 Fund we are supporting non-governmental organisations active in fragile states. For example ISIS-WICCE, which is based in Uganda, has started a training programme for women leaders in Southern Sudan. Through this programme women gain the knowledge and skills needed to engage and take the lead in conflict transformation and peacebuilding.
Ladies and gentlemen, as I said earlier, we shouldn’t underestimate women’s strength that is available. Having strong women at the table is critical because women are often the eyes and ears of their communities. They are among the first to observe changes at the grassroots and can visit places and collect intelligence where men cannot. If these women, with all their knowledge, are shut out of meetings, early warning signs such as violence against women can easily be overlooked. And this is precisely why I requested this particular factor – violence against women – to be included in the investigation into the violent outbursts in Guinea last October. Last week, the UN Commission of Inquiry started its investigation into the mass killings, and the stories of rape are alarming. Today, Dr Sima Samar will tell you more about the importance of women’s movements as valuable partners in sounding the alarm in crisis situations and in formulating early responses to emerging conflict.
Someone recently said that Resolution 1325 and the work on women, peace and security are simply traditional development cooperation under a new name, with the rich nations telling others how to behave, and what to do and what not to do. I disagree entirely. I hope I made it very clear that women worldwide want to contribute themselves.
The Security Council has brought the role of women in conflict situations to the core of security matters. During an open debate in the Security Council on Resolution 1889, the UN Secretary-General stated that bringing women to the peace table improves the quality of the agreements reached, and increases the chances of successful implementation. Women set different priorities and their contribution in post-conflict situations can make a critical difference to community survival and reconstruction.
In other words, women themselves are that critical contribution: women as actors. And we have a lot to learn from them.
As you will see and hear today, people from various parts of the world, from post-conflict situations, from countries in the midst of reconstruction, from the Netherlands and from Sweden, are taking the responsibility to walk the walk.
I look forward to the results and recommendations of today’s conference, and I promise I will take them on board next year when we commemorate ten years of implementing Resolution 1325. I hope to receive a call for action on women’s political participation, in particular in electoral processes; on effective ways of supporting community based approaches; and on recommendations about our own role in DDR and SSR processes and peace missions.
I hope your recommendations will focus on laying the foundations for our efforts beyond 2010, because now we need to sustain and step up what we have achieved and are achieving.
We will continue to walk the walk, together.
I wish you a very inspiring and productive conference.
Thank you.