March 17, 2015
Women’s Rights in the 21st Century: Fifteen Years After UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
In 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, a landmark framework that would shape the global understanding of the roles of women in conflict situations and peace-building processes. Acknowledging the changing nature of warfare, in which civilian casualties have grown exponentially and gender-based violence has become a weapon of war, and recognizing the critical role of women in creating sustainable peace, the Resolution called on member states to take measures to increase participation of women in peace-building processes and to protect women from gender-based violence. Dozens of countries have developed National Action Plans to implement the Resolution and several further Security Council Resolutions have been adopted to reinforce the norms codified in the Resolution. In 2015, the women, peace, and security agenda is being reevaluate by the UN Security Council. To close the gap between the promise of Resolution 1325 and its implementation, 10 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including Jody Williams, commissioned Jared Genser and other partners to prepare and submit a report to the UN Security Council evaluating the impact of the Resolution 1325 and recommending how its implementation can be addressed. In anticipation of the the report that is to be submitted in late March, Jody Williams and Jared Genser will join the Human Rights Initiative to preview its findings and its implications, and to discuss women's rights in the 21st century.
