The Need for Women’s Full Participation in All Areas of Peace and Security to Enhance Conflict Prevention and Ensure Sustainable Peace

100 years of International Women's Day:
The Need for Women’s Full Participation in All Areas of Peace and Security to Enhance Conflict Prevention and Ensure Sustainable Peace

On 8 March 2011 we celebrate/d International Women’s Day for the 100th time. This date provides an opportunity to take stock of developments in the area of Women, Peace and Security (WPS). At both national and international level, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (and
subsequent UN Resolutions) has been a key tool for addressing WPS issues and to remind UN Member States of their commitments. The 10th anniversary celebrations of UNSCR 1325 in October 2010 have shown that some attempts at meeting WPS commitments have been made,
including the development of several National Action Plans (NAPs) to implement UNSCR 1325.

However, there is still a lack of attention paid to women as actors whose perspectives and participation are key to peace and security. While more attention to violence against women is needed, this should never be in isolation from efforts aimed at greater participation of women ‐
otherwise it risks reinforcing the image of women as mere passive victims of violence.

On this International Women’s Day, we would like to reiterate one of the key recommendations ofUNSCR 1325, which has also been identified as one of the five priorities for the work of UNWomen.

Read the full stetement here to the right.