The impact study – conducted a decade after the adoption of landmark Security Council resolution 1325 on women and peace and security, the first to address the specific impacts of conflict on women and call for women's engagement in peace processes – reports a mixed record on the overall contribution of UN peacekeeping to the implementation of the resolution.
"The impact study is a call to action to the senior leadership of peacekeeping to accelerate implementation of resolution 1325," said UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy.
"I will continue to prioritize this agenda and provide the necessary leadership to ensure that the entire peacekeeping family is effectively mobilized to support the building of more just and equal post-conflict societies," he added.
According to the report, peacekeeping has played a crucial role in the significant progress made in women's participation in politics – as voters, candidates and elected officials. The most marked difference in political representation of women has come in countries where quotas are in place, such as Timor-Leste and Burundi.
Peacekeeping missions have influenced legal and judicial reforms by supporting the adoption of gender equality laws in several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone. Deployments of patrols in high-risk areas in the Darfur region of Sudan and the DRC have also enhanced protection of women.
However, the study finds that peacekeeping has not succeeded in significantly improving women's participation in peace negotiations and highlights the need for a peacekeeping strategy to ensure engagement with diverse groups of women. Peacekeeping missions should also intensify advocacy to increase the representation of women in national security institutions, safeguard their equal rights, and expand opportunities for their professional advancement.
Despite some cases of enhanced political representation, women's ability to contribute effectively to governing their societies often remains hampered by persistent discrimination. Early and better-coordinated planning by peacekeeping, across the UN system and with national partners, is required to ensure lasting and meaningful changes for women in post-conflict situations, the report concludes.
The study also recommends:
• A more robust response should be employed to fight against conflict-related sexual violence, which remains highly prevalent in peacekeeping mission areas.
• The UN should devote more resources to the protection of women internally-displaced persons and refugees, with the support of international partners.
• Understanding of and support for gender equality by senior peacekeeping personnel is variable, and senior management should be held to a higher level of accountability for compliance with resolution 1325 and peacekeeping gender policy.
The Ten-year Impact Study on Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325(2000) on Women, Peace and Security in Peacekeeping was carried out by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the UN Department of Field Support.
To read the full report, please click here