6th Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325
Turning Rights on Paper into Justice on the Ground:
Enforcing SCR 1325 as Binding international Law
October 23 (6:30pm - 9:00pm)
UN Church Center, 777 United Nations Plaza, 12th floor
Global Justice Center hosted a panel discussion on strengthening SC Resolution 1325 as a tool by arguing for its legal enforcement in national or international courts and other oversight bodies such as the UN Security Council. This panel explored ways lawyers and human rights groups can give teeth to SC 1325 by treating it as binding international law, which takes precedence over domestic law or policy. The panel focused on women's equality rights to transitional justice both during and post conflict, the relationship between SC 1325 and CEDAW, and feature current examples from women from Burma and Iraq.
The panel included:
- Basma Fakri, President, Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq
- Thin Thin Aung, Presidium Board Member, Women's League of Burma
- Janet Benshoof, President, Global Justice Center
On October 31st, 2000, the UN Security Council passed its first ever resolution specifically addressing the impact of war on women and women's contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace, Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
To commemorate the establishment of this groundbreaking international law on its 6th anniversary, the UN, along with collaborating NGOs, organized the annual October Advocacy Week on SCR 1325. The week provided a unique and powerful forum for organizations concerned with women's rights and transitional justice to gain visibility and raise issues on the resolution. Topics ranged from the role of women in peace building to representation of women in the UN system to the implementation and enforcement of SC Resolution 1325. For more information on the events that took place during October Advocacy Week, please visit www.peacewomen.org.
Seeing a strategic opportunity to increase awareness about the current status and uses of 1325, the Global Justice Center (GJC) carried out a coordinated effort to inform partner NGO's, UN agencies, and the public about the resolution's impact, as well as its pitfalls with regard to international law and enforcement. These efforts included hiring experts to lobby UN Security Council nations, hosting a panel on the legal enforcement of SCR 1325, and the appearance of GJC's founder and president, Janet Benshoof, on a radio broadcast, among other activities.
Noting the significance of the UN's decision to place Burma on the Security Council for the first time in its long history of conflict, the Global Justice Center hired Jennifer Quigley, an expert with an extensive history of working with women of Burma, to coordinate a campaign to lobby nations currently seated on the UN Security Council. Women leaders from the Women's League of Burma—including Thin Thin Aung of the Women's Rights and Welfare Association of Burma, Tay Tay and Ying Lao of the Shan Women's Action Network, and Dwelling of Kachin Women's Association-Thailand—led this effort to end violence against women in Burma, hold the SPDC accountable for its war crimes, and ensure that women were a part of the effort to rebuild democracy.
During October Advocacy Week the GJC hosted a panel on the legal enforcement of SCR 1325, detailing the challenges of its implementation. Speaking on the panel were Janet Benshoof of the Global Justice Center, Thin Thin Aung of the Women's League of Burma, and Basma Fakri of the Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq. Both Aung and Fakri explained the successes and shortcomings of the resolution in their respective countries and their perspectives on the advancement of women's rights in the future.
Benshoof explained that while SCR 1325 is a binding resolution, there are limits to its enforcement. Because the law is a UN resolution, the agencies charged with enforcing it typically deal only with member states. Therefore, its reach, including funding, does not extend to those groups who are worst off, as these groups are often politically sensitive (i.e., Iraq) or fall outside member states (i.e., the Burmese pro-democracy movement). In addition, NGO's that work to realize the provisions of SCR 1325 are denied the right to apply for full access (consultative status) to the UN system until they have been in existence for two years. Given that many organizations working for transitional justice quickly materialize in periods of conflict and rapidly changing political conditions, the two-year requirement restricts UN access for NGO's which most need it. Temporary consultative status is one example of an initiative that would help correct these barriers to the resolution's enforcement.
Benshoof also pointed out that, among member states, two crucial avenues for enforcing SCR 1325 include (1) the adoption of the law into the domestic law of a state and (2) the implementation of the law through domestic courts. The upcoming training of the Iraq High Tribunal Judges (conducted by the GJC and Iraqi women's groups) on gender and international law—including SCR 1325—is key in ensuring that the resolution is effectively carried out in Iraq. By referencing the resolution in its decisions, the IHT can be a force for promoting gender justice for Iraqis and SCR 1325 globally. It is positioned to take SCR 1325 from a "symbolic resolution" into "enforceable law" to protect women's rights.
To close out the week, Benshoof spoke on the legal enforcement of 1325 as part of a line-up of expert speakers contacted to comment on the resolution. The 24-hour radio broadcast was held by the International Women's Tribune Center and Radio FIRE. During this broadcast, which aired in conflict societies across the globe, Benshoof commented on the legal enforcement of 1325 and the resolution's limitations within the UN context. Her comments were alluded to throughout the broadcast by subsequent speakers. Please visit www.iwtc.org for more information, or to >download the broadcast or a transcript of the text.
In the six years since SCR 1325 was passed, a benchmark has been set for women's involvement in all phases of democracy building, offering a rallying point and a basis for the legal enforcement of women's inclusion. However, the resolution still has incredible potential which has yet to be fulfilled. The Global Justice Center through information campaigns and training key players in the field, seeks to fill the gap so that the law intended to protect and empower women in conflict can reach those who need it most.