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FOLLOW UP |
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FOLLOW UP OF ROADMAP TO 1325
Gender in the European Union's Peace and Security Policy |
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Supported by the European Commission Program "Europe for Citizens: Structural support for civil society organizations at the European level" |
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During the conference "Roadmap 1325", representatives of 26 organizations sat down together to write a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at a time when Germany holds the Presidency of the European Council. The letter was also sent to European Commission and the European Council, as well as several individuals in other institutions. The letter called for the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 and expressed concern about the situations in Sudan and Kosovo. The letter was signed by 150 participants of the conference.
Presentations of the speakers of the conference, when available, can be found under their respective biographies [Speakers].
A press release of the Women's Security Council (WSC) on the occasion of the 7th anniversary of UN resolution 1325 can be found at the page of the [WSC].
| Roadmap to 1325 - Gender in the EU’s Peace and Security PolicyResults of Berlin Conference, May 04-06, 2007
Dear Chancellor Frau Dr. Merkel,
We, the 150 participants of the "Roadmap to 1325: Gender in the EU's Peace and Security Policy" conference in Berlin from 4 to 6 May 2007, are appealing to you today with an urgent request. We are peace activists and security policy experts from 25 countries including the crisis-afflicted regions of Sudan (Darfur), Serbia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Middle East. At the invitation of the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the German Women's Security Council, we have agreed on the key points of the Roadmap to 1325. As you know, Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council of October 2000, which is binding by international law, calls for the equal participation of women at all levels of peace processes, protection from sexual violence, and the prevention of conflicts. As conference participants and as representatives of the organisations involved, we have begun a symbolic relay race through the countries of the EU. By regular conferences and other activities in the EU member states, we will emphasise our demands and ensure implementation of UN Resolution 1325.
At present, the situation above all in Sudanese Darfur is alarming.
- We urgently call on you to do everything you can to stop the extreme violations of human rights and acts of sexual violence, such as mass rape, in Darfur.
- We vigorously support the demand of Lotte Leicht, director of Human Rights Watch in Brussels, according to which the EU - even without a clear vote of the UN Security Council, which is unable to take action in this matter - should impose economic sanctions on members of government and profiteers of the expulsion policy, for example by freezing their bank accounts and boycotting their companies abroad.
- In addition, pressure should be exerted on the Sudanese government that they pay at least ten percent of their oil revenues into a compensation fund primarily for women victims.
- We support the demand of Safaa Adam, one of the "1000 peace women for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize" and conference speaker, according to which the women of Darfur, who have a large degree of expertise in conflict regulation, should be involved in the peace negotiations in order to ensure their long-term success.
Even the situation in Kosovo and in Serbia appears to be becoming more and more critical. The Kosova Women's Network, an alliance of 85 women's organisations, is one of the few organisations in Kosovo whose work transcends ethnic borders. Nevertheless, these women have been excluded again and again from political processes and peace negotiations, even by the UN.
- We vigorously ask you to implement UN Resolution 1325 and include the Kosova Women's Network in the planning phase of the new EU mission by inviting a delegation of Kosovar women to Brussels.
- We are concerned about the freedom of expression and physical inviolability of female Serbian peace activists who have raised their voices against the creation of "ethnically clean" regions and a splitting off of the Serb-inhabited north after a possible declaration of independence in Kosovo. We urgently call upon you to do everything in your power to protect them.
At our Berlin conference we took stock of the implementation of Resolution 1325 in Europe and ascertained, however, that it is still in its infancy. Only five European countries - the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland - have adopted national action plans on this subject. In addition, we still await the development of an EU-wide action plan.
- We call on you to play an active role in the development of such an action plan.
- Conflict prevention and civilian crisis management should enjoy absolute priority before any military operation and should receive substantially more financial support than in the past. Armaments expenditures should be reduced and funds should be directed towards civilian conflict management.
- According to UN Resolution 1325, women must be involved in all peace negotiations, whether in Kosovo, in Sudan, and in all other conflict and post-conflict regions.
Gender is a central element in the dynamics of armed conflicts. The ideologies of nationalists and fundamentalists, for example the Taliban, are almost always based on the oppression of women and the deprivation of their rights. Women who resist these ideologies are the natural allies of all forces that champion peace and security. In accordance with UN Resolution 1325 and in connection with the positive experience of the gender advisor in the EUFOR RD Congo mission, we therefore call for
- the creation of the position of a High Gender Officer at the highest level of EU decision making
- the institutionalisation of gender advisors and gender focal points for every EU mission prior to the planning phase,
- gender-sensitive guidelines that are prepared for the specific situation in the country of operations,
- gender training for all operational forces in particular on human rights violations against women and
- the systematic integration of local women's groups, the consultation of civil society and its women's and peace experts for every mission by regular meetings and cooperation.
The implementation of UN Resolution 1325 is a long-term political process that is impossible without the binding participation of civil society, NGOs and women's groups. Cooperation could take the form of round tables or coordination committees. Annual analyses of achievements are essential.
UN Resolution 1325 must receive more attention throughout the EU and in the various member states, in particular among men and decision makers in the fields of foreign, defence, security and development policy. We recommend campaigns that are supported by male 1325 ambassadors.
In order to realise the above-mentioned concrete proposals, we call for a budget item specifically for this purpose and with sufficient funding to be created in the EU budget as well as in the budgets of all member states of the European Union.
We look forward to your answer and to working together with you.
Best regards,
Gitti Hentschel
Executive Director of the Gunda Werner Institute for Feminism and Gender Democracy of the Heinrich Boell Foundation*
German Women’s Security Council
*Formerly Feminist Institute
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 Representatives of the following organisations were involved in drawing up the above-mentioned demands at the conference:
- German Women's Security Council
- Gunda Werner Institut (formerly the Feminist Institute) of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
- WOMNET, Germany
- 1000 Friedensfrauen weltweit/1000 Peacewomen Across the World
- Kosova Women´s Network
- WILPF – Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom
- EPLO – European Peacebuilding Liaison Office
- GAPS – Gender Action for Peace and Security, Great Britain
- International Alert
- Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces
- Human Rights Watch
- Amnesty International
- medica mondiale
- Operation 1325, Sweden
- OWEN-Frauennetzwerk
- Peace Brigades International
- Platform Women and Sustainable Peace, Netherlands
- KOFF/Swisspeace, Switzerland
- UNIFEM
- European Feminist Initiative
- Gender Task Force, Croatia and Slovenia
- Bonn International Center for Conversion, Germany
- Women´s Network for Peace, Germany
- Isha l´Isha, Israel
- Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Sweden
- Fokus, Norway
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Copies of the Open Letter were sent to:
- The Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana
Personal Representative of the SG/HR for Human Rights, Dr. Riina Kionka
The Personal Representative of the SG/HR on Parliamentary Affairs, Michael Matthiessen
The EU Special Representative for Sudan, Torben Brylle
The EU Special Representative for the African Great Lakes Region, Roeland van de Geer
The European Union Military Committee (EUMC), General Henri Bentégeat
Political and Security Committee (PSC), Ambassadors Clemens von Goetze, Franz Josef Kuglitsch and Teemu Tanner
Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski
Subcommittee on Security and Defence in the European Parliament, Dr. Karl von Wogau
Subcommittee on Human Rights in the European Parliament, Hélène Flautre
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality in the European Parliament, Anna Záborská
The UN Assistant Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations, Jane Holl Lute
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Angela Merkel
The Foreign Minister of the FR Germany, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
The Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the FR Germany, Ursula von der Leyen
The Minister of Defence of the FR Germany, Dr. Franz Josef Jung
The Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of the FR Germany, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul
The Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office, Gernot Erler
The Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister of Defence, Christian Schmidt
Committee on Foreign Affairs at the German Bundestag, Ruprecht Polenz
Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid at the German Bundestag, Dr. Hertha Däubler-Gmelin
Defence Committee at the German Bundestag, Ulrike Merten
Committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth at the German Bundestag, Kerstin Griese
The German Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Reinhold Robbe
The Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the German Federal Foreign Office, Günter Nooke
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the German Federal Government, Dr. Almut Wittling-Vogel
The Commander of the European Military Operation (EUFOR) in DR Congo, Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck
German Institute for Human Rights, Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt
German Society for the United Nations, Dr. Beate Wagner
The Secretary General of amnesty international Germany, Ms Barbara Lochbihler |
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Responses to the open letter to Angela Merkel (listed chronologically)
- Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, Director of the Division for Equality in the Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth. She emphasizes the need for the recipients of the open letter to aid in the implementation of the goals of Resolution 1325.
Reponse letter from June 29, 2007 as a >> PDF File
- Ulrike Merten, Chairwoman of the Committee of Defense of the German Bundestag. She underlines that the Committee of Defense intensely treats the foreign deployments of the Federal Armed Forces in its meetings.
Response letter from June 25, 2007 as a >> PDF File
- Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. She assures that the implementation of the UN resolution 1325 is an affair of the heart for her and that the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and she already support many initiatives for the implementation of the resolution.
Response letter from June 22, as a >> PDF File
- Major General Viereck, German Federal Armed Forces. The consequent and comprehensive implementation of the UN resolution 1325 is a personal important concern for him.
Response letter from June 19, 2007 as a >> PDF File
- Ambassador Dr. von Goetze, Permanent Representation of the German Federal Republic at the European Union Brussels. He likes to respond to the request to enable a personal meeting at the end of October.
Response letter from June 13, 2007 as a >> PDF File
- Reinhold Robbe, Army representative of the German Bundestag. He does not regard the UN resolution to be significant for his area, but refers to the political responsible persons.
Response letter from June 7, 2007 as a >> PDF File
- Mr. Knut Abraham (by proxy of Chancellor Angela Merkel), Office 214: United Nations, Global Questions, Human Rights.
Response letter from June 6, 2007 as a >> PDF File
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Aktualisiert: 15.01.2008, meb
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