Introduction

In January I took on directorship of the UN Office. It is exciting and challenging to be focused once again on disarmament and address women, peace and security issues from the international perspective. I immediately felt the barriers created by the world’s premier international institution to insolate it from people who most need it to be effective, and the lure of the sense of power that comes with global policy making. WILPF’s United Nations Office in New York (UNO) is our womb where we help each other be strong in the face of these struggles as we advance women’s rights, peace and justice.

I thank you on behalf of all the UNO staff: Jill Sternberg, Jennifer Nordstrom (Reaching Critical Will Project Associate), Milkah Kihunah and Sam Cook (PeaceWomen Project Associates) for your confidence and support as we represent you and undertake our collective work in New York.

UN Reform

The UN reform process is moving very quickly, and has a big impact on our work. In addition to the normal UN meetings and agenda, we follow the reform developments with a keen eye on NGO access and involvement, women’s rights and gender equality, and on WILPF’s main program areas. After living in Timor-Leste for three years and working for ten years with grassroots activists from conflict areas, I am particularly interested in increasing opportunities for women to access the UN and its vast resources. Our work on women and UN reform is pushing for a real commitment and functioning mechanisms for gender equality and women’s rights.

Women and UN Reform

We view the reform process both as an opportunity to advance women rights in the UN and as a risk for women if we do not do all we can to assure that our issues are prominently placed on the agenda. We are advocating with several other groups for gender equality and more specific attention to women’s rights, for both policy and programmatic work. There are many ways this may move forward; rather than prescribe a specific approach, we have outlined criteria that must be met for any changes to be effective. Our recommendations include sufficient resources dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights, a robust operational presence with sufficient authority to assure a gender perspective in each mission, a strong advocate with authority at headquarters--most likely an Under-Secretary General--with sufficient stature and autonomy to address gender equality at all levels of the UN and to be part of decision making. We must also demand enforceable mechanisms for accountability.

Sam Cook, who is leading our efforts on women and UN reform, played a major role coordinating women’s voices at a civil society hearing in Geneva in early July. The High Level Coherence Panel on reform established by UN Secretary General Kofi Anan in February this year organized the hearing.

The Secretary General commissioned a panel to oversee UN system-wide coherence in areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment as recommended by the Outcome Document, adopted during 2005 World Summit. The Coherence Panel will consult with member states and civil society and submit a report in September to the 2006 General Assembly.

Prior to the hearing, in coalition with a number of women’s organizations, we sent several letters to SG Kofi Anan demanding gender equality and women’s issues be prioritized in the reform discussion. We met with UN SG Anan in May. As part of this coalition, WILPF is regularly meeting and corresponding with the Coherence Panel secretariat to ensure that the Panel considers gender equality and women’s issues. We have also met with other UN staff, consultants, governmental delegates and relevant civil society to keep these issues in the forefront as the reform process takes shape. (For more information see: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/women_reform/Panel_index.htm).

We know that several WILPF sections and individual members have become involved in this process. Please send us details of your activities so we can include them on the PeaceWomen website (unreform@peacewomen.org).

PeaceWomen will be monitoring the General Assembly from September to December, focusing on the women and reform agenda, as well as peace and security issues.

Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)

Another aspect of UN reform is the creation of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (http://www.peacewomen.org/un/women_reform/PBC.htm ), a new body focused on post-conflict reconstruction, institution-building and sustainable development in countries emerging from conflict. The PBC held its first meeting on June 23, when it decided to focus initially on Burundi and Sierra Leone. Milkah Kihunah wrote and submitted WILPF’s recommendations for strong women’s participation, a gender perspective and gender expertise, as well as active civil society consultation in the work of the PBC. PeaceWomen will continue to monitor the PBC and advocate for women and NGO involvement.

Disarmament

Reaching Critical Will, WILPF's disarmament project is working to get the world's governments to advance disarmament after a decade of deadlock at the Conference on Disarmament. We are also working for a diplomatic solution to the controversy over Iran's nuclear program, one that avoids war and supports disarmament.

Conference on Disarmament

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is the only international institution mandated to negotiate disarmament treaties. It has been deadlocked over competing priorities for a decade. However, there are glimmers of hope that this year will be different. The governments agreed on a timetable for discussions in January, and the United States introduced a draft Fissile Materials Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) in May.

If all 65 CD member states agree to begin actual treaty negotiations, a treaty to ban the production of any new fissile materials is possible. Depending on its scope, the treaty could also address existing stocks of fissile materials. The current US government opposes verification on the treaty, which is crucial if it is to be effective and relevant. A verified FMCT would bring international verification into the Nuclear Weapon States for the first time. Former US administrations have opposed dealing with existing stocks, and we can expect it to maintain this position save for sufficient public pressure.

China and Russia have a different priority, a treaty on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS). While the US is opposed to discussing PAROS, it has reluctantly agreed to discussions in plenary session, less weighty than discussing it in an Ad Hoc Committee as the Russians and Chinese want. The US is developing space weapons, and PAROS is a race to stop them from being deployed and damaging the strategic balance, which would instigate a new arms race.

Reaching Critical Will is working with governments to explore creative ways to generate momentum for disarmament, by identifying where and how governments might compromise. We are looking at how the CD might move forward with or without having consensus on its program of work. Interested WILPF members can put pressure on their governments to support disarmament by getting back to work on it at its main institution, the Conference on Disarmament. Contact Reaching Critical Will to get more involved in this initiative (info@reachingcriticalwill.org).

First Committee of the General Assembly

By the time the IEC rolls around the 2006 session of the CD will have finished. We will present a clearer strategy at the IEC for our work at the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security. We know we will need activists around the world to help put the pressure on for advancing disarmament. In addition to watching our weekly CD report, please subscribe to our First Committee Monitor, a newsletter that keeps the pulse on disarmament, from small arms to nukes to the link between disarmament and development. You can have these publications emailed directly to you by sending an email to mailto:jennifer@reachingcriticalwill.org asking to be subscribed to the CD Report and First Committee Monitor.

There is No Military Solution to the Crisis in Iran

Reaching Critical Will has been working with Greenpeace and the Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy to monitor developments on Iran at the Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency. For the past year, we have been meeting with Security Council members to advocate for a diplomatic solution and to keep people informed of diplomatic developments. Because we believe the people of the world are key in preventing the situation from escalating into another war, we developed an Iran Action Pack to give you the tools to do advocacy at home. It is available from the UNO or at http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/iranactionpack.html. For regular updates on developments relating to Iran, request a subscription to the General E-news from jennifer@reachingcriticalwill.org

Women, Peace and Security

WILPF’s PeaceWomen project associates continue to monitor and advocate for implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR1325), calling for a gender perspective and women’s equal and full participation in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building efforts. Their work is multifaceted and touches almost every aspect of UN activity, requiring clear priorities and goals.

PeaceWomen is monitoring the Security Council to assure inclusion of SCR1325 in its resolutions. The Security Council is committed to incorporating SCR1325 into its work. Reference to SCR1325 and to women, peace and security issues in Security Council resolutions is an indicator of its commitment. In October, for the 6th anniversary of SCR1325, PeaceWomen will release an analysis of Security Council resolutions assessing the Council’s effectiveness in advancing women’s involvement in peace and security. WILPF Sections can assist by advocating for greater attention to women’s participation and concerns in Security Council resolutions. Visit http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ngoadvocacy/1325Tools/index.html for tools that could be used to encourage governments to integrate 1325 into Security Council resolutions. WILPF sections can develop a list of women experts to recommend to governments who are required to submit lists of women candidates for UN missions. Please send us reports of your activities on implementing SCR 1325. You can contact Sam or Milkah for more information on how your section can get involved. ( sam@peacewomen.org or milkah@peacewomen.org )

Gender and Peacekeeping

PeaceWomen follow the meetings and work of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping (C34). The C34 is a policy making body that influences the mandate of UN peacekeeping operations. PeaceWomen advocates for substantive attention to gender issues in the work of C34. Currently the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is developing an action plan on SCR1325, that would be implemented by all peacekeeping missions. PeaceWomen works for a strong gender perspective, including gender balance in peacekeeping staff, particularly the civilian staff. There are opportunities for more women in leadership positions in peacekeeping. We also need to advocate that the gender advisors receive greater resources to address gender equality and women specific needs in the missions.

PeaceWomen is advocating for greater accountability of peacekeepers, in conjunction with UN efforts to develop mechanisms to combat sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeeping personnel. WILPF sections can get involved at the national level, especially if your country sends peacekeepers to UN missions. When peacekeepers are held accountable for crimes and abuses, they are most often only sent home without further repercussions. You can help end peacekeeper abuses by monitoring peacekeeping on a national level and advocating for pre-deployment gender training. PeaceWomen is seeking support for our advocacy to include civilian observers as part of UN peacekeeping missions, another strategy for improving peacekeeping, and enhancing its ability to effectively contribute to peacebuilding. Contact Milkah Kihunah at milkah@peacewomen.org to support these efforts.

Gender-based Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

The UN is beginning to focus greater attention on sexual exploitation and abuse of women in conflict and crisis situations. The secretariat is formulating policy on assistance to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, focused on abuse of women by UN peacekeepers. PeaceWomen is monitoring the development of the new policy and sharing their expertise to help shape it.

Looking at issues beyond UN missions and peacekeeping, WILPF is a partner in a UN and civil society initiative to develop coordinated strategies to strengthen analysis, information sharing, prevention and support for victims of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. We hope to expand the PeaceWomen website and our advocacy to include a greater emphasis on sexual and gender based violence in conflict. If successful in raising funds, we will need to enhance our cooperation and communication with sections engaged in women’s rights work in conflict areas. Please let Sam know if your section works on sexual violence or you would like to support these efforts (sam@peacewomen.org).

Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

PeaceWomen is working with WILPF Sections to include women, peace and security issues and analysis on the implementation of SCR 1325 in shadow reports for CEDAW. The shadow reports highlight aspects of gender discrimination that governments leave out of their official reports required by the convention. We focus on countries affected by conflict, UN troop contributing and donor countries. PeaceWomen is developing guidelines for both government’s and NGO reports. We want to put pressure on governments to submit their reports on time. We also want to improve communication with sections and other organizations for the shadow reporting. For information on recent CEDAW reports, upcoming sessions and countries that will be reporting, see http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CEDAW/CEDAW.html

Contact milkah@peacewomen.org if you are interested in developing a shadow report and/or advocacy around CEDAW.

Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)

With support from our Norwegian section, WILPF was able to bring Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez, an Indigenous North American to New York for this year’s session of the CSD. We worked closely with Grace Policy Institute and other NGOs to advocate for an international sustainable energy agency and change the perception that nuclear power is sustainable. Kathy participated in a panel discussion on the problems with nuclear power—addressing economic, health, environment and proliferation concerns. The UNO will continue to work with Grace and now Abolition 2000 to advance our concerns. We will be visiting UN Missions to identify friendly governments and the best advocacy strategy, in preparation for next year’s CSD session, where policy decisions. Please contact Jill to get involved (jill@wilpf.ch). For more information on the CSD see: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd

United Nations Office (UNO)
As you can see, the UNO is busy. It is a lot of work to advance all these issues and it would not be possible without each one of you supporting us. Yet communication within WILPF feels like our weakest link. We have tried to keep you informed and regularly updated on the substance of our work. We now need to develop more effective means for communicating and especially to explore how we best engage in more collaborative efforts. WILPF is well respected at the UN and has a stellar reputation. We would like to build on it for more effective interventions that advance our yearning for peace, justice and women’s rights. We need to be able to mobilize more effectively, on a substantive level, to have an impact on the ground where the UN operates. Your experience and efforts at the national and international level are essential. Please seek out any of the UNO staff at the IEC to share your ideas for better communication and collaboration. We also welcome your feedback on our work, especially our reporting and websites.

As we are advancing global concerns important to all of us, your feedback will help us to be better at what we do. We also need your support to fund the UNO. If you know or can help identify potential donors for any of our programs, please contact Jill (jill@wilpf.ch).

From the UNO

Jill, Jennifer, Milkah and Sam