The Security Council must incorporate the principles and commitments of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in addressing country-level and other geographic work. This includes resolutions on peacekeeping missions as well as on country situations and thematic topics.
The Security Council has adopted 10 specific resolutions on the Women, Peace and Security agenda as of October 2019. Beyond these important resolutions, the Security Council negotiates and adopts resolutions including those that authorize and establish international sanctions, peacekeeping operations and military interventions.
Security Council country-specific resolutions have increasingly referenced and incorporated the Women, Peace and Security agenda over time. From 1998 to 2000 less than 5% of resolutions mentioned women, girls or gender. However, from 2000 to 2010, over 45% of monitored resolutions referenced women, gender or United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, showing a substantial increase since the landmark resolution was passed in October 2000. The Council has also adopted some new language in recent years which include references to civil society. These advances reflect the work of women’s groups and advocacy networks, and must be more consistently integrated by the Council into its geographic work.
For the year 2016, the Security Council adopted 60 resolutions, 28 (48% contained references to Women, Peace and Security, a decrease from 76% in 2015. The majority of references pertained to sexual and gender-based violence, followed by references to other human rights violations and women’s participation. Of the WPS resolutions, three – 2106, 2122, and 2242 – specifically seek to accelerate the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. References to Women Peace and Security have been included in resolutions establishing new missions in Mali (MINUSMA) and Somalia (UNSOM), and in the resolution authorizing the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
For the year 2017 (as of 15 November 2017), the 29 out of the 40 resolutions (72%) adopted by the Security Council contained references to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Most of the references mentioned women and gender in the context of peace operations, higlighting the urgency to protect women in conflict-affected areas, and enhance their participation in peace processes. In 2017, Security Council Resolutions on the Situation in South Sudan were the only adopted resolutions to systematically include a gendered-lens, by the exeption of one resolution ( S/2017/2353).
For the year 2018 (as of November 29 2018), 32 out of the 49 (65%) resolutions adopted by the Security Council contained references to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. While this number reflects a seven per cent decrease from the previous year, the number of resolutions with WPS references is still comparably high to the year of 2016, where only 48% of resolutions made references to WPS themes. The bulk of the references made in 2018 were in regards to strengthening women’s meaningful participation in electoral processes; providing gender-senstive protection mechanisms for women in conflict areas; and ending sexual and gender-based violence. Notably, Resolution 2399 on the Central African Republic was adopted, which specifically calls for the government to develop a comprehensive strategy on sexual and gender-based violence to reduce overall levels of sexual violence within the context of the arms embargo.
While it is a positive trend that must be acknowledged and encouraged, the numbers alone do not present a full picture of the Council’s work. The Council’s work to internalize the Women, Peace and Security agenda remains inconsistent across both country and thematic area.
| Country | ResolutionS that mention WPS |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 100% |
| Burundi | N/A |
| Chad and Central African Republic | 50% |
| Cote d'Ivoire | N/A |
| Cyprus | 100% |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 50% |
| Georgia | N/A |
| Haiti | 50% |
| Iraq | 100% |
| Lebanon | 100% |
| Liberia | N/A |
| Libya | 66% |
| Mali | N/A |
| Nepal | N/A |
| Sierra Leone | N/A |
| Somalia | 80% |
| South Sudan | 45% |
| Sudan | 45% |
| Timor-Leste | N/A |
| Western Sahara | 100% |
Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.
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Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.
Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.
Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.
In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region.
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WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.
Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.
Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.
WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.
In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.
In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.
