Parliaments as partners supporting the Women; Peace and Security Agenda.

 

In October 2000, the UN Security Council endorsed the groundbreaking Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on women, peace and security (WPS). UNSCR 1325 responded to a raft of lessons learned over the previous decade or more on peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The nature of warfare was changing, with civilians increasingly targeted, and women, in particular, often bearing the brunt of conflict. Women suffered a range of harms, from sexual and gender-based violence inflicted by combatants, to the loss of their spouses and families, to the loss of their livelihoods and personal autonomy. Furthermore, even during transitional and peacebuilding periods, it became clear that women continued to be marginalised, with domestic and international stakeholders overlooking their contributions and excluding them from peace processes. There is now a growing understanding that sexual minorities and non-binary gender identities also face distinct vulnerabilities during conflict, which should be reflected in a broader framing of the WPS agenda. UNSCR 1325 called on countries to address the impacts that conflict had on women and girls around the globe and to systematically include women in peacebuilding efforts, including peace talks, peacekeeping and postconflict reconstruction efforts. Over the last two decades, UNSCR 1325 has been complemented by an additional nine resolutions on women, peace and security (see Figure 2 for more detail). Together, these resolutions provide guidance to national and international actors on their roles in relation to WPS. The women, peace and security agenda remains critically important in a world that grapples with complex conflict, whether it be violent state-based warfare, civil war, internal conflict or violent extremism. In nearly 80 countries, National Action Plans (NAPs) on women, peace and security have been developed to set priorities for action by government bodies and other agencies. In other countries, gender-sensitive peace and security priorities have been captured in sectoral strategies on gender, justice or national security. The participation of parliaments in efforts to support the women, peace and security agenda has been variable, with many parliaments either unaware of or uninvolved in national implementation efforts.1 The Handbook This Handbook seeks to provide guidance to parliamentarians on their role in supporting the UNSCR 1325 agenda. The objectives of this Handbook are three-fold, namely to: • Provide information to parliamentarians on the global women, peace and security agenda as it applies domestically. • Provide guidance on how parliaments and parliamentarians can help implement the women, peace and security agenda. This guidance is for use not only by Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, but also by development practitioners who work with parliaments. • Share examples of good practice from other parliaments and projects.

This Handbook is aimed at all Members of Parliament (MPs) of whatever sex. Addressing peace and security issues that affect women is an issue not only for women MPs; it is the role of all MPs to ensure that every member of society has the protections and opportunities to live peaceful and prosperous lives. The Handbook is organised this way: • Chapters 1-3 give an overview of the WPS agenda and its relationship to other global and national commitmentsto gender equality and sustainable development. • Chapters 4-8 discuss how the WPS agenda can be implemented in the context of each of the core functions ofa parliament — namely, lawmaking, budgeting, oversight, and representation. These chapters provide action ideas and examples of good practices for parliamentarians and other stakeholders interested in working to advance the WPS agenda. • Chapters 9-10 reflect upon how parliamentary groupings and staff can support women’s peace and security. At the end of each chapter is a short series of self-assessment questions and a set of action ideas to spark reflection, discussion, and action on the WPS agenda. This Handbook is not a “one-size-fits-all” template for action. Instead, it offers information, questions and ideas that parliamentarians can apply in their own contexts to ensure implementation of the women, peace and security agenda.