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Women: Conflict Negotiation

Answer

Women have a crucial role to play in delivering sustainable peace and security in conflict areas. The UK was a driving force behind the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000. Our National Action Plan for UNSCR 1325 commits to work to increase the number of women at senior decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace-building in UK and international institutions and civil society. In October 2007 the UK supported a UN Security Council presidential statement which urged the UN ““to enhance the role of women in decision-making with regard to all peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction””. We also encourage the implementation of these principles in specific conflicts. For example, we supported language in UNSCR 1812 (April 2008) mandating the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan. This encouraged the mission to emphasise ““the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building””. The UK supports programmes to promote the involvement of women in conflict resolution. For example, last year we started funding a £3.2 million programme with the UN Development Fund for Women to support women's engagement in peace-building and reduction of gender violence in conflict and post-conflict countries, including Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda. The UK places the protection of civilians, including children, at the centre of its humanitarian action. We support the UN Children's Fund with £4 million per year, to lead, co-ordinate and strengthen the capacity of the humanitarian system in specific areas, including child protection. In addition, the UK is providing £1.3 million (2006-11) to Save the Children-UK, to develop and train a stand-by roster of 46 emergency child protection officers, able to deploy rapidly to respond to the protection needs of children affected by conflict or natural disasters. Civil society organisations applying to the Department for International Development's Civil Society Challenge Fund, and the Governance and Transparency Fund to work with children, are also required to have a written child protection policy. The UK will continue to encourage the participation of women in efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, and afford a high priority to the protection of children in our programmes for relief and reconstruction.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

3430; 701 c144-6WA

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Children Armed conflict Developing countries Development aid Women Protection Conflict resolution

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk