Next week, media experts with focus on the Middle East region and representatives from women’s and peace organizations in Iraqi Kurdistan, Palestine and Lebanon will meet up in Sweden to participate in an international conference. Together these actors, based on their different expertise, will discuss the role of media in promoting women’s rights in conflict situations. It is impossible to reach sustainable peace and security without the inclusion of women, and media is a powerful operator with the ability to change and forward women in peace processes. The purpose of the conference is to contribute to a creative meeting point between media and women’s organizations to interact and share experiences and perspectives on peace and security.
This year, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is turning 15 years old. Despite the fact that women’s and peace organizations have had great use of it, they still face much resistance. Women represent half of the global population and thus have significant experiences that needs to be incorporated in conflict resolution and sustainable peace building. But often, they are an untapped resource and excluded from participating in important decisions about peace and security. Therefore, together with our partner organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, Operation 1325 have developed a Media Toolkit with strategies for media in promoting the rights of women in peace processes. It is based on joint experiences and lessons learned from years of working with advocacy and media strategies to implement resolution 1325 in this region.
“How can media and civil society collaborate to advance women, peace and security agenda in Lebanon? How can they contribute to the application of the UN resolution 1325 that protects girls and women from all kinds of violence?” Vanessa Bassil, founder of the organization Media Association for Peace in Lebanon, says. Other participating organizations are Women Empowerment Organization, Iraq, and TAM, Women, Media and Development, Palestine.
The security of women and their situation in armed conflicts continues to be a highly current issue. The objective of this project is to explore and develop new areans for creative interaction between women’s and peace groups and the media, as platforms forwarding the women, peace and security agenda in the MENA-region. This is Operation 1325 recognizing the 15th anniversary of Resolution 1325 and a contribution to further implement the agenda.
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