Last week, Operation 1325 released the report “Security on the Ground” – a manual directed towards international mission staff in the field of security sector reform (SSR) and women’s participation. The release party attracted several interested guests, who exclaimed that staff working in the field are in dire need of concrete advice and methods within the subject of women and security.
The Conference Security on the ground
In the autumn of 2011, Operation 1325 organised a conference called “Security on the Ground” where women’s organisations from Iraqi Kurdistan and Sudan discussed women and security with Swedish international mission staff. The base of the discussion stemmed from the participants’ experience. The conference therefore focused on formulating practical and useful methods of conduct to increase and secure women’s human rights.
Handbook about SSER and UNSC resolution 1325
The result of the discussions and the analysis of the women’s organisations’ needs lead to the construction of the manual “Security on the Ground”. In a concise and direct way, it presents needs, possibilities and obstacles concerning women’s participation in security related issues. The manual provides concrete advice on how international mission staff can operate to empower local women’s organisations and provide them with opportunities to participate. As an addition, the manual also gives recommendations to local women’s organisations on how their rights and how to work to have the rights fulfilled. As of now, the scripture is available in Swedish only.
