International

Our international work is based on partnerships with women and peace organizations from different parts of the world – Albania, Colombia, Turkey, and a whole network of partner organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, to name just a few examples. Together, we strive to implement Resolution 1325.

National action plans

By adopting national action plans, more than 40 countries have specified their measures to streamline the implementation of Resolution 1325. Today many national action plans lack clear objectives, indicators for measuring results, earmarked funds, and routines for reporting and review. Ownership of the responsible authorities and the inclusion of civil society in the design are two factors that are important for how effective the action plan will be. Operation 1325 supports organizations in other countries to take an active role in the development of national action plans for Resolution 1325. Operation 1325 has been advisory to women and peace organizations in the Balkans, Central Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. Through our educations, we build the capacity to influence action plans design so that it reflects the whole of society’s need for security and participation in decision-making. “Women Count” is a comprehensive initiative by the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders to gather data and influence those in power around the world to take Resolution 1325 seriously. The review is based on eleven indicators that measure how good a country is at guaranteeing women’s security and including women in decisions about conflict management and security.

Mediation NETWORK AND TRAINING IN mediation

Although much progress has been made since the adoption of UN Resolution 1325, women are still excluded from processes such as peace talks and negotiations. Less than four percent of all representatives in ongoing peace talks in weak states are women. Women as mediators are also underrepresented, until the 2000s only two percent of the chief mediators and nine percent of the mediators were women. Operation 1325 therefore works to train women mediators, build networks for active mediators, and strengthen women’s participation in peace and security issues. For example, together with the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy (PCPD), we run the “Women’s Mediation School” in Palestine for mediation and networking.

ADVICE in MULTILATERAL networks

Operation 1325 plays an important role as an advisor to several multilateral networks. We are a member of NATO’s Civil Society Advisory Panel on Women, Peace and Security. The group’s purpose is to serve as a forum for dialogue and feedback from civil society to NATO on issues related to women, peace and security. Another example is when we were invited to a panel discussion by our partner organization Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) in connection with the Commission on the Status of Women. Operation 1325 participated in the panel together with representatives from Sweden, Bangladesh and Mali to discuss women’s social protection, education and work as a conflict prevention strategy and local women’s perspectives on development and sustainable peace.

EDUCATION

Since 2003, Operation 1325 has worked with training and workshops as a means of strengthening women’s influence in peace processes. The training is aimed at civil society organizations around the world, personnel in peacekeeping operations, and other actors who work in conflict and post-conflict areas. Courses are tailored and based on the needs of the participants.