MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the 10th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
22.11.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Norica Nicolai, Marielle De Sarnez on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0624/2010
B7‑0626/2010
European Parliament resolution on the 10th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
The European Parliament,
– having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) on women, peace and security, and UN Security Council Resolution 1888 (2009) on sexual violence against women and children in situations of armed conflict, which emphasises the responsibility of all states to put an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including those relating to sexual and other violence against women and girls,
– having regard to the EU Council Plan of Action on Gender Equality in Development Cooperation that should ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed throughout the EU’s work with partner countries at all levels,
– having regard to the appointment in March 2010 of a Special Representative to the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in armed conflict,
– having regard to the Council paper Comprehensive Approach to the EU Implementation of UNSCR 1325 and 1820 and the operational document on the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 as reinforced by UNSCR 1820 in the context of ESDP both adopted in December 2008, and to the Council document on Mainstreaming of Human Rights into ESDP of September 2006,
– having regard to the EU Guidelines on violence and discrimination against women and girls and the EU guidelines on children and armed conflict,
– having regard to the European Parliament resolution on gender mainstreaming in EU external relations and peace-building/nation-building, 2009,
– having regard to the European Parliament resolution on women in armed conflicts and their role in post-conflict reconstruction, 2006,
– having regard to the European Parliament resolution on women in politics, 2006,
– having regard to the gender-mainstreaming action plan, EP SEDE subcommittee, 2007,
– having regard to its resolution of 7 October 2010 on failures in protection of human rights and justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
– having regard to the new UN Gender Entity (UN Women),
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325 which is the first resolution to address the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and to link women’s experiences of conflict to the maintenance of international peace and security covering the inter-linked thematic areas of participation, protection, prevention, relief and recovery,
B. whereas 25 November is the International Day against violence against women,
C. whereas Security Council resolutions 1820, 1888 and 1889 strengthen and complement 1325 and whereas the four resolutions must be considered as the set of commitments on Women Peace and Security,
D. whereas the implementation of these commitments is a common concern and responsibility of each UN Member State; stressing in this respect the adoption in December 2008 of the EU Guidelines on violence against women and girls and EU Guidelines on children and armed conflict and combating all forms of discrimination against them which represent a strong political signal that these are priorities for the Union,
E. whereas the implementation of UNSCR 1820 and 1325 should be a priority in the EU’s external financial instruments and provide adequate support of civil society organisations working in armed conflicts and conflict-affected countries and regions,
F. whereas the European Parliament should observe the implementation of the Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in EU External Action as well as the implementation of the guidelines on violence against women and children,
G. whereas a gender perspective in civilian or military missions greatly increases operational effectiveness, in which the EU could provide added value as a positive actor in responding to women and armed conflict,
H. whereas the EU should enable equal participation of women in conflict prevention, crisis management, peace talks and post-conflict phases like post war reconstruction planning,
I. whereas when part of a widespread and systematic practice, rape and sexual slavery are recognised under the Geneva Convention as crimes against humanity and war crimes; whereas rape is also now recognised as an element of the crime of genocide when committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a targeted group; whereas the EU should support efforts being aimed at ending impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence against women and children,
J. whereas the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) should significantly contribute to further implementation of UNSC resolutions 1325 and 1820 with regard to both its internal structure and its external actions and policies,
K. whereas the EU has adopted a series of important documents on how to implement UNSCR 1820 and 1325, but has only shown very limited interest in putting these guidelines into practice in a systematic and coherent way,
L. whereas only a minority of EU member states drafted a national action plan aiming the implementation of UN SC resolution 1325; whereas Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom have adopted national action plans,
1. Stresses that the 10th anniversary of the Security Council resolution 1325 should mark the start of a reinvigorated agenda for the implementation of 1325 which cannot be advanced without political leadership at the highest level and increased resources; highly recommends that this issue be duly addressed in the ongoing review of the EU human rights policy when it comes to the elaboration of a comprehensive Human Rights Country Strategy and to the evaluation of the EU Guidelines on violence against women and girls, the EU guidelines on children and armed conflict and combating all forms of discrimination against them;
2. Calls for the allocation of specific and significant financial, human and organisational resources regarding the participation of women and gender mainstreaming in the field of foreign and security policy; calls for targets of full gender equality to be reached in, police, military, justice and rule-of-law missions and in peace-keeping operations; calls on EU Members States to actively promote women’s participation in bilateral and multilateral relations with states and organisations outside the EU;
3. Strongly encourages the HR/VP to also strengthen the EU Task Force on women, peace and security and which should peer-review the adoption and implementation of national action plans on UNSCR 1325 and 1820, conduct systematic gender analysis of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and monitor and advise EU Delegations in conflict-affected countries and regions;
4. Considers the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) an unique opportunity for reinforcing the role of the EU with respect to the implementation of UNSCR 1820 and 1325;
5. Urges therefore the HR/VP to go beyond the practise of gender mainstreaming and make substantial and highly visible commitments with regard to staffing, financial resources and organisational hierarchy;
6. Welcomes the series of events such as open days, receptions and other forms of public events implemented by at least the three CSDP missions EUPM, EULEX and EUMM in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of UNSCR 1325; welcomes the impetus by the EU’s Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) in this respect; reminds that CSDP missions are one of the most important tools by the EU for demonstrating its commitment to the objectives of UNSCR 1820 and 1325 in crisis-affected countries and regions;
7. Urges the HR/VP and EU Member States to include references to UNSC resolutions 1325 and 1820 in CSDP related Council Decisions and mission mandates and to make sure that all CSDP missions have at least one Gender Advisor and an Action Plan on how to implement the objectives of 1325 and 1820; urges HRVC, EU Member States and Heads of Missions to make cooperation and consultation with local women’s organisations a standard element of each mission;
8. Calls for the establishment of adequate public complaint procedures which would particularly help reporting sexual and gender-based violence; calls on the HR/VP to include detailed reporting on women, peace and security in the six-monthly evaluation of CSDP missions;
9. Recalls the mass gang rape that took place from 30 July to 4 August, in the eastern Congo mining district, that at least 8300 rapes were reported last year in eastern Congo and that at least 1244 women reported being raped in the first quarter of 2010, which is an average of 14 rapes per day; urges both EU missions in RD Congo, EUPOL RD Congo and EUSEC RD Congo to make the fight against sexual violence and the participation of women one of its priorities in the context of the effort to reform the Congolese Security Sector;
10. Stresses the importance of the EU appointing female police forces and soldiers in CSDP-missions on a larger scale; the contingent of female police officers within the UN-peacekeeping force in Liberia could be used as a model;
11. Points to the need for establishing a code of conduct for the EU’s personnel serving in military and civil missions which condemns sexual exploitation as criminal behaviour;
12. Calls for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and 1820 in the EU’s country strategy papers and to mobilise more financial support for the participation of women from conflict-affected countries in European processes; calls on the HR/VP, the Commissioners for Development, Enlargement and Humanitarian Aid to make women, peace and security aspects an integral part of the planning and programming of the external financial instruments such as EIDHR, ICI, IPA, but especially DCI and IfS;
13. Emphasises that the European Commission should facilitate the access of smaller NGOs to subsidies of the European Instrument on Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR); recalls that at present many small women’s organisations find it difficult to deal with the complex application procedure;
14. Calls on the Commissioner for development to prioritise support for work by women’s organisations in conflict-affected areas; urges the HR/VP to use the long term component of the Instrument for Stability (IfS) for allocating funding in support of women’s participation in peace, security and reconciliation-related processes and to systematically earmark allocations for women, peace and security in all short-term measures financed under Art. 3 of the Instrument for Stability;
15. Takes the view that EU delegations should inform civil society organisations such as local women’s organisations about their engagement in conflict regions and consult civil society organisations in the process of policy-planning;
16. Calls for an increase in participation by women in initiatives aimed at finding solutions to conflicts, including as mediators, negotiators and in the implementation of conflict-resolution measures;
17. Calls on the HR/VP to initiate an annual event with women leaders which could complement the UN Global Open Day for Women and Peace followed by EU Delegation reports and follow-ups;
18. Stresses the need for national action plans which should provide details on the time frame of the national strategy, mark realistic objectives, develop supervising mechanisms as well as encourage the participation of women in control-, evaluation- and supervising-mechanisms;
19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Special Representative on sexual violence in armed conflicts and to the newly appointed Head of the UN Gender Entity (UN Women).