Intervention de Mme Allegra Baiocchi à l'atelier sur La contribution irremplaçable des femmes dans la consolidation de la paix à travers le monde

• Mesdames et Messieurs
• Honorables invités à vos grades, titres et qualités,

Bonjour.

Permettez-moi tout d’abord de remercier la CEIDES, pour l’organisation de ce dialogue. Merci de nous avoir encouragé à aborder cet important thème qu’est le rôle des femmes dans la prévention et la résolution des conflits armés, et la consolidation de la paix.

Même s’il y’a eu des progrès, la guerre est encore largement perçue comme une affaire des hommes. Et lorsque la réflexion théorique sur les conflits s’intéresse aux femmes, elle les voit principalement comme des victimes, actrices passives des violences, ou dans leur rôle par rapport aux hommes, des mères, des épouses.

C’est seulement récemment que le monde a pris conscience du rôle de la femme comme actrice active dans toutes les phases du conflit : avant, durant et après.

Les femmes, (tout comme les hommes), sont tout aussi bien actrices et victimes des conflits armés. Pour donner un exemple concret, Boko Haram a une branche féminine constituée de femmes qui accomplissent les tâches ménagères, tiennent lieu de recruteuses, d’espionnes, d’informatrices, de sympathisantes, et, comme nous le connaissons tous, de bombes humaines.

Mon introduction en parlant du rôle des femmes dans la consolidation de la paix porte donc sur l’importance de dépasser les analyses traditionnelles et superficielles. Si nous voulons parler de leur contribution, nous devons accepter les complexités de leur rôle.

Deuxièmement, si nous voulons soulever des réflexions sur la contribution des femmes dans la consolidation de la paix, nous nous retrouvons rapidement à parler d’insuffisance d’opportunité pour les femmes et donc de l’exclusion de la femme.

L’égalité de genre, les conflits et la fragilité font tous partie de la même équation : aucun de ces éléments ne peut être isolé de l’autre.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on 31 October 2000 on women and peace and security. The resolution was a landmark moment for the UN and its Member States.  The recognition that peace is inextricably linked with gender equality and women’s leadership was a radical step for the highest body tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security.

The Security Council recognized (1) that violence against women was a security threat, as well as a violation of women’s rights and (2) that to truly advance peace and security in the world, women must have equal participation and involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security and that peace and security efforts must incorporate gender perspectives.

So, the first key commitment was around Representation. Ensuring women’s voices are heard, that they have a seat at the same table as the men as equal decision makers. 

Studies and statics clearly show that there is a direct correlation between gender inequality and the tendency of a country to resort to violence as a means of resolving conflict. The degree to which women are included in political, economic, and social life is a key factor influencing a society’s propensity for conflict. Countries with 10 percent of women in the labor force are nearly 30 times more likely to experience internal conflict compared with countries with 40 percent of women in the labor force. Increase their participation and you prevent or reduce the likelihood of conflict.

When women are included in peace processes there is a 20 per cent increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least 2 years, and a 35 per cent increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least 15 years. Increase their representation and increase the likelihood of lasting peace.

The second key commitment was around gender mainstreaming particularly, ensuring gender sensitive planning and implementation of peace keeping and peace building operations, the integration of gender perspectives into the mandates of all peacekeeping missions and the establishment of Gender Advisor posts.

So where are we now: let’s look at some data:

Out of the 504 agreements signed since the adoption of resolution 1325, only 138 (27 per cent) included references to women. However, in 2015, 7 out of 10 peace agreements signed included gender specific provisions.

From 1992 to 2011 only 9% of negotiators at the peace tables were women, however, in the recent Colombian peace negotiations, women participated as gender advisors and experts, negotiators, and in delegations of women affected by conflict, making up one-third of peace table participants and over 60 per cent of victims and experts. The process had a gender subcommittee—the first of its kind—and the final agreement has a gender chapter, also the first of its kind.

Nearly two decades after the Resolution, the data shows progress but there is also a real gap between aspirations, commitments and the reality on the ground.

We must do more, globally and of course locally.

Some of the areas the UN is focusing on through the work of its agencies, including in particular UN Women, is: supporting women’s political leadership, strengthening women’s cross-national peace coalitions, supporting the inclusion of women in peace talks, providing gender expertise to mediation processes, building women’s voice at donor conferences and other forums for the implementation of peace agreements, and developing guidance on specific topics, such as the neglect of conflict-related sexual violence in mediation processes.

A few months ago, for the first time in its history, the UN reached Gender Parity in it leadership team - this was part of the commitments made in 2000 so why didn’t happen before? There was not enough leadership and political will.

The new Secretary General made it a personal commitment. In January 2017, a Gender Parity Task Force was established which included representatives across the system, to come up with a clear roadmap, with benchmarks and timeframes, to achieve parity across the system. And just over a year later we did it. 

I wanted to share this example to show that these results are possible and within reach, but need leaderships, political will, system wide participation, concrete planning and of course resources.

Efforts to resolve … conflicts and address their root causes will not succeed unless we empower all those who have suffered from them -- including and especially women. And only if women play a full and equal part can we build the foundations for enduring peace -- development, good governance, human rights and justice. Kofi Annan 2002

Thanks for your kind attention.