Resolutions 1325 and 1820

Resolution 1325 

UNSC. Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), unanimously adopted on 31 October 2000, is one of the most important international mandates that deals with all issues relating to women, peace and security. It addresses the specific impact of wars on women and the latter’s contribution to conflicts settlement and lasting peace-building. 

As an international instrument interrelated with other international mechanisms on women’s rights, this resolution is considered to be a platform that helps individuals, NGOs, Governments and International organisations advocate for women’s inclusion into all the processes and mechanisms dealing with conflict settlement, peacekeeping and reconstruction. It is one of the major tools for the MONUSCO's Gender office which, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children, women’s networks and other MONUSCO sections, organizes trainings, workshops, sensitizations sessions and sponsors research activities for the development of a national action plan based on UNSC. Resolution 1325. 

Resolution 1820
 
On 18 June 2008, almost eight years after its historical Resolution on women, peace and security, the Security Council urged all parties to armed conflicts to immediately stop acts of sexual violence against civilians”. 

Resolution 1820, unanimously adopted and co-sponsored by 36 UN Member States, calls for immediate action for the protection of civilians, inter-alia, women and girls from all forms of sexual violence. 

This resolution is considered to be one of the most relevant documents in the development of a strategic framework for the promotion of women’s contribution to peace and security and addressing all forms of gender-based violence. 

On 15 July 2009, the first report on the implementation of Resolution 1820 was presented; it highlights, amongst other issues, the challenges faced by DRC, with more than 200 thousand cases of sexual violence documented in its Eastern part since armed conflicts broke out in 1996. Statistics need updating and in most cases, according to the report, victims do not survive (source: Secretary-General’s report on UNSC Resolution 1820, 15/07/2009).

(It could be noted that with the implementation of this Resolution and subsequent UNSC Resolutions in addition to the promotion at national level of actions to fight against impunity; cases of sexual violence are decreasing over the years).

Recent  Resolution 2242

On 15 October 2015, few days before the 15th anniversary of Resolution 1325 (2000), UNSC. unanimously adopted once again a new Resolution 2242 to improve implementation of its landmark women, peace and security agenda...

The Security Council decided to integrate women, peace and security concerns across all country-specific situations on its agenda amongst others.

The Council urged the Secretary-General and other United Nations bodies to better integrate gender perspectives into their work so as to address accountability deficits, including through the addition of gender targets as an indicator of individual performance in all compacts with senior managers at Headquarters and in the field. 

The Council urged the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) as well to ensure that gender analysis and technical gender expertise were included throughout all stages of mission planning, mandate development, implementation, review and mission drawdown. It also called on the Secretary-General to initiate a revised strategy, within existing resources, to double the numbers of women in peacekeeping operations over the next five years.