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DPI/NGO Relations invites you to a
Briefing
Women in Peacekeeping: the Power to Empower
In Observance of International Day of Peacekeepers
(29 May 2009)
on
28 May 2009
10:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
in
Venue: to be confirmed
Background Information:
The first UN Peacekeeping Mission was established in 1948,
when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military
observers to the Middle East to monitor the Armistice Agreement
between Israel and its Arab neighbours. Since then, there have been
a total of 63 UN peacekeeping operations around the world, overseen
by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). Some 110,000
men and women currently serve in 16 peacekeeping operations around
the world. On 24 February 2003 the General Assembly approved a resolution
establishing the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
which would pay tribute to the peacekeepers “who served and
continue to serve in peace keeping operations. This year’s
observance focuses on the role of Women in the peacekeeping process.
The 1990’s saw a marked increase in conflicts across Africa,
Asia and the former Soviet Union. These conflicts had a distinct
impact on women, who while perhaps not engaged in the conflict itself,
were sometimes left solely responsible for rebuilding their communities.
On 27 October 2000, the Security Council adopted resolution 1325,
addressing for the first time the fact that women bear an enormous
burden in armed conflicts, and should therefore have an equal role
in contributing to their prevention and resolution. The adoption
of resolution 1325 was followed by an increase in the participation
of women deployed by the Secretariat to work in peacekeeping operations.
However, women still make up less than three percent of the ‘uniformed
components of UN peacekeeping operations’ contributed by Member
States, including eight percent of the 10,000 police officers and
2 percent of the 80,000 military personnel. Over the years, peacekeeping
missions have evolved to meet the demands of large scale and multi-dimensional
conflicts, such as those in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the
Congo and the Sudan. This week’s briefing examines the role
of women and the increasingly complex peacekeeping challenges they
face maintaining peace on the ground in these countries.
Moderator:
Maria-Luisa Chávez; Chief, NGO Relations,
Department of Public Information (DPI)
Speakers:
to be confirmed
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