IANWGE Standing Committee on Women, Peace and Security

Background

The adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security (SCR1325) on 31 October 2000 was a landmark in promoting greater attention to gender perspectives in the peace and security work of the United Nations. To follow-up on the implementation of the resolution, the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) established an Inter-Agency Task Force on Women, Peace and Security in February 2001. Initially, the Task Force focused on the preparations for the Secretary-General’s 2002 study on Women, Peace and Security and the related report to the Security Council.

With growing demands for improved policy, programming, advocacy, coordination and monitoring around implementation, the role and the work of the Task Force expanded. From 2002 to 2008, the Task Force undertook a range of activities. Among other things the Task Force: contributed to the preparation of Secretary-General’s reports on women, peace and security; prepared awareness-raising materials, events and activities related to Open Debates of the Security Council on women, peace and security; coordinated the preparation of briefing notes and checklists for different Security Council and assessment missions and supported the participation of gender advisers on teams; and undertook an analysis of the Security Council’s work from a gender perspective and a mapping of United Nations resources on women, peace and security.

More recently, in response to requests by the Security Council, the Task Force has been instrumental in the development of indicators for implementation of SCR 1325 as well as in the development of a strategic results framework to guide the United Nation’s implementation of the resolution.

In June 2011, the IANWGE converted the Task Force on Women, Peace and Security into a Standing Committee in response to the increased demand for continuous and systematic support for coordination and coherence in the United Nations approach to implementation as well as demands for improved monitoring and accountability for results.

The Standing Committee on Women, Peace and Security meets on a quarterly basis or needs-based basis. E-consultations and issue specific sub-working groups are established to bring work forward between formal meetings. Examples include the sub-working groups on indicators and on the strategic results framework on implementation of SCR 1325 established in 2009 and 2010 respectively. It collaborates and exchanges information with other coordination mechanisms such as UN Action. The Standing Committee as a whole is chaired by UN Women. Sub-working groups may be chaired by different entities depending on the issue/task at hand. The Standing Committee reports annually on its work to the Chief Executives Board (CEB) through the IANGWE

List of members (as of May 2011): DOCO, DPA, DPI, DPKO/DFS, FAO, IOM, OCHA, OHCHR, ODA, OSA-Prevention of Genocide, OSRSG-CAAC, OSRSG-SVC, PBSO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNITAR, UN WOMEN, and WFP. Observers include: NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, the ICRC and OECD.

Terms of Reference

Goal:To play a catalytic role in global policy development, advocacy, strategic policy advisory support to global programming, coordination, monitoring and reporting of the United Nations systems joint response to women, peace and security, in partnership with Member States, regional organizations and non-governmental organizations, based on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and its ensuing resolutions on women, peace and security ¹ and in line with the Beijing Platform for Action and CEDAW.

Strategic Objectives

Advocacy: To strengthen and further explore innovative approaches to ensure that issues related to women, peace and security and the implementation of Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security are fully incorporated into the policy and operational working agenda of United Nations actors including the senior-level management executive committees, Special Representatives and Special Envoys of the Secretary-General, and United Nations system entities. Make information, good practices, tools and guidance on women, peace and security widely available to all actors, and target key external audiences to raise public awareness and increase support for the implementation of resolutions on women, peace and security.

Global policy and programming: To catalyze global policy development on women, peace and security based on global good practice. To offer strategic global policy support to programming on women’s political, social and economic empowerment in crisis countries.

Coordination and Partnerships: To strengthen existing partnerships and seek out new partners so as to build closer linkages to achieve enhanced coordination, collaboration and management of knowledge in policy development and programming on women, peace and security issues.

Monitoring and reporting: To promote enhanced accountability for implementation and results through improved data collection, monitoring and reporting across the UN system on women, peace and security issues.