24 July 2002

Isha Dyfan, International Women's Tribune centre (IWTC) Programme Coordinator, underscored the the need to create information pipelines for women caught in armed conflict zones to ensure that Resolution 1325 is a reality.

Speaking at the session on Information in Peace-Building and Reconstruction Process: Needs and Initiatives at the on-going Know How Conference in Kampala, Uganda, Dyfan explained the significance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which acknowledges and counts women's role in peace building in war torn and armed conflict regions and countries.

Passed by the UN Security Council in October 2000, Resolution 1325 states that there be gender sensitivity in all UN missions including peace keeping. It also stresses the need for women to participate equally at all peace negotiation tables and post-conflict rebuilding initiatives. Moreover, it emphasizes the need to ensure the protection of women and girls during armed conflict. The Resolution also holds governments and non-state actors accountable in times of war and armed conflict.

IWTC is concerned that such a powerful resolution for women in countries that are in armed conflict is not widely understood and subsequently not used, Dyfan stressed. She reminded the Know How conference delegates that the Resolution 1325 is largely a civil society initiative made possible by meticulous documentation and sharing of information on experiences of women in situations of armed conflict.

To date, the UN information campaign has been limited to the print medium and mainly through brochures which are available in several languages.

The creation of information pipelines for women caught in armed conflict zones includes the concept of new democratic diplomacy which entails close collaboration amongst governments, UN, UN agencies and civil society organisations.

Meanwhile, the UN has organised UN agencies taskforces to monitor and ensure implementation of the Resolution. A number of governments known as "friends of 1325" are ensuring the compliance with the resolution 1325.

Dfan called on the delegates to come up with alternative information communication strategies of raising awareness on Resolution 1325 that will ensure faster, wider, and more efficient dissemination of information.

--Raijeli Nicole