What's In Blue

Arria-formula meeting on Women, Peace and Security

On Monday (5 December), Uruguay is organising an Arria-formula meeting on “Synergies between Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)”. The meeting will be open to all member states and civil society. The briefers will be: Mr. Yannick Glemarec, UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme; Pramila Patten, Chair of the CEDAW Task Force on General Recommendation 30; and Maria Victoria Cabrera-Balleza, International Coordinator for the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders.

The objectives of Monday’s Arria-formula meeting are to discuss the synergies between the Council’s resolutions on women, peace and security and CEDAW and how a congruent implementation could strengthen and reinforce both instruments; to enhance the effectiveness of the 1325 framework by reporting to CEDAW on the implementation of resolution 1325 and other relevant women, peace and security resolutions; and to generate support for a more integrative approach to the implementation of international laws and policies across the UN system.

A concept note prepared by Uruguay and distributed to Council members notes that the Council’s High Level Review of resolution 1325 and the 2015 Global Study on Women, Peace and Security brought a global momentum to the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda, leading to the adoption of resolution 2242 in 2015 and the formation of the Informal Expert Group on women, peace and security. It has also generated more contributions for the Global Acceleration Instrument for women, peace and security and humanitarian action. The Global Study also underscored the need to enhance system-wide accountability, coordination and coherence in order to effectively accelerate implementation of the women, peace and security agenda. In this regard, it called upon the members states to “ratify, remove reservations to, and fully implement CEDAW”, and report regularly on its implementation to the CEDAW Committee and other treaty bodies.

Among the key issues outlined in the concept note are ensuring that the implementation of resolution 1325, other women, peace and security resolutions and CEDAW are mutually reinforcing. It suggests that the use of CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30 will improve member states’ monitoring and reporting of the implementation of resolution 1325. (General Recommendation No. 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations in October 2013 strengthened and made clear CEDAW’s applicability to a diverse range of settings affected by conflict and political crises, and affirmed CEDAW’s linkages with the Council’s women, peace and security agenda.) A further issue likely to be addressed is how the use of CEDAW general recommendation 30 can further strengthen collaboration with civil society.

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