UN Reports
Rule of Law, Peace and Security
United Nations, 14 February 2014 - Rule of law is the basis for peace and security. In post-conflict environments reconciliation and stability require strong, responsive and inclusive institutions. Social cohesion is possible when people can trust their institutions to resolve disputes promptly and fairly, and provide access to basic services, including justice and security. In 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations established the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) inside the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to specifically address issues of rule of law and security. This film explores OROLSI's work through the commentary of Victoria K. Holt the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US State Department, the Minister of Justice of Liberia Christianah Tah, Adedeji Ebo, the DPKO Chief of Security Sector Reform, Leila Zerrougui the Special UN representative for Children and Armed Conflict and others.
July 23, 2015, UN Report, ‘Measures taken and progress achieved in follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly’ – Report of the Secretary-General
This report reviews the progress made in integrating gender perspectives into the work of the UN in intergovernmental processes. There is quantitative and qualitative assessment of progress made and gaps remaining, highlighting the positive contribution of UN Women. The report concludes with recommendations to enhance the implementation of gender equality mandates, including in such areas as resolutions dealing with disarmament and related international security questions, and crime prevention and criminal justice. It states that new and additional efforts are needed to integrate gender equality considerations as a cross-cutting issue in all areas under discussion.
UN Security Council Resolution 2242
Security Council Aims to Double the Number of Women in UN Peacekeeping Military and Police
On October 13, 2015, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2242 in order to broadly strengthen and expand upon its ground-breaking Resolution 1325. Through Resolution 1325 the UN formally recognized for the first time the critical connection between gender equality and peace. It noted modern warfare’s disproportionate impact upon women and highlighted the valuable role women could play in conflict prevention and resolution as well as in peace building and peace keeping. Resolution 1325 called for vastly increasing women’s inclusion at all levels in efforts to cultivate peace and security.
This year’s Resolution 2242 was adopted in response to a recently completed Global Review of Resolution 1325 which assessed the success of its implementation. The resolution calls for extensive steps to improve implementation of Resolution 1325, including the use of specific gender targets. In particular, the Council is working to double the number of women serving as police and military personnel in UN peacekeeping operations. As stated in item number eight of the Resolution, the Security Council
‘….welcomes efforts to incentivize greater numbers of women in militaries and police deployed to United Nations peacekeeping operations, and calls upon the Secretary-General to initiate, in collaboration with Member States, a revised strategy within existing resources, double the numbers of women in military and police contingents of UN peacekeeping operations over the next five years.’
In his address at the meeting, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon declared: “At a time when armed extremist groups place the subordination of women at the top of their agenda, we must place women’s leadership and the protection of women’s rights at the top of ours.”
