The Policy for Women in Peacebuilding Operations by the United Nations

—An Investigation into Implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325—

Abstract

It is widely accepted that policy for women in peacebuilding is a crucial issue, yet there are some academic discussions that policy for women by the UN (United Nations) tends to be marginalised. This note attempts to discuss and reveal the UN's flawed implementation of policy for women in peacebuilding operations focusing on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR1325). The resolution was adopted in 2000 for improving female active involvement in conflict resolution, conflict prevention, peacebuilding operations and peacekeeping operations. The literature review on SCR1325 and its implementation describes that the resolution gave women a positive role in peacebuilding operations; however, other literature also criticises the fact that SCR1325 was used as a convenient loophole for the UN to marginalise and ghettoise policy for women from peacebuilding operations.

To examine the attitude of the UN towards policy for women in peacebuilding operations based on SCR1325, DDRR (Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation) for ex-female combatants in UNMIL, (the United Nations Mission in Liberia) was investigated. In DDRR, some consideration by the UN for female participants has been shown; however, there were some difficulties for women. Moreover, there are some criticisms that some difficulties was caused due to lack of consideration by the UN.

The study revealed the reason why the policy by the UN for women is afforded such low priority can be explained using the power relationship between the UN and the aid recipient country, Liberia, in peacebuilding operations. Developed countries, including those within the UN, are likely to introduce a western-oriented liberal economy, rational institutions and policies to conflict-affected countries in the context of the peacebuilding. In the process, it seems that post-conflict society, e.g. Liberia, is forced to accept the institution due to the power relationship. Moreover, the ‘gender hierarchy’, that is the system that privileges maleness and underestimates the female status, is also embedded in the transplanted system; and ‘gender hierarchy’ is also latent in the discourse within SCR1325. In conclusion, it is possible for the article to suggest that due to the power relationship on peacebuilding operations between the UN and the aid recipient country, and ‘gender hierarchy’, the policy for women by the UN tends to be afforded low priority in peacebuilding operations.