Conflict prevention and resolution: the role of women

Recommendation 1665 (2004)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 23 June 2004 (21st Sitting) (see Doc. 10117, report of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, rapporteur: Ms Cliveti). Text adopted by the Assembly on 23 June 2004 (21st Sitting).

Thesaurus

1. Thre Paliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 1385 (2004) on the role played by women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. It considers that, given the effect of conflict on women who are the main civilian victims, they should be empowered and made part of conflict management initiatives. Women should be involved in preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, peace-making and post-conflict peace-building debates and activities at all levels.

2. The Assembly welcomes Resolution MEG-5 (2003) 4 on the roles of women and men in conflict prevention, peace-building and post-conflict democratic processes – a gender perspective, adopted by the 5th European Ministerial Conference on Equality between Women and Men, which encourages the integration of a gender perspective in all activities aimed at conflict prevention and resolution.

3. The Assembly considers that the Committee of Ministers should implement and build on this resolution, and therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

3.1 encourage and support multicultural, transborder and regional women’s initiatives for preventing and resolving conflicts;

3.2 call upon the international community, the United States of America and Europe to ensure ample women’s leadership and participation in all discussions and activities regarding democratic transition and reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq;

3.3 invite the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to support women’s organisations and grass-roots groups working at local level on issues of peace and security and give the Congress the financial means to do so;

3.4 include the issue of the promotion of women’s participation in decision making, in particular in relation to conflict situations, as one of the topics of the 3rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe;

3.5 take all necessary measures to ensure the personal security of applicants to the European Court of Human Rights, especially women applicants and their families.