Implementation of UN Security Council resolution no. 1325

For the first time in the UN history, the United Nations Security Council (hereinafter – the UNSC) Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security (hereinafter – Resolution No. 1325) assesses the role and experience of women in situations of armed conflict. One of the characteristics of contemporary armed conflict situations is the fact that they mostly adversely affect civilians, particularly women and children. The number of women combatants is also, willingly or not, increasing. In spite of everything, the role of women is not being acknowledged and their experience is not being analysed.

UNSC Resolution 1325 urges Member States to ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict; incorporate the materials on the protection, rights and the particular needs of women, on the importance of involving women in all peacekeeping and peace-building measures, as well as on HIV/AIDS awareness training into their national training programmes for military and civilian police personnel in preparation for deployment; to increase the financial, technical and logistical support for gender-sensitive training efforts.

The content of the Resolution is significant for Lithuania in terms of strengthening the role of women both in the Lithuanian society and in the international framework, as well as in the context of the country’s membership in NATO and the EU, both of which pay considerable attention to the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1325, and finally in terms of implementing the objectives of foreign policy, security policy and development cooperation policy and taking part in international missions building and maintaining peace. In the course of its presidency in international organisations Lithuania shall, among other objectives, support a comprehensive and active role of those organisations in the field of equal opportunities for women and men as well as the initiatives in the field of protection of women’s rights.

Implementing Resolution No.1325, Lithuanian National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was adopted in December 2011.

The Action Plan drafted in accordance with the legal acts in force establishes goals, objectives and specific actions to be implemented. The Action Plan for the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1325 shall be implemented in Lithuania by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Plan Coordinator), the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Ministry of Health, and the Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior. The majority of objectives and goals outlined in the UNSC Resolution 1325, such as an active international activity with a view to ensuring the implementation of the Resolution in international organisations, support to initiatives of other countries, non-tolerance of violence against women during situations of conflict and the like shall be implemented using diplomatic actions that do not require separate funding.

It is expected that this Action Plan will raise awareness among the general public on the equal opportunities for women and men and the UNSC Resolution 1325; it will become customary to train the experts taking part in operations and missions on the matters related to the UNSC Resolution 1325; the institutions responsible for the implementation of the actions of the Plan will more closely cooperate with non-governmental organisations for women, the Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and the Centres for Gender Studies of the universities; Lithuania will raise its own experts on gender equality, and finally the number of women participating at decision-making at all levels will increase.

The implementation of the Action Plan shall be coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2015 Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued consultations with the interested institutions on the update of the national action plan for the implementation of the UNSC resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Consultations will continue and draft national action plan will be further improved.

On 20 April 2015, an international conference on the implementation of the UNSC resolution 1325 in the OSCE region, organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN Women and hosted by the President of the Republic of Lithuania D. Grybauskė, took place in Vilnius. Secretary-General of the OSCE L. Zanier, Head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) G. Link, author of the UN Global Study on the implementation of the UNSC resolution 1325 R. Coomaraswamy, UN and OSCE member states experts attended the conference.

Gaps and challenges on the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as well as recommendations and priorities for action were discussed during the conference. The conference gathered important data for the UN Global Study on the implementation of the UNSC resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in the OSCE region.

Related documents:

• UN Security Council Resolution No. 1325 (2000)
• UNSCR 1674 (2006)
• UNSCR 1820 (2008)
• UNSCR 1888 (2009)
• UNSCR 1889 (2009)
• UNSCR 1960 (2010)
• UNSCR 2106 (2013)
• UNSCR 2122 (2013)
• Lithuania's Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
• Report of the EU Member States annual meeting on UNSCR 1325 "Transitional Justice and Gender: Reducing Impunity" (27 May, 2013)
• European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) Statement Maximising EU Support to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda
• Résumé of a seminar on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania on 24 May 2012
• At the UN Security Council, Lithuania urges to put an end to violence against women (press release)
• 2013-09-04 Report of the Secretary-General on women and peace and security

Statements and speeches:

• Statement by Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the open debate of the UN Security Council on “Women and Peace and Security”. New York, 30 November 2012 (video, part 3)
• Statement by Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council open debate on "Women and Peace and Security". 17 April 2013
• Statement by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Neris Germanas at UN Security Council Open Debate “Addressing Impunity: Effective Justice for Crimes of Sexual Violence in Conflict”. New York, 24 June 2013

Useful links:

• NATO'S implementation of UNSCR 1325
• European External Action Service: "Women in Armed Conflict/Women's Role in Peace and Security"
• European Peacebuilding Liason Office: "Gender, Peace and Security"
• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - UN Women

Lithuania's chairmanship of the forum for security co-operation of OSCE

Lithuania holds chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-Operation of OSCE during the period May – August, 2013. In the view of active engagement in implementing OSCE’s Vilnius Ministerial decision No. 7/11, Lithuania considers implementation of UNSCR 1325 (2000) and related resolutions as one of its chairmanship priorities. Therefore two security dialogues were organized on the issues of Women, Peace and Security:

• Security Dialogue of 8 May, 2013. The main guest speaker was Mr.  Michael Larmas Smith, Program Director, Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) for the U.S. Department of State. His presentation was on “Implementing UNSCR 1325: Lessons-Learned by the United States’ Global Peace Operations Initiative”.
• Security Dialogue of 12 June, 2013. Main presentations were presented by Mr. Andrew Long, Senior Policy Adviser, and Ms. Jackie Upton, Policy and Programme Manager, Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom Government on “Women, Peace and Security, and the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict” and Ms. Bilge Koçyiğit, FSC Coordinator on matters relating to UNSCR 1325 on “How could we advance FSC work and strengthen co-operation: assisting in the implementation of UNSCR 1325”.

Lithuania's chairmanship of the organization for security and co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Under the chairmanship of Lithuania in 2011  OSCE’s Vilnius Ministerial Council at 7 December 2011 adopted two decisions, having impact on the issues of women, peace and security:

• Decision No. 3/11 on Elements of the Conflict Cycle, related to Enhancing the Osce’s Capabilities in Early Warning, Early Action, Dialogue Facilitation and Mediation Support, and Post-Conflict Rehabilitation;
• Decision No. 10/11 on Promoting Equal Opportunity for Women in the Economic Sphere.

Vilnius Ministerial Council has also adopted a decision No. 7/11 on Issues relevant to the Forum for Security Co-operation, which tasked the Forum, in accordance with its mandate to examine ways that it can assist in the implementation in the OSCE region of the UNSCR 1325 (2000) and related resolutions on the issue of gender and security.