Event

Wilton Park Conference – Women Targeted or Affected by Armed Conflict: What Role for Military Peacekeepers?

Event Type: Conference, Meeting or Symposium

Date: 27.05.08 – 30.05.08

Location: United Kingdom – Wiston House, South Downs, England

Details

A Wilton Park Conference on “Women Targeted or Affected by Armed Conflict: What Role for Military Peacekeepers?” was held on 27–30 May 2008 in Wiston House, South Downs, England.

Background
Contemporary armed conflicts raise new challenges for the effective protection of civilians. Not only are civilians often the primary targets of armed conflict, but in some cases, large-scale abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law persist even after the formal cessation of hostilities. This is particularly the case with the use of sexual violence and other forms of violent intimidation against women, employed as a means of prosecuting warfare and perpetuating profound insecurity beyond the formal end of conflict. How can the political and tactical response be strengthened? How can the security sector, including international peacekeepers, best address these challenges? How can international commitment to protecting women and children from systematic and widespread violence in contemporary conflicts be built among policy makers from all UN Member States?

Peacekeeping personnel are currently making courageous, though often ad hoc, attempts to limit sexual and other forms of violence against women, as part of the overall stabilization process. However, these operations have been inadequately analyzed to understand their impact on women’s lives. More attention needs to be paid to the constraints in which peacekeepers operate, such as a paucity of women amongst their ranks to liaise with women civilians to understand their needs; insufficiently robust mandates; and human/materiel resources dwarfed by the scale and magnitude of violence. The aim of this workshop is to identify obstacles impeding the protection of women; to analyze effective strategies that could be replicated; and to consider ways of integrating these strategies into training, mandates, concept of operations and rules of engagement.

Although, in some locations, effective protection can make the difference between life and death and serve as a deterrent to rape, abductions and torture, the role of the military will always be limited. An effective response requires a well-planned, coordinated effort from an array of organizations and sectors, hence this conference will be complemented by discussions on better implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325; the role of police in security sector reform/resurrecting the rule of law; the work of the humanitarian community; as well as with policymakers, particularly in troop-contributing countries and countries where these violations occur. Against this backdrop, the workshop will provide a unique and focused opportunity for military Force Commanders and others engaged in peacekeeping operations to explore how the political and tactical response could be strengthened to meet this pressing challenge to international peace and security.

Sponsors
The conference was organized in cooperation with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), New York, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Department of Field Support (DFS), on behalf of the United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, New York and with support from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa and The Global Conflict Prevention Pool – UN strategy, a joint UK Government approach to reducing conflict.

Sponsored by: Organized in cooperation with UNIFEM, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Department of Field Support (DFS), on behalf of the United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Contact:
Wendy Head