Women in security sector reformUN RESOLUTIONS AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

REGIONAL ACADEMY FOR DEMOCRACYSubotica, Monday, 25 February 2013

Sonja LokarCEE Network for Gender Issues

Executive Director

FORGOTEN WOMEN ROLES AT HISTORIC CROSSROAD SITUATIONS

• French Revolution – Women’s March on Versailles 1790 – Olympe de Gauges decapitated 1793

• Soviet Revolution – women textile workers STRIKES IN 1917 in Petrograd – Alexandra Kollontay – equla rights of working women and men, state care for maternal needs and child care

• Yugoslavia 19941-45 – AFŽ, socialist achievments in gender equality

WOMEN ROLES AT RECENT HISTORIC CROSSROAD SITUATIONS

• COMBATING COLONIALISM IN AFRICA TUNIS, ALGERIA, the story of Gamila EGYPT, Doria Shafiq bravely led a march of 1,500 women to storm

the gates of the Egyptian Parliament on Feb. 19, 1951. Her march to Parliament later led to the inclusion of women’s suffrage in the 1956 Constitution

SOUTH AFRICA• ARAB SPRING – COMBATING RADICAL ISLAMIST BACKLASHTunisia- women as equals or complementary to men?Egypt: Erasing Doria Shafig from school books; gang rapes in Tahrir

square as a tool of elinminating women from the public space

TRANSITIONS IN SEE1986-1995

• New women’s movement Slo, Cro, Serbia in the eighties• Losers of political change – thrown out of political decision making in

the parliaments and governments: from 20% to 4% of WMPs• New women’s peace movement 1990- 1992 - defeated• Women warmangers and war criminals: Mira Marković, Biljana Plavšić• Nationalistic instrumentalization of the women peace movement: Pokret

bundi za očuvanje zime, Bedem ljubavi• Women soldiers, women support of the warriors: Kolo srpskih sestara, • Women war victims: killed, maimed, raped, widowed, made homless

and jobless, internally displaced, refugees• Balkan women peace movement – crucial part of UN Beijing conference

1995 – rape in war becomes internationally defined crime against humanity

TRANSITIONS IN SEE1995-2000

• Cooperation of women peace groups accross national boarders – justice for women victims of wars – very few results

• CEE Network for Gender Issues• CEE Network of TU Women• 1999 – SP GTF – new regional movement for

political empowerment of women a year before UN SC Resolution 1325!

TRANSITIONS IN SEEStrife for equal political representation

1999-2013

• Regional mechanismn for gender mainstreaming – SP GTF

• Big coalition strategy – Croatia 1995 B.a.B.e• Sandwich strategy• Parallel electoral campaign strategy Results: Changed constitutions, changed

electoral legislation, legal quota and placing rules

Share of women in the parliaments in the SEE region 1990-2013

Country First election 2013Albania 3 17BiH 2 21Croatia 3 23Macedonia 3 32Serbia 3 32Slovenia 11 33Montenegro 2 17

Kosovo ? 33Average 4% 29% EU 24%

UN Resolutions on women, peace and security

• 1325 – October 2000• 1820 (2008) – focused on sexual violence

against women in armed conflicts• 1888 (2009) – combating impunity of sexual

violence against women and children in violent conflicts; Special UN representative for sexual vioence in armed conflicts

• 1889 (2009) on role of women and their needs in building peace after violent conflicts

Three P

• Prevention• Participation • Protection and post - conflict recoveryDecember 2012 – 37 NAPs all over the world• National action plans for the implementation of

1325 in SEE• Kosovo 2008, BiH – 2010, Croatia – 2011;

Slovenia 2010, Serbia 2011, • Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace

KEY AREAS• Women's participation in decision-making and peace processes. • The protection of women and girls• Gender training

Progress in participationVery small progress in protectionBiggest progress in training No progress in prevention and real inclusion of women in strategic political

decisions reagring crucial reforms of economic and political systemsWomen in top positions making a difference: Serbian speaker of the parliament

and president of the state Natasa Micic; Radmila Šekerinska and Ilinka Mitreva getting Macedonia to EU, Jadranka Kosor, Vesna Pusić – resolving boarder and LB disputes between Slovenia and Croatia, Edita Tahiri, Jahjaga in negotiations Serbia-Kosovo – results in peace negotiations

Main challenges of yesterday

• Cooperation of women in aid offering and aid accepting - beneficiary countries

Governmental level national and EU Parliamentary level national and EUNGO level - Regionla Women’s Lobby for Peace,

EPLO• Good example of Croatia• Bad example of Slovenia

MAIN CHALLENGES OF TODAYCRISES OF THE MAINSTREAM POLITICAL ELITES

• PREVENTION OF THE RENEWAL OF NATIONALISTIC AND RELIGIOUS BACKLASH ES IN THE SEE REGION

• PREVENTION OF TRANSFORMATION OF CRIPPLED DEMOCRACIES IN FUL FLEDGED VIOLENT DICTATORSHIPS –ALBANIA, MACEDONIA, SLOVENIA, TUNISIA, EGYPT.

• ACTIVE ROLE IN THE NEEDED CHANGE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY – REINDUSTRIALIZATION, REFORM OF WELFARE STATES

• ACTIVE ROLE IN THE NEEDED DEMOCRATIZATION OF DEMOCRACY – FROM PARTITOCRACY TO PARTICIPATORY PARITY DEMOCRACY AT WORKPLACE AND IN POLITICS

• EU DIMENTION OF THIS ROCESSES