Meaningful, sustainable peace cannot be achieved without women’s effective participation in international security, Conference on Disarmament hears
The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon held a plenary meeting on the role of women in international security.
Ambassador Frank Tressler of Chile, President of the Conference on Disarmament, noted that today's event aimed to promote a dialogue on the progress achieved and future challenges, to ensure a diverse representation of women, as well as to identify ways and means to significantly improve women’s participation and role in international security.
Carolina Valdivia Torres, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of Chile, in her introductory remarks, highlighted that Chile was firmly committed to strengthening the inclusion of the gender perspective in matters related to disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, and promoting dialogue, reflection and actions with a view to identifying ways to improve the participation and role of women in a meaningful way in the field of international security. To date, Chile had two National Action Plans and was preparing a third one, focused on eliminating the factors of gender violence that women faced.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations’ Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, stated that ensuring the full and effective participation of women in disarmament was not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do. In his Agenda for Disarmament, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had outlined how ensuring gender parity in disarmament was both “a moral duty and an operational necessity”. Ensuring the equal participation of women, and systematically considering the gendered impacts of weapons would require a shift towards a more people-centred approach to peace and security.
Bonnie Jenkins, the United States’ Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, noted that the United States had been a proud supporter of the General Assembly resolution on women, disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation since its introduction at the United Nations First Committee in 2010. In the face of extremely difficult and complex challenges in conflict-affected regions, women had achieved significant success in moderating violent extremism, countering terrorism, and much more. However, women remained under-represented in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict, peace-building efforts around the world. This was truly unfortunate.
Ambassador Federico Villegas, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Argentina to the Conference on Disarmament, took stock of the progress made in the area of women's participation in disarmament and security, citing in particular Security Council resolution 1325 as well as the Arms Trade Treaty, which recognized in its preamble that the vast majority of people affected by armed conflict and armed violence were civilians, especially women and children. At the same time, the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Field of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems had been discussing gender issues since its inception. "The problem of women is ultimately a problem of man," said the Ambassador, quoting Simone de Beauvoir.
Renata Hessmann Dalaqua, Programme Lead on Gender and Disarmament, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, noted that socially constructed gender norms shaped the way weapons were seen and used in society, as well as the impacts of weapons and violence. In addition to shaping the impacts of weapons, gender had shaped the way the international community worked together to develop and implement policy and legal responses to weapons proliferation. Targeted action to accelerate progress towards gender parity in arms control and disarmament was needed urgently.
In the ensuing discussion, speakers welcomed the choice of women’s participation in international security as a theme. Research continued to show that women remained chronically underrepresented in the fields of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation; targeted actions required a cultural shift in these fields. Speakers were disappointed that the Conference on Disarmament was not able to reach consensus on the draft decision to update the Rules of Procedure to reflect the equality of men and women. This was a simple but meaningful change that would have sent a strong signal. Instead it highlighted that disarmament lagged other fora when it came to gender equality. It was important not to lose sight of the significant progress already achieved, such as the growing proportion of women participation in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament diplomacy, and the increasing efforts to incorporate gender provisions in multilateral arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament frameworks.
Speaking were Peru (delegate), Australia (Ambassador), Sri Lanka (delegate), Switzerland (delegate), South Africa (delegate), Japan (Ambassador), Indonesia (Ambassador), Austria (Ambassador), India (Ambassador), Republic of Korea (Ambassador), Ireland (delegate), Pakistan (delegate), Canada (delegate), United Kingdom (Ambassador), Russian Federation (delegate), China (delegate), Mexico (delegate), and Colombia (delegate).
Ambassador Frank Tressler of Chile, President of the Conference on Disarmament, in his concluding remarks, thanked all the panellists and delegations for their constructive participation in today's event.
The Conference on Disarmament will hold its next plenary at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 31 August.
Opening Remarks by the President of the Conference
Ambassador FRANK TRESSLER of Chile, President of the Conference on Disarmament, in his opening remarks noted that today's event aimed to promote a dialogue on the progress achieved and future challenges, to ensure a diverse representation of women, as well as the identification of ways and means to significantly improve the participation and role of women in the field of international security.
Keynote Statements
CAROLINA VALDIVIA TORRES, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of Chile, in her introductory remarks, highlighted that Chile was firmly committed to strengthening the inclusion of the gender perspective in matters related to disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, and promoting dialogue, reflection and actions with a view to finding ways to improve the participation and role of women in a meaningful way in the field of international security. To date, Chile had two National Action Plans and was preparing a third one, focused on eliminating the factors of gender violence that women faced. It would also highlight their role in negotiation contexts, mediation, and the construction and consolidation of peace, thus articulating, from the national perspective, the fulfilment of the strategic objectives and the implementation of the first “Regional Network of Mediators of the Southern Cone”, an alliance with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. At the international level, Chile supported the diagnosis called by António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, in his Agenda for Disarmament (2018).
IZUMI NAKAMITSU, Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, stated that ensuring the full and effective participation of women in disarmament was not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do. In his Agenda for Disarmament, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had outlined how ensuring gender parity in disarmament was both “a moral duty and an operational necessity”. International frameworks such as the landmark Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and the General Assembly resolution on women, disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, represented the global recognition of the critical role that women played in decision-making processes related to international peace and security. In most international disarmament conferences, however, only one third of delegates were women and even fewer were Heads of Delegation. In the entire history of the 75 sessions of the United Nations First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), only one Chair had been a woman. Ensuring the equal participation of women, and systematically considering the gendered impacts of weapons would require a shift towards a more people-centred approach to peace and security.
BONNIE JENKINS, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs of the United States, noted that the United States had been a proud supporter of the General Assembly resolution on women, disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation since its introduction at the First Committee in 2010. In the face of extremely difficult and complex challenges in conflict-affected regions, women had achieved significant success in moderating violent extremism, countering terrorism, and much more. However, women remained under-represented in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict, peace-building efforts around the world. This was truly unfortunate. The 2017 passage of the Women, Peace, and Security Act enshrined the United States’ commitment to equal opportunity for women in law. In April 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer within the State Department. A few months ago, on March 8, President Joe Biden established the White House Gender Policy Council to coordinate a government-wide approach to gender equity and equality, and create a federal gender strategy.
Ambassador FEDERICO VILLEGAS, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Argentina to the Conference on Disarmament, took stock of the progress made in the area of women's participation in disarmament and security, citing in particular Security Council resolution 1325 as well as the Arms Trade Treaty, which recognized in its preamble that the vast majority of people affected by armed conflict and violence were civilians, especially women and children. At the same time, the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Field of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems had been discussing gender issues since its inception. Its reports highlighted, among other things, the risk that the data sets used in algorithms for lethal autonomous weapons systems may perpetuate or amplify social prejudices, including racial and gender prejudices. The Ambassador recommended concrete changes so that women could participate in security and disarmament issues as full actors. Thus, more women were needed not only in the Conference and the First Committee, but also in armed forces, defence schools, arms control institutions, and more. "The problem of women is ultimately a problem of man," said the Ambassador, quoting Simone de Beauvoir.
RENATA HESSMANN DALAQUA, Programme Lead on Gender and Disarmament at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, noted that socially constructed gender norms shaped the way weapons were seen and used in society, as well as the impacts of weapons and violence. In addition to shaping the impacts of weapons, gender had shaped the way the international community worked together to develop and implement policy and legal responses to weapons proliferation. The Institute surveyed more than 80 multilateral meetings in the diplomatic field and carried out focus groups with practitioners, finding that women comprised only a third of diplomats, in comparison to human rights, where women comprised 50 per cent. Moreover, only 20 per cent of the delegations were headed by a woman on average. It should be clear that discrimination and violence against women was a global issue. It was not a small problem that only occurred in some pockets of society; rather, it was a global problem of pandemic proportions, made worse by COVID-19. Targeted action to accelerate progress towards gender parity in arms control and disarmament was needed urgently.
Discussion
Speakers welcomed the choice of women’s participation in international security as a theme for this discussion, highlighting that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was the international community's roadmap to promote the empowerment and rights of women and girls around the world.
More than 25 years after its adoption, remarkable progress had been made, but much remained to be done to eliminate discrimination against women, adolescents, and girls, and achieve equality in all areas of life, public and private. Speakers agreed that the role of women was very important for conflict resolution, as well as for dialogue in times of peace. Research continued to show that women remained chronically underrepresented in the fields of disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation – targeted actions required a shift in the culture of these fields. Speakers were disappointed that the Conference on Disarmament was not able to reach consensus on the draft decision to update the Rules of Procedure to reflect the equality of men and women. This was a simple but meaningful change that would have sent a strong signal, but instead highlighted that disarmament lagged other fora when it came to gender equality.
No meaningful and sustainable peace could be achieved without the effective and sustained participation of women in the process, speakers highlighted. When considering the role of women in international security, it was important to understand that conflicts affected women, men, girls and boys differently. At the same time, women should not be exclusively seen as victims and targets.
One speaker noted that financing for women, peace and security was insufficient, highlighting that the women, peace and security agenda would contribute to silencing the guns across the world and saving succeeding generation from the scourge of war. The severe and unyielding impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on countries globally had disrupted daily life and work as we know it. The response required an approach based on human security, with women, peace and security at the centre of it.
It was important not to lose sight of the significant progress that had already been made, such as the growing proportion of women participating in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament diplomacy, and the increasing efforts to incorporate gender provisions in multilateral arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament frameworks.
Some speakers pointed out that nuclear fallout and exposure affected men and women differently, with the latter being more vulnerable, as shown by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. Creating awareness about these differences had the potential to not only improve health outcomes and design new medical instruments, but also to better inform multilateral disarmament discussions.
These fora were not the only sites where women’s participation could be encouraged, as speakers highlighted their efforts at mainstreaming gender perspectives and improving numbers of women represented in the military, police, and peacekeeping units.
It was important to highlight that increasing the number of women in the room was only the first step; integrating gender issues into the negotiations and texts at the fundamental level had to be the goal, going beyond tokenism.
Other areas existing at the intersection between gender and disarmament, highlighted by speakers as important and relevant, were tackling landmines, cluster munitions and explosive remnants of war, as well as fighting illicit small arms trade. They agreed – this agenda mattered.
Several speakers agreed the panellists’ presentations provided undeniable food for thought on how to further improve gender equality. There were many positives to take away, including the fact that women were clearly active in this forum. At the same time, some speakers said an important point was often ignored in these discussions – the most significant criteria when hiring staff had to be an individual’s professionalism and competency, rather than their gender. This was especially important in such a sensitive area as disarmament.
Speakers expressed hope that initiatives seeking greater inclusion of women and their full and effective participation would continue to be a priority for Member States, especially when considering their long-term impact. Maintaining these efforts was a collective challenge given the growing funding needs for other priorities.
Concluding remarks
Ambassador FRANK TRESSLER of Chile, President of the Conference on Disarmament, in his concluding remarks, thanked all the panellists and delegations for their constructive participation in today's event, noting that speakers could still contribute to this debate at the next plenary on Tuesday, 31 August, at 10 a.m.
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