Secretary-General Reports

The perspective of the Secretary-General.

 

After the adoption of the UNSCR 1325 in 2000, the Secretary-General has been tasked by the Security Council to produce annual reports on the worldwide progress and challenges in the implementation of women, peace and security framework. The Secretary-General reports are among the tools used by the Security Council for the annual Open Debates on this topic, these often lead to the adoption of Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) on WPS and fight against sexual violence in conflict.

   2002, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

The report is the result of the first study conducted under the request of the Security Council on the impacts of armed conflicts on women and girls, recognized as disproportionately targeted in contemporary armed conflicts, and also constituting the majority of all victims. The report expresses six actions for recognizing the role of women in conflict resolution, and possible international measures to ensure justice for the victims.

 

 

   2004, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

It represents the first report providing illustrative examples of the progress achieved, and it identifies gaps and challenges in the implementation of resolution 1325. Although the UNSCR 1325 has been effectively utilized by civil society organizations as an advocacy and monitoring tool, the report recognizes the persistence of major gaps and challenges, particularly regarding women’s participation in conflict prevention and peace processes and the increase of sexual and gender-based violence.

 

   2005, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

The report presents the system-wide Action Plan 2005-2007 for the implementation of UNSCR 1325, requested by the Security Council in 2004, and elaborated by a task force of 22 United Nations system entities and observers from intergovernmental organizations and civil society.

 

   2006, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

A first evaluation of the accomplishments of the Action Plan 2005-2007, showing practical example of progress, challenges and gaps on all domains regarding women, peace and security: Conflict prevention and early warning, Peacemaking and peace-building, Peacekeeping operations, Humanitarian response, Post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation, Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, Preventing and responding to gender-based violence in armed conflict, Preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff, related personnel and partners.

 

   2007, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

In light of the followings years' updates of the Action Plan, the report presents, besides progress and challenges in each areas of women, peace and security, the main weaknesses to be improved within the UN system itself, such as incoherence, inadequate funding of gender related projects, fragmentation and insufficient institutional capacity to apply gender mainstreaming.

 

   2008, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

Beside a first focus on the impact of armed conflict on women, the report presents also the main mechanisms to implement the UNSCR 1325 at National levels.

 

   2009, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

Following the intent to inform about the actions to implement UNSCR 1325, the report exposes thematic subjects that go from sexual violence, to education, political participation of women, training and awareness raising.

 

   2010, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security                           April

 

The tenth anniversary of UNSCR 1325 is featured in two reports of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security. The first one, in April 2010, indicates a set of indicators elaborated for monitoring and measuring the implementation of UNSCR 1325, notably in the areas of: prevention, participation, protection, and relief and recovery.

 

   2010, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security                           September

 

Although recognizing the efforts in full implementation of the UNSCR 1325, the second 2010 report points out that significant achievements on women, peace and security are still difficult to identify or quantify. It also reminds us of serious human rights violations against women and girls still perpetrated, as the case of massive rapes in DRCongo. The report includes also a review of the implementation of the Action Plan 2008-2009.

 

   2011, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

In a clear balance between practical examples and used indicators, the report designs the situation of the implementation of UNSCR 1325, underlying that too many gaps still persist, even if recognizing important progress, as the creation of UN-Women.

 

   2012, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

Supported by more evident data, the report focuses on the priorities that are still far from being reached by Member States. Irrespective of their efforts,  the need to switch from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention still prevails, especially in the areas of: prevention and response of conflict-related sexual violence, women’s engagement in mediation and peace-building, presence of female staff in UN system and peacekeeping operations, investment in women’s economic capacities and employment, and consultation with women’s civil society organizations in all peace-building planning and decision-making process.

 

   2013, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

The report shows quite a new approach, since it acknowledges the attention that has been paid in preventing conflict-related sexual violence the past year. Yet it also calls for the adoption of a broader perspective that would equally include all the other security threats faced by women and girls, and that would insist on improving the quantity and quality of gender and conflict analyses. This way it would become possible to reach the goal of identifying deep linkages among gender, peace and security, and development.

 

   2014, Report of the Secretary-General on women, peace and security

 

The report firstly underlines achievements reached at the normative level in 2013 on WPS agenda (UNSCR 2106 and UNSCR 2122, CEDAW Gen. Recommendation N°30, and  reference to WPS in peace-building and Arms Trade Treaty). However, it recognizes the need for progress in the area of implementation, especially regarding the involvement of women’s organization in community security and peace-building sectors. Despite several good practices, prevention of sexual violence in conflict still remains a deep concern. Indicating  progress in data collection and analysis to re-orientate strategies, as practice adopted in the most recent reports, also the 2014 report includes figures and indicators for each domain, including a review of cases of gender-related human rights violations in conflict and post-conflict settings.