Proposal and Outline Side Event at Council of Europe during PACE session

Subject : Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325

Objective : Determine what the CoE pillars can do to support the implementation of 1325

Organiser: Parliamentarian PACE,

supported by INGO Representatives

Chair: Ms Sirkka-Liisa Anttila, PM Finland.

Co-Chair Ms Anna Rurka, President INGO Conference.

Moderator: Chair PACE Co. Equality and Non-Discrimination (provisional)

Program covering the following

Subject A : explanation on content of 2000 UN SC Resolution Women, Peace and Security

Including the importance / the positive effect of the implementation

by Mr Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, ex-Bangladesh Ambasador at UN, Initiator of UNSCR 1325 as President of the UN Security Council in 2000, Founder of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace (provisional)

Or Hibaaq Osman, Director KARAMA Egypt, who works in several Arab countries

Subject B : State of present Syrian peace negotiations and non-implementation of Res.1325 by Ms Narwal Yaziji, Chair of the Syrian Women Advisory Board at the Syrian Peace talks. Or Ms Mouna Ghanem, Founder and Coordinator Syrian Women’s Initiative for Peace and Democracy (provisional)

by Ms Margot Wallström, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (provisional)

Subject C : Negotiations and talks about the future of Cyprus reuniting North and South by one of the Initiators of Declaration to include women in the peace process

by Mr Jari Vilén, EU Ambassador at CoE or Mr Frans C.G.M. Timmermans, Eurocommissaris at EU (provisional)

Subject D : Legal Opinion to International Court of Justice as a method to pressure the UN SC to implement its - binding – Resolutions

by Mr Nicolaas J. Schrijver, Professor Public International Law, Leiden University (provisional)

Subject E : Concluding what the CoE pillars can do to support the implementation of 1325

by Chair of PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (provisional)

or Rapporteur of PACE report on Political Situation in Syria.

Anje Wiersinga

Representative International Alliance of Women at Council of Europe

Chair INGO WG Gender Perspectives in Democratic and Political Processes

POBox 614

3700AP Zeist

The Netherlands

Tel. (+) 31 30 69 58 078

E-mail> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.<

06 July 2017

19 October 2017

Januari 2018

Proposal and Outline Side Event at Council of Europe during PACE session 2018

INGO Representatives at the Council of Europe are currently seeking to get a side event on the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Women, Peace and Security during the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) session in January 2018.

This note will provide some background information on the topic and explain the objective.

The binding UN SC Res. 1325 makes it mandatory for all countries to include women in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, state building. The inclusion of women in peace-talks is crucial. Not only is the inclusion of the perspective of half the population essential in the realization of the basic human and democratic rights of women and men, it is also essential for lasting consensus.

In this side event we want to focus on two present examples : Cyprus and Syria, countries in which the Council of Europe has an interest.

Cyprus, Greece and Turkey are members of the Council of Europe. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is also dealing with the Syrian situation through its Committee on Political Affairs and its subcommittee on Middle East. This Committee is tasked to submit reports on the current situation with recommendations.

The side event’s objective is to present to politicians the Cypriot and Syrian Women’s contribution: their recommendations and expectations, their wishes, demands and priorities.

As for Cyprus : In January 2017 Cypriotic women from across the island formulated in a statement sent to the negotiators, their wishes, demands and priorities to be included in the peace agreement and in the new constitution to ensure a sustainable solution.

As for Syria : Syrian women have been organizing themselves inside and outside Syria since the very early stages of the present conflict. From the beginning, they have called upon the international community to include their voices in the peace efforts. However within the official peace talks in Geneva Syrian women are excluded. Some groups involved in the physical combat have stated that they will not join the peace talks if women are invited. Because of this the peacemakers had to decide to exclude either women or the parties involved in conflict.

To compensate for the exclusion of women at the official Syrian peace talks in Geneva, a Women’s Advisory Commission is set up, with the support of UN Women, which meets separately.

The Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs is supporting this Women’s Advisory Commission. Sweden is also involved as a member of the UN SC Committee which follows the official Syrian Peace talks.

The event’s objective is that it leads to commitments by the Council of Europe members to promote the implementation and monitoring of UN SC Res 1325 on Women, Security and Peace.

June - September 2017