UN RESOLUTION FOR SUDAN RECOGNIZES
CRITICAL ROLE OF WOMEN PEACE EXPERTS
Washington, DC—On
March 24, UN Security Council Resolution 1590 created a 10,000
person peacekeeping force for Sudan to support the implementation
of the recent peace agreement and to help the war-torn country
achieve lasting peace and stability. Included in the resolution
is important language that calls on the UN Mission in Sudan to
specifically address the needs of women and include them in peace
processes.
“The UN resolution was an important first step for women
and Sudan,” said Carla Koppell, Director of Policy Initiatives
for Inclusive Security: Women Waging
Peace, an initiative of
Hunt Alternatives Fund that advocates for the inclusion of all
stakeholders—especially women—in peace processes.
“Addressing the needs of women in a conflict area and
including them in peace processes is vital to the creation of
sustainable peace, but seldom happens,” said Ms. Koppell. “Peace
processes tend to be dominated by the warring parties, who are
almost always led by men. As a result, most international efforts
start by ignoring the needs of 50 percent of the population.”
Women in conflict areas face specific challenges, from rape
to economic discrimination, that must be addressed in order to
help stabilize the region. In Sudan, women make up over 65 percent
of the population, but they are vastly underrepresented in peace
negotiations and policymaking. UN resolution 1590 commits the
UN to address their specific needs—as leaders, refugees,
victims of rape and sexual exploitation, heads of families, and
combatants.
Equally important, the resolution calls on the warring parties
to include women in the implementation of the peace process.
From Rwanda to Bosnia-Herzegovina, field-based research conducted
by Inclusive Security: Women Waging
Peace shows that women lead
efforts to reach across conflict lines, initiate reconciliatory
dialogue, and keep the focus on peace and rebuilding, not war.
“In Sudan, women have worked across conflict lines to
build peace for years,” said Ms. Koppell. “Now, the
international community has a window of opportunity to help the
UN build an inclusive approach to peace that draws on the expertise
of women while fully addressing women’s priorities and
needs.”
From April 7 to 12, Inclusive
Security: Women Waging Peace will
join prominent Sudanese women peace builders at the international
donors conference for Sudan in Oslo, Norway, to urge donor countries
to involve and provide crucial resources for women in the reconstruction
of Sudan.
Media Availability and Bios
Ms. Koppell and the following Sudanese women peace experts,
who are attending the conference, are available for interviews.
Rebecca Okwaci has been instrumental in involving women in the
peace process in Sudan, leading delegations to meet mediation
officials and representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority
on Development’s peace initiative in Nairobi. As Coordinator
of the Sudanese Women Empowerment for Peace (SuWEP), Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement-United Working Group, she facilitates her
group’s activities with grassroots organizations, political
authorities, and other stakeholders; organizes field visits with
groups from both the north and south; and conducts workshops
on conflict resolution, negotiation, leadership, advocacy, and
peace awareness for women in refugee camps in Sudan, Kenya, and
the diaspora. The SuWEP is an umbrella organization facilitated
by the Dutch government that advocates for the participation
of women in Sudanese peace and decision-making processes. Ms.
Okwaci co-founded the Sudanese Women’s Association in Nairobi,
an organization dedicated to women’s economic empowerment,
and the Sudanese Women’s Voice for Peace, which encourages
women from war-affected areas to become active participants in
peace building.
Suzanne Samson Jambo is the NGO coordinator for New Sudanese
Indigenous Network (NSIN), comprised of 42 southern indigenous
non-governmental organizations. The NSIN is a forum for southern
Sudanese civil society groups to address pertinent issues such
as human rights, participatory governance, socio-development
matters, and post-conflict strategies and advocacy for a just
and lasting peace in Sudan. Ms. Jambo helps indigenous Sudanese
women’s NGOs integrate international, regional, and local
human rights provisions that are gender-sensitive into their
programs. She is the author of “Overcoming Gender Conflict
and Bias: The Case of New Sudan Women,” published in October
2001. She has worked with international organizations such as
Amnesty International, the UN Children’s Fund, and the
UN World Food Programme. Ms. Jambo holds professional degrees
in law and applied social sciences.
Inclusive Security: Women
Waging Peace has worked with Sudanese
women peace experts to develop specific recommendations for addressing
the needs of women and incorporating their expertise into peace
processes. To view these recommendations and learn more about
women, security, and peace in Sudan, visit www.womenwagingpeace.net and click on “A Call to Action on Sudan.”
About Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace
Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace (Waging), an initiative
of Hunt Alternatives Fund, advocates for the full participation
of all stakeholders, especially women, in peace processes.
Creating sustainable peace is achieved best by a diverse, citizen-driven
approach. Of the many sectors of society currently excluded
from peace processes, none is larger—or more critical
to success—than women. Since 1999, Waging has connected
more than 400 women experts with over 3,000 policy shapers
to collaborate on fresh, workable solutions to long-standing
conflicts across the globe.
Hunt Alternatives Fund advances innovative and inclusive approaches
to social change at local, national, and global levels. Since
its founding in Denver in 1981, the Fund has contributed $50
million to social change through a blend of grant making and
operating programs. Today, the Fund operates out of Cambridge,
MA, and is focused on strengthening youth arts organizations,
supporting leaders of social movements, and advocating for the
full inclusion of all stakeholders in peace processes.
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