U.N. supports women in conflict resolution

NEW YORK, Jul 19, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- The United Nations, at the opening of a conflict-resolution conference, is encouraging a greater role for women.

"There is more international awareness of women as peace makers." Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, East and Horn of Africa regional director for UNIFEM, the Development Fund for Women, said Monday. She spoke on the eve of a four-day Global Conference on conflict prevention and peace-building at U.N. World Headquarters in New York. The conference, "From Reaction to Prevention: Civil Society Forging Partnerships to Prevent Conflict and Build Peace," will launch a new international movement to prevent armed conflict.

"We still see that women are very marginal in the terms of formal participation in negotiations ... it is still men who are the peace mediators and peace negotiators," she said.

An example of how women can help in peace negotiations came from Asha Hagi Amin, founder of Save Somali Women and Children. She explained Somali women organized across clan borders to form a multi-clan, the sixth clan, which for the first time represented women from all over the country in recent talks.

Amin said peace negotiations had included only the five traditional clans of Somalia and, "during the Djibouti peace talks, only men were allowed inside the big tent where the negotiations were being held. So we stood outside demanding to participate until they had to let us in. I had the honor of representing the sixth clan."

Gumbonzvanda said, "It was clear from the Somali talks that when tensions were high, and the women spoke they were able to put down the tension and ensure that women's human rights be included ... the issue of women's affirmative action be included in the charter, and the issue of ensuring that the reconstruction effort in itself would include tenets of women's human rights."

One of the resolutions in the talks ensured that 12 percent of Somali's National Assembly, or 23 seats of 275 total, go to women.

Over the past five years, UNIFEM has been examining the role women play in promoting peace worldwide, and has provided assistance to women for advocacy and education with the goal of preventing the emergence or recurrence of conflict.

The Global Conference on conflict resolution was organized by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict in partnership with the U.N. Department of Political Affairs.

The conference, Tuesday through Thursday, marks the culmination of multiyear efforts to develop common goals for peace building. Some 1,000 peace activists and organizations were expected to attend from 160 countries.

The sponsors, The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, came about following recommendations in U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's June 2001 report urging non-governmental organizations to organize an international conference and to define its position on conflict prevention.

The purpose of the partnership is to encourage governments and international organizations to work more closely with NGOs. The conference program includes working groups, interactive panels, regional panels, and workshops.

Participants were to attend meetings topics including conflict resolution and media strategies, small arms and conflict prevention.

Keynote speakers include President Xanana Gusmao of Timor-Leste who was to talk about lessons learned from the past and present, and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Jodi Williams, the founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines on the role of civil society.

Jessica Nkuuhe, deputy director of Uganda's Isis-Women's International Cross Cultural Exchange, one of the conference's attendees, said, "To find resolution to prevent conflict or to conclude conflict requires the efforts of all of us."

Copyright 2005 by United Press International.