Open Days for Women and Peace

Open Days for Women and Peace – through the months of June and July, women peace activists from 22 countries are meeting senior UN officials to voice their demands and concerns for peacebuilding. It will be great if you can share the story with your readers and encourage them to sign on to the 1325 Petition to make women count for peace.

 Click here for the latest story from Gaza in the occupied Palestinian Territory (Opt), where twenty women peace leaders met with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Why 1325 Petition? Why Now?

 Modern conflicts have developed a disturbing trend – women often suffer the most, including as targets of systematic sexual violence. Yet they have little say when peace is negotiated. Less than 10% of those negotiating peace deals are women. For sustainable peace to take hold, women must play an equal role in shaping it.

Behind the numbers 1325 is a binding resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council that asks Governments to take steps to ensure women’s equal participation in peacebuilding – such as recruiting more women in police forces and peacekeeping operations, ensuring more women participate in peace negotiations, prosecuting perpetrators of sexual violence and excluding them from armies and police forces after conflict. It has been ten years since the adoption of this landmark resolution, but implementation has been too slow.

Now is the time raise our voices and demand action. Sign the 1325 Petition – your signatures will be presented to the UN Security Council when it meets in October to discuss next steps. Your support will show that people worldwide are holding their governments accountable for the promises made to women.

 ·         Women Peace Activists Meet the UN – click here for photos.

 ·         Sign and distribute the petition – make women count for peace.

 ·         For more stories and updates visit the Say NO website.