Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The ODIHR's Human Rights, Women and Security Programme works to improve security by promoting the human rights of women.

Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

Promoting the role of women in conflict prevention and peace reconstruction processes is a priority area within the OSCE. The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security is the first ever resolution to be passed by the Security Council that specifically focuses on women and security.

The resolution highlights the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective, and ensuring women's equal participation, in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction. It underscores the responsibility to protect women and girls from human rights abuses, including gender-based violence, and provides a number of important operational mandates with implications for States and the United Nations system.

The OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality (2004) states that OSCE structures are to, as appropriate within their mandate, promote the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 on the role of women in, among other things, the prevention of conflicts and post-conflict reconstruction.

The ODIHR is helping countries in transition in particular with the implementation of UNSCR 1325 through workshops and roundtables.

Conflict prevention

Violations of women's rights and other gender aspects have not traditionally been seen as indicators of  wider instability. This means that a range of factors are left out and not considered in the information collection, analysis and definition of responses when it comes to conflict-prevention activities and policy development. In other words, conflict prevention and early-warning systems can be made more effective, comprehensive and accurate with the inclusion of gender aspects.

Security-sector reform

The ODIHR is co-operating with the Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) on a project on 'Gender and Security Sector Reform: Creating Knowledge and Building Capacities'. The project aims to raise the level of understanding of the gender aspects of security among those working in security-sector reform.