Case Studies on civil society’s use of CEDAW GR 30 to solicit greater accountability to the women and peace and security resolutions

December 4, 2016 by Kelly Yzique

Since its adoption in October 2013, CEDAW General Recommendation No. 30 (GR 30) on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations has been providing authoritative guidance to State parties on measures to ensure the protection, respect and fulfillment of women’s human rights before, during and after conflict. GR 30 also serves as a strong complementary reporting and accountability mechanism to UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) and the supporting resolutions on women, peace and security (WPS). Among its many important provisions, GR 30 recommends that States parties “[e]nsure that National Action Plans and strategies to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions are compliant with the Convention, and that adequate budgets are allocated for their implementation.” It also calls for enhanced collaboration with civil society organizations working on the advancement of the WPS agenda. The 189 UN Members States (out of 193) that ratified CEDAW are now compelled to report on the implementation of the WPS resolutions in their periodic reports to the CEDAW Committee.

Civil society has used GR 30 as a powerful tool to demand greater implementation of the WPS resolutions. Civil society organizations now integrate their analysis of the implementation of GR 30 and UNCSR 1325 in their shadow reports to the CEDAW Committee.

Since GR 30 was adopted, the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNW) has highlighted the importance of developing practical tools to guide Member States and civil society on how to use GR 30 and USNCR 1325 complementarily to push forward the WPS agenda. The development of practical tools, such as guidebooks and case studies on the use of GR 30, was also among the recommendations discussed during a training on GR 30 held in Indonesia in December 2014, organized by GNWP in partnership with the CEDAW Task Force on GR 30, the Asian Muslim Network, and the Asia-Pacific Women’s Alliance on Peace and Security.

In 2015, the GNWP International Coordinating provided comprehensive comments to a civil society guidebook drafted by the International Womens’ Rights Action Watch-Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP). GNWP also shared two detailed reports on the use of GR 30 as an accountability mechanism to the WPS resolution in Iraq and Sierra Leone (57^th session) and Syria and India (58^th session) with IWRAW AP and UN Women consultants working on producing a CEDAW/WPS Guidebook. In October 2015, the UN Women Guidebook on CEDAW general recommendation no. 30 and the UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace, and security was launched during an event co-sponsored by GNWP.

To complement the UN Women Guidebook as well as the work of IWRAW-AP, GNWP has produced case studies on the use of GR 30 by civil society since its adoption in four countries: Azerbaijan, Colombia, India and Iraq. These case studies provide:

Country-specific information on the last periodic report to the CEDAW Committee;

Concrete examples of the use of GR 30 by civil society and its impact on pushing forward the WPS agenda at local, national, regional and global levels

Challenges encountered by civil society in their use of GR 30

Recommendations to the CEDAW Committee, civil society, national governments and the international community regarding the use of GR 30 as a complementary mechanism to UNSCR 1325.

Executive Summaries of the four case studies will be distributed during the Arria formula meeting convened on December 5, 2016 by the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the UN. During this Arria Formula meeting, CEDAW experts, Security Council Members and other Member States will exchange views on how UNSCRs on WPS and GR 30 are mutually reinforcing. The Arria formula is intended to enhance the effectiveness of the Security Council Framework on 1325 by reporting to CEDAW on the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and the supporting WPS resolutions. It also aims to generate support for a more integrative approach to the implementation of international laws and policies across the UN system.

The Azerbaijan, Colombia, India and Iraq Executive Summaries and Case Studies can be accessed here.

If you belong to a civil society organization and are interested in drafting or contributing to a Case Study on the complementary use of GR 30 and UNSCR 1325 in your country, please contact Kelly Yzique at kelly.gnwp@gmail.com.