Security Council resolution 1889 (2009) [on women and peace and security]
Symbol: S/RES/1889(2009)
Date: 2009-10-05
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/64 [201] WOMEN IN ARMED CONFLICTS
Subjects: UN. Peacebuilding Commission|UN. Peacebuilding Support Office|UN. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict|UN. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict|WOMEN IN ARMED CONFLICTS|WOMEN'S RIGHTS|GENDER MAINSTREAMING|PEACEBUILDING|WOMEN'S ADVANCEMENT|GENDER EQUALITY|GIRLS|POLITICAL PARTICIPATION|POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION|CAPACITY BUILDING|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|GOOD OFFICES|INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW|TRAINING PROGRAMMES|DATA COLLECTION|DATA ANALYSIS|CIVIL SOCIETY|COUNTRY TEAMS|WOMEN'S EDUCATION|WOMEN'S HEALTH|GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE|WOMEN REFUGEES|DISARMAMENT|RESOURCES MOBILIZATION|SOCIAL INDICATORS|COORDINATION WITHIN UN SYSTEM|COOPERATION BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS|REPORT PREPARATION
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: AUSTRIA
vote: yes
country: BURKINA FASO
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: COSTA RICA
vote: yes
country: CROATIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA
vote: yes
country: MEXICO
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: TURKEY
vote: yes
country: UGANDA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VIET NAM
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/1889 (2009)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                5 October 2009




               Resolution 1889 (2009)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 6196th meeting, on
               5 October 2009

                    The Security Council,
                    Reaffirming its commitment to the continuing and full implementation, in a
               mutually reinforcing manner, of resolutions 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006),
               1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) and all relevant Statements of its Presidents,
                    Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
               and bearing in mind the primary responsibility of the Security Council under the
               Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security,
                    Recalling the resolve expressed in the 2005 United Nations General Assembly
               World Summit Outcome Document (A/RES/60/1) to eliminate all forms of violence
               against women and girls, the obligations of States Parties to the Convention on the
               Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Optional
               Protocol thereto, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional
               Protocols thereto, recalling also the commitments contained in the Beijing
               Declaration and Platform for Action as well as those contained in the outcome
               document of the twenty-third Special Session of the United Nations General
               Assembly entitled “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the
               Twenty-First Century” (A/S-23/10/Rev.1), in particular those concerning women
               and armed conflict,
                     Having considered the report of the Secretary General (S/2009/465) of
               16 September 2009 and stressing that the present resolution does not seek to make
               any legal determination as to whether situations that are referred to in the Secretary-General’s report are or are not armed conflicts within the context of the Geneva
               Conventions and the Additional Protocols thereto, nor does it prejudge the legal
               status of the non-State parties involved in these situations,
                    Welcoming the efforts of Member States in implementing its resolution 1325
               (2000) at the national level, including the development of national action plans, and
               encouraging Member States to continue to pursue such implementation,
                      Reiterating the need for the full, equal and effective participation of women at
               all stages of peace processes given their vital role in the prevention and resolution of
               conflict and peacebuilding, reaffirming the key role women can play in
               re-establishing the fabric of recovering society and stressing the need for their

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               involvement in the development and implementation of post-conflict strategies in
               order to take into account their perspectives and needs,
                    Expressing deep concern about the under-representation of women at all stages
               of peace processes, particularly the very low numbers of women in formal roles in
               mediation processes and stressing the need to ensure that women are appropriately
               appointed at decision-making levels, as high level mediators, and within the
               composition of the mediators’ teams,
                     Remaining deeply concerned about the persistent obstacles to women’s full
               involvement in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and participation in postconflict public life, as a result of violence and intimidation, lack of security and lack
               of rule of law, cultural discrimination and stigmatization, including the rise of
               extremist or fanatical views on women, and socio-economic factors including the
               lack of access to education, and in this respect, recognizing that the marginalization
               of women can delay or undermine the achievement of durable peace, security and
               reconciliation,
                     Recognizing the particular needs of women and girls in post-conflict
               situations, including, inter alia, physical security, health services including
               reproductive and mental health, ways to ensure their livelihoods, land and property
               rights, employment, as well as their participation in decision-making and postconflict planning, particularly at early stages of post-conflict peacebuilding,
                     Noting that despite progress, obstacles to strengthening women’s participation
               in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding remain, expressing
               concern that women’s capacity to engage in public decision making and economic
               recovery often does not receive adequate recognition or financing in post-conflict
               situations, and underlining that funding for women’s early recovery needs is vital to
               increase women’s empowerment, which can contribute to effective post-conflict
               peacebuilding,
                     Noting that women in situations of armed conflict and post-conflict situations
               continue to be often considered as victims and not as actors in addressing and
               resolving situations of armed conflict and stressing the need to focus not only on
               protection of women but also on their empowerment in peacebuilding,
                     Recognizing that an understanding of the impact of situations of armed conflict
               on women and girls, including as refugees and internally displaced persons,
               adequate and rapid response to their particular needs, and effective institutional
               arrangements to guarantee their protection and full participation in the peace
               process, particularly at early stages of post-conflict peacebuilding, can significantly
               contribute to the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security,
                    Welcoming the United Nations initiative to develop a system similar to that
               pioneered by the United Nations Development Programme to allow decision-makers
               to track gender-related allocations in United Nations Development Group
               Multi-Donor Trust Funds,
                    Welcoming the efforts of the Secretary-General to appoint more women to
               senior United Nations positions, particularly in field missions, as a tangible step
               towards providing United Nations leadership on implementation of its resolution
               1325 (2000),




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                Welcoming the upcoming establishment of a United Nations Steering
           Committee to enhance visibility and strengthen coordination within the United
           Nations system regarding the preparations for the 10th anniversary of resolution
           1325 (2000),
                Encouraging relevant actors to organize events during 2009-2010 at the
           global, regional and national levels to increase awareness about resolution 1325
           (2000), including ministerial events, to renew commitments to “Women and peace
           and security”, and to identify ways to address remaining and new challenges in
           implementing resolution 1325 (2000) in the future,
                 1.  Urges Member States, international and regional organisations to take
           further measures to improve women’s participation during all stages of peace
           processes, particularly in conflict resolution, post-conflict planning and
           peacebuilding, including by enhancing their engagement in political and economic
           decision-making at early stages of recovery processes, through inter alia promoting
           women’s leadership and capacity to engage in aid management and planning,
           supporting women’s organizations, and countering negative societal attitudes about
           women’s capacity to participate equally;
                 2.   Reiterates its call for all parties in armed conflicts to respect fully
           international law applicable to the rights and protection of women and girls;
                3.    Strongly condemns all violations of applicable international law
           committed against women and girls in situations of armed conflicts and
           post-conflict situations, demands all parties to conflicts to cease such acts with
           immediate effect, and emphasizes the responsibility of all States to put an end to
           impunity and to prosecute those responsible for all forms of violence committed
           against women and girls in armed conflicts, including rape and other sexual
           violence;
                 4.   Calls upon the Secretary-General to develop a strategy, including through
           appropriate training, to increase the number of women appointed to pursue good
           offices on his behalf, particularly as Special Representatives and Special Envoys,
           and to take measures to increase women’s participation in United Nations political,
           peacebuilding and peacekeeping missions;
                 5.    Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all country reports to the
           Security Council provide information on the impact of situations of armed conflict
           on women and girls, their particular needs in post-conflict situations and obstacles
           to attaining those needs;
                 6.    Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that relevant United Nations
           bodies, in cooperation with Member States and civil society, collect data on, analyze
           and systematically assess particular needs of women and girls in post-conflict
           situations, including, inter alia, information on their needs for physical security and
           participation in decision-making and post-conflict planning, in order to improve
           system-wide response to those needs;
                7.   Expresses its intention, when establishing and renewing the mandates of
           United Nations missions, to include provisions on the promotion of gender equality
           and the empowerment of women in post-conflict situations, and requests the
           Secretary-General to continue, as appropriate, to appoint gender advisors and/or
           women-protection advisors to United Nations missions and asks them, in



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               cooperation with United Nations Country Teams, to render technical assistance and
               improved coordination efforts to address recovery needs of women and girls in postconflict situations;
                    8.   Urges Member States to ensure gender mainstreaming in all post-conflict
               peacebuilding and recovery processes and sectors;
                     9.   Urges Member States, United Nations bodies, donors and civil society to
               ensure that women’s empowerment is taken into account during post-conflict needs
               assessments and planning, and factored into subsequent funding disbursements and
               programme activities, including through developing transparent analysis and
               tracking of funds allocated for addressing women’s needs in the post-conflict phase;
                     10. Encourages Member States in post-conflict situations, in consultation
               with civil society, including women’s organizations, to specify in detail women and
               girls’ needs and priorities and design concrete strategies, in accordance with their
               legal systems, to address those needs and priorities, which cover inter alia support
               for greater physical security and better socio-economic conditions, through
               education, income generating activities, access to basic services, in particular health
               services, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights and
               mental health, gender-responsive law enforcement and access to justice, as well as
               enhancing capacity to engage in public decision-making at all levels;
                     11. Urges Member States, United Nations bodies and civil society, including
               non-governmental organizations, to take all feasible measures to ensure women and
               girls’ equal access to education in post-conflict situations, given the vital role of
               education in the promotion of women’s participation in post-conflict decisionmaking;
                     12. Calls upon all parties to armed conflicts to respect the civilian and
               humanitarian character of refugee camps and settlements, and ensure the protection
               of all civilians inhabiting such camps, in particular women and girls, from all forms
               of violence, including rape and other sexual violence, and to ensure full, unimpeded
               and secure humanitarian access to them;
                     13. Calls upon all those involved in the planning for disarmament,
               demobilization and reintegration to take into account particular needs of women and
               girls associated with armed forces and armed groups and their children, and provide
               for their full access to these programmes;
                     14. Encourages the Peacebuilding Commission and Peacebuilding Support
               Office to continue to ensure systematic attention to and mobilisation of resources for
               advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment as an integral part of postconflict peacebuilding, and to encourage the full participation of women in this
               process;
                     15. Request the Secretary-General, in his agenda for action to improve the
               United Nations’ peacebuilding efforts, to take account of the need to improve the
               participation of women in political and economic decision-making from the earliest
               stages of the peacebuilding process;
                    16. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure full transparency, cooperation
               and coordination of efforts between the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Representative of the



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           Secretary General on sexual violence and armed conflict whose appointment has
           been requested by its resolution 1888 (2009);
                 17. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Security Council within
           6 months, for consideration, a set of indicators for use at the global level to track
           implementation of its resolution 1325 (2000), which could serve as a common basis
           for reporting by relevant United Nations entities, other international and regional
           organizations, and Member States, on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000)
           in 2010 and beyond;
                 18. Requests the Secretary-General, within the report requested in
           S/PRST/2007/40, to also include a review of progress in the implementation of its
           resolution 1325 (2000), an assessment of the processes by which the Security
           Council receives, analyses and takes action on information pertinent to resolution
           1325 (2000), recommendations on further measures to improve coordination across
           the United Nations system, and with Member States and civil society to deliver
           implementation, and data on women’s participation in United Nations missions;
                 19. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Security Council
           within 12 months on addressing women’s participation and inclusion in
           peacebuilding and planning in the aftermath of conflict, taking into consideration
           the views of the Peacebuilding Commission and to include, inter alia:
                a.    Analysis on the particular needs of women and girls in post-conflict
                situations,
                b.   Challenges to women’s participation in conflict resolution and
                peacebuilding and gender mainstreaming in all early post-conflict planning,
                financing and recovery processes,
                c.   Measures to support national capacity in planning for and financing
                responses to the needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations,
                d.   Recommendations for improving international and national responses to
                the needs of women and girls in post-conflict situations, including the
                development of effective financial and institutional arrangements to guarantee
                women’s full and equal participation in the peacebuilding process,
                20.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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