SECURITY OR TOKENISM: EVALUATING ROLE OF WOMEN AS PEACEKEEPERS WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF PEACEKEEPING Kristen A Cordell Presentation: PRIO, Oslo, Nov 10/11

Leadership of UN missions One female head of mission Five female deputies Military personnel2.4% of military personnel are women No forces are led by women Military Observers3.9% of military observers are women Staff Officers3.2% of staff officers are women UN Police 7.8% of UN police are women (biggest Increase here) Total Across DPKO3.3% State Women within UN PKO Missions

Percent Women

State of the Mission Mandates Democratic Republic Congo S/RES/1493 (2003): Encourages MONUC to continue to actively address this issue; and calls on MONUC to increase the deployment of women as military observers as well as in other capacities. Timor-Leste S/RES/1912 (2010): Requests the Secretary-General to include in his reporting to the Security Council progress on gender mainstreaming throughout UNMIT and all other aspects relating to the situation of women and girls,

Understanding Operational Impact in Human Security Context o The Importance of the Human Security approach to understanding impact o Little information on actual security impacts o And thus there is little information on what models, approaches, resources work well o Focus on narrow evidence which supports stereotypes and a narrow operational focus

What we know The Cumulative Impact (few time bound monitoring and evaluation resources) We know some creative approaches (QIP, Response Teams, JPT, Night Patrols, visual placement) and best practices We know the challenges and barriers (including self selection) Push from UN to increase numbers.

What we don’t know Normative Data reinforcing limited usages Simic documented the fact that women in peacekeeping have been confined to “sexual violence problem-solving forces” or “protectors’ of local women, from local men and from male peacekeepers” (Simic 2010). Lack of comparison between Male and Female Groups Lack of strategic approach

Case Study on Women PK UNMIL Examined period of 2002-Present Sought best practices specifically on hard security sector impact Looked at Battalions of women police (Indian FPU), military (Ghana and Nigerian Contingents) and civilian (leadership) Methodology Interviews with women staff and male staff counterparts Interviews/Focus Groups with community members Crime statistic data (desk review)

Findings: Impact Across Areas Normative Impacts: Human Interest Evidence Human Security: wider impacts for community security Hard / Traditional Security: the foundation of future missions

Findings: Hard Security Decline in Violence and Criminal Activity Improved Intelligence collection mechanisms in conservative populations Improved mapping / understanding of community needs and trends (quickly identify changes) Improved and collaborative recruitment and retention of women in National SSR (policing)

Findings: Human Security Provision of medical services reinforce feelings of saftey in community Community school programs and declines in child marriage New resources for SGBV and enhance protection and prevention

Findings: Normative Shifts Community understanding a new role for women Inspiring young girls and women to be more involved Opening new channels for dialogue with UN

What does not work Members often frustrated by being confined to certain roles Limited tour duties make some frustrated or not able to participate No entry points into future UN work No post deployment coordination mechanisms

Approaches that Work High support and political will from within mission and within national context High visibility roles and appointments Use of Strategic battalion groups vs. individual appointments Autonomy for battalion to define role and mission within context

Research and Resource Challenges Context within much larger recruitment and retention issues for UN Advocates for a Feminist Perspective (often in NGOs) don’t interact with military Very few collaborative efforts for research to inform policy within UN system Limited interaction/information collection mechanisms Piecemeal abilities to interact with national level governments as potential TCC/Pecs

Next Steps How to build a body of evidence Inside DPKO (COP, BP units) In academia? How to continue to build the number of women SG Imperative Work by UNPOL Enhancing national Level commitments and incentives The wider framework of UN Recruitment