Women Post Conflict Whit Ting Ton

8/3/2019 Women Post Conflict Whit Ting Ton

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Women and decisionmaking

in post-conflict transitions

Case Studies from Timor Leste and the

Solomon Islands

Sherrill Whittington

Consultant

Gender, Governance and Peacebuilding


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post-conflict transitions

Many post-conflict situations provide a unique opportunity

to introduce a more inclusive political framework to

advance womens participationRwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, South Africa and Timor

Leste, have greater female political participation than

more highly developed countries such as the United

States, France and Italy.

Lessons learned from the 2000-2002 transition period in

Timor Leste can be used as a model for other states in

the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the Solomon Islands


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women in post-conflict elections

This phenomenon of a high return of women in elections in

many post-conflict transitions raises a number of key

questions:

why and how is conflict an impetus to increased femalerepresentation?

whether such outcomes make a difference to overall

transitional developments?what processes and mechanisms have to be put in place to

ensure longer-term sustainability of these results?

and how lessons learned and good practices can be applied

elsewhere?


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Security Council resolution 1325

Women, Peace and Security,

peace is inextricably linked to equality between women

and menmaintaining and promoting peace and security

requires equal participation in decision-making[1].

This applies to all decision-making from peace

negotiations and peace accords, reconstructing or

constructing systems of governance, security, rule of law,electoral, constitutional reform and developments.

[1]United Nations Security Council, 24 October 2000


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Governance

To ensure that it upholds gender equality as a basic tenet,

there has to be:

a key policy-making mechanism strategically placed ingovernment to influence decision-making,

a critical mass of women in representational institutions,

and a strong civil society component working withdecision-makers to promote womens rights.


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democratic elections

central elements of peace-building are democratic elections

and constitutional reform,

an inclusive, rights-based approach essential to promotegender equality and non-discrimination.

peace-building must be a participatory process that does

not reconstruct what has failed, but develops a new

paradigm for security, rule of law and governance,

guaranteeing the protection ofwomens human rights.


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Timor Leste: An Inclusive Model

If women in Timor Leste were to have an integral role in nation-building following independence, it was essential that there bemechanisms and processes during the transitional period from2000-2002.

There had to be an office in the transitional government whichcould evolve into a national machinery for women, supported by

a cohesive and representative network of womensorganizations,

and ultimately a critical mass of women representatives in thefirst freely elected Constituent Assembly.

Womens rights and the principle of gender equality had to beguaranteed by the Constitution.


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First Congress of Women of Timor

Loro Sa

e.The Congress convened in June 2000 by an umbrella mechanism,REDE, representing womens organisations in East Timor, the firstpost-conflict gathering of women to discuss the most important issuesin the reconstruction of their country.

Congress statement highlighted that although therehas been asmall increase in womens participation in the socio-economic and

political spheres, womens absence from decision-making continues toresult in the absence of a gender perspective.

Platform for Action called for mechanisms to ensure transparency andaccountability in government; a consultative process in constitutionbuilding; and the need for resources to be available to empower womenin public decision-making and at all levels of the new government.


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Gender Affairs Unit

The Gender Affairs Unit was in the United nations TranstionalAdministration in East Timor (UNTAET), initially located in theGovernance and Public Administration ,later part of the National

Planning and Development Agency, had as its key focusensuring the mainstreaming of the principle of gender equality inthe transitional government of East Timor.

After independence, the Unit evolved into the Office for thePromotion of Equality, the womens national machinery in the

Prime Ministers department, continuing the structure and manyof the functions, programmes and activities put in place duringthe transition.


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Quotas and the Elections

In March 2001, the East Timorese Womens Network

(REDE) submitted a proposal to the National Council,

requesting that the Electoral Regulation for the electionof the Constitutional Assembly include a quota of at

least 30 percent women in the Assembly.

This quota reflected the overall 30%quota of womens

representation in public life and was a key area of theirPlatform of Action developed at the First Womens

National Congress.


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Quotas and the Elections

The National Council and the United NationsDepartment of Political Affairs rejected the proposal,because it contravened the United Nations definition ofa free and fair election.

Thus, the 2001 Electoral Regulation did not include anyclause on affirmative action regarding quotas to ensurewomens participation in the electoral process.

The rejection was met with strong reaction from theEast Timorese womens groups based who protestedand advocated for action.


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Affirmative action measures

Affirmative action measures introduced to guarantee democraticprinciples of participation and place women in winnable positions onparty lists, as well as incorporate womens concerns into their partyplatforms.

Incentives, such as parties being allotted twice as much broadcasttime if the additional time was used for women candidates, wereoffered.

Reinforced by training workshops by the United Nations TransitionalAdministrations Gender Unit and UNIFEM, to prepare women to becandidates, with more than 250 potential women candidatesparticipating from every district, and representatives from all majorpolitical parties as well as NGOs.


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Key mechanisms

Womens Electoral Caucus developed from the workshops; providedfollow-up support to women candidates, and economic and moralsupport to independent women candidates throughout the campaigningperiod, on election day, as well as assistance to those who wereelected to the Constituent Assembly.Gender equity working group formed by the Independent ElectoralCommission (IEC) and U.N Gender Unit, to ensure that women fullyparticipated in the process, not only as candidates and voters, but alsoas electoral administrators. IEC informed women at every level about

job opportunities with the IEC.All objectives and activities of IEC Voter Education, Training andPublic Information Units, included gender sensitive timing for alltraining activities; development of materials that avoided sexistmessages or images; creation of texts to empower women; and special

training for womens groups on electoral issues.


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Outcome of 2001 Elections

A remarkable 27% return of women to the Constituent Assembly,

one of the highest, not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but

globally.

a new East Timorese government was of eleven ministers , with

two women appointed to ministerial portfolios of Justice and

Finance, a third was given the position for Vice-minister for

Internal Administration.

Two women Advisers were appointed in the Office of the ChiefMinister, one for the Promotion of Equality, the other for Human

Rights.

.


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Constitutional and legal framework

Working group on Women and the Constitution composed of severalcivil society organisations was formed and organised consultationswith womens groups all over the country on basic issues affecting

women in East Timor.A Womens Charter of Rights in East Timorwas agreed, written byEast Timorese women representing different districts andorganisations ;

The Charter was presented to the Members of the ConstituentAssembly tasked with drafting of the first Constitution just after theelections.

The Gender Constitutional Working Group monitored the draftingprocess and advocated for the Womens Charter of Rights.


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Consolidation

The Office for the Promotion of Equality (OPE) has received

bilateral and multilateral support, particularly from Ireland Aid,

UNFPA and UNIFEM.

UNIFEM implemented a Programme on Enhancing Rural

Womens Leadership and Participation in Nation Building, to

empower communities in rural areas.

The Timor-Leste Government passed an electoral law in 2003

providing two seats on each village council specifically for womenand enabled women to stand for any other positions, including

village chief. At the village elections in May 2005, 90 women were

elected as Councilors, an average of three women per village


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Consolidation

Oxfam Australia and UNIFEM also supported four preparatoryregional congresses that led up to the Second National EastTimorese Womens Congress, held from 27-31 July 2004.

Oxfams support, which paid for transportation, food anddocumentation, was a critical factor in enabling the regionalcongresses to go forward, filling a vacuum in donor involvementand thereby allowing the womens network REDE Feto to reachout to its members at the grassroots level women who felt the

greatest impact from the conflict.


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The Solomon IslandsTransition

Despite the integral role women played in bringing about anend to hostilities they were not represented at the peacenegotiations, in October 2000 in Townsville ;

Regional Assistance Mission for the Solomon Islands(RAMSI) July 2003 not regarded Security Councilresolution 1325 as relevant, with no gender adviser

appointed nor a gender unit established in the Mission.

No key coordinating mechanism during this transitionaryperiod to further womens rights, and facilitate the

inclusion of women

s priorities in planning and decision-making


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Current Challenges

The challenge now is to strengthen all areas of womens

representation:

the Womens Development Division in the Ministry of

Home Affairs;capacity building and support of the key womens civil

society network, the Solomon Islands National Womens

Council,

and the election of women into the Solomon Islands

Parliament, which is currently one of six Pacific island

countries without female representation.


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Policy and Machinery of

GovernmentBefore 2001 elections Womens Development Divisionunder the

Ministry of Women, Youth and Sports Development headed by

the Minister, Hilda Kari, the only women parliamentarian;

Ministers failure to be re-elected in the 2001 elections WDD wasrelegated to the Home Affairs Ministry and now extremely

marginalised from key policy and decision-making areas of

government.

No capacity to formulate, implement and monitor nationalstrategies for gender equality and empowerment of women, to

facilitate mainstreaming of gender equality national policy,or

oversight of legislative reform.


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Women and the Electoral Process

No women in 50-member National Parliament or in any

of the Provincial Assemblies.

In order to redress this, preparations for the forthcoming

elections, scheduled for the middle of next month, have

been undertaken by the Solomon Islands National

Council of Women (SINCW) with support from AUSAID

and UNIFEM.


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Funding for Campaigns

Raising sufficient funding to participate in elections is

extremely difficult. Difficult to compete for funding against

males.

Fifteen women candidates. According NCW GeneralSecretary Ella Kauhue, one of the biggest challenges is

enough money to support campaigns, especially since

women want to run a clean campaign and neither give nor

receive bribes.

Some women candidates have withdrawn because of the

increasing demand for money by their supporters a

request which they could not afford.


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Conclusions and Recommendations

Crucial window for women to consolidate gains made

during struggle and period of conflict, to embed their values

and priorities into national reconstruction :

a blueprint for a plan of action for post-conflict empowerment

of women be developed with mechanisms and processes

agreed to and supported by multi and bilateral actors;

Regional fund should be established to train and supportpotential women candidates, and to provide civic and

electoral education;


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Good practices and lessons learned should be collatedand incorporated into training and resource packages,with expertise available to provide immediateassistance to women decision-makers and thoseaspiring to political office;

There should not be a situation as is currently in theSolomon Islands where there was only short-term, non-sustainable support, and the National Council ofWomen is without resources and expertise to supportfemale candidates on the eve of the elections;


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CAPWIP should be enabled to play a key role during

these transitions, by being a key facilitatory mechanism

for women from the Solomon Islands for example, beingable to learn from experiences in Timor Leste and

Bougainville;

A database of good practices from the Asia-Pacific region

and elsewhere, of expertise and resources that can becalled upon to support women in their quest for leadership;

Documents

Women Post Conflict Whit Ting Ton