CONTRIBUTE TO A CIVIL SOCIETY ALTERNATIVE REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION 1325

QUESTIONNAIRE ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY
UNSC RESOLUTION 1325: FOUR YEARS ON

27 July 2004

Dear Friends,

October 2004 will mark the fourth anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

To mark the occasion, the United Nations Secretary-General will publish a report on the progress and challenges in the implementation of the resolution since 2000. As the Secretary-General’s report will focus on governmental and UN efforts to implement the resolution, he has asked for input from governments and UN entities.

The Secretary-General will not formally seek the input of civil society for the formulation of his report. The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security believes, however, that civil society input is crucial to fully assess governmental and UN work towards the implementation of Resolution 1325. Furthermore, as civil society organizations, networks and groups were important actors in the creation and adoption of the resolution, they are also important in its implementation.

We seek your assistance in creating a civil society alternative report, entitled Four Years On: Advancing Women, Peace and Security, to the UN Secretary-General’s report. We expect that the alternative report will:

- Examine the implementation of Resolution 1325 since its adoption in 2000, and women, peace and security issues more broadly.

- Provide an opportunity for women and men, boys and girls working on women, peace, and security related issues to share their experiences with each other.

- Highlight gaps and challenges in the UN and government’s implementation of Resolution 1325.

- Serve as a tool for advocacy and moving forward on women, peace and security issues.

In this questionnaire we ask you to describe your work on women, peace and security issues. We also ask for your opinion on your government’s and the UN’s commitment to Resolution 1325 and to women, peace and security issues. The final report will include profiles, stories and case-studies compiled from the information given in this questionnaire, as well as from existing information from such sources as publications, statements and press releases.

The questionnaire is currently available in English, French and Spanish. As it is critical to disseminate the questionnaire as broadly as possible, we would greatly appreciate assistance with translations. If you are able to translate the questionnaire into any other languages, please let us know and we will post the translated versions on our website. Please distribute the questionnaire to partners, network members and colleagues working on these issues.

We ask that you return your questionnaire on or before 1 September 2004 or as soon as possible after this date. Please send it to the Working Group electronically: [email protected], by fax: +1 212 286 8211, or by mail to the following address:

NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
c/o Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
777 UN Plaza, Sixth Floor
New York, New York 10017 USA

To complete the questionnaire on-line in English, go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/4thAnniversary/QuesEnglish.html

To complete the questionnaire on-line in French or Spanish, go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/4thAnniversary/4thAnniversaryindex.html

If you have any questions, or suggestions, please contact us by email at [email protected] or by telephone at +1 212 682 1265. The final report will be available in English on our website and in hard copy form upon request.

We look forward to your participation and assistance in bringing the voice of civil society organizations, networks and groups working on women, peace and security issues to the debate on the implementation of Resolution 1325.

In peace,

The NGO Working Group on Women, peace and Security, New York