Page 24 - IB November 2019

Opinion Opinion

Deliberations at the UN Security Council. Photo: UN
SUSTAINING PEACE, NOT

SUSTAINING PATRIARCHY

By Sharon Bhagwan Rolls weapons collected and political agreements adopted— have been sustaining peace,
providing recommendations for a sustainable approach to development, and a shift
Next year the global women’s and feminist movement will commemorate Bei- from ‘from gender based violence to gender justice.’
jing+25 – the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action “A referendum about the political future is the ultimate realisation of our human
(BPfA) by 189 UN Member States. rights to choose our political status” says Titus who is a gender expert with the
The Beijing Platform for Action includes women and armed as conflict as one of GPPAC Pacific network. That network has established the Shifting the Power Coali-
12 critical areas of concern. It reaffirmed the historical role of women peacebuilders tion—forged by diverse Pacific women and women’s organisations from Fiji, Papua
and women as powerful drivers of peace movements, and unequivocally stated that New Guinea including Bougainville, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Australia, and the
peace is inextricably linked to equality between men and women, and to develop- Pacific Disability Forum—which is demonstrating the power and potential of our
ment. The BPfA listed essential measures to advance peace and equality, including collective leadership to achieve peaceful and gender-equal societies.
reductions in military spending and controls on the availability of armaments. It The coalition reflects recommendations that birthed the Pacific Regional Action
affirmed women needed ”to be at the table” to participate in decision-making around Plan on Women, Peace and Security – which reaffirmed that the protection of wom-
conflict resolution and stressed that those who have fled conflict are entitled to fully en’s rights is central to all humanitarian efforts, must be integrated into early warning,
participate in all aspects of programmes to help them recover and rebuild their lives. response, recovery and resilience building, and that women’s rights organisations
The Beijing Platform for Action also specifically addresses the struggle of women must drive community-based responses. The high level adoption of the regional
living in colonies and non-self-governing territories by calling on member states and plan by Pacific Forum Leaders in 2011, was a major achievement for Pacific women
civil society to support and promote the implementation of the right of self-determi- peacebuilders.
nation of all peoples by providing special programmes in leadership and in training The network has also been instrumental in ensuring our leaders understand and
for decision-making. respond to climate change as a security issue, and the need for our governments and
the United Nations to bring about a gender inclusive shift from reaction to preven-
No more commitments tion when meeting this challenge.
This month the people of Bougainville will vote in a referendum on independence Fiji’s recent statement at the recent UN Security Council Open Debate on Women,
under the terms of the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Peace and Security (WPS) highlighted the region’s recognition of climate change
“Women have been sustaining the peace” says Agnes Titus from the Nissan Islands as the single greatest threat faced by our people and countries. Loss of land, even
of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. She and other whole islands, increased hunger, more frequent droughts and persistent damage to
women walked into the jungles and brokered peace with armed combatants, bring- infrastructure have an intense potential to fuel instability and conflict. The WPS
ing an end to a 10-year armed conflict. For more than 30 years, Agnes, and women framework will, increasingly need to be a climate crisis-informed one.
leaders like her—mothers of the Bougainville Women’s Movement and leaders of the But while we welcome the recognition of the climate change crisis within recent
Women’s Human Rights Defenders Network in whose name peace was brokered, UN security council and Pacific Forum meetings, we must ensure that this is about

24 Islands Business, November 2019