Peace and Security are important not only for women, but wars and unstable environments especially influence women and children. Women and peace, conflicts and safety, gender based violence, human rights, women’s role in conflict prevention and resolution, participation in peace processes, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and Georgia’s National Action Plan – these were some of the issues discussed on 7 December 2011 at the public debate "Resolution 1325: Women, Peace and Security organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation South Caucasus Regional Office."
The following speakers were invited to the debate:
- Nana Ghvaladze, Senior Specialist at the Apparatus of Rusudan Kervalishvili, Vice-Speaker, Parliament of Georgia/Chairperson, Gender Equality Council at the Parliament of Georgia;
- Tamar Tavartkiladze – Project Manager, UN Women;
- Marina Tabukashvili – Chairperson, TASO Foundation;
- Maia (Elene) Rusetski – Chairperson, Women’s Information Center.
Prior to the discussion, 2 short documentary films were presented to the audience. These movies were directed by internally displaced women within the framework of the project: Women for Equality, Peace and Development in Georgia implemented by the UN Women with its local partner organizations: Foundation TASO and Women’s Information Center.
In 2011, a slogan for 16-days global campaign against gender based violence is: “Peace at home and peace in the world. Let us overcome militarism and prevent violence against women!” As Marina Tabukashvili noted during the discussion: “Peace should come from us, from our homes, from our personality and spread all over the world… Nobody can ensure it until everyone does not get engaged.“
Tamar Tavartkiladze presented a three years project implemented by the UN Women with the funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. The goal of the project is to support displaced and conflict-affected women and young girls in Georgia. The project is implemented in 5 regions of Georgia, particularly in: Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Imereti, Samegrelo and Tbilisi. Tavartkiladze also commented on presented documentary films and explained to the participants mechanisms of how they were made, edited and how themes were chosen by the conflict affected women.
Maia (Elene) Rusetski recalled that the process of involving women in peace processes has not been started recently in Georgia. Work on the National Action Plan of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 began already in 2002. At that time, the Council of Women for Peace was established with the support of local women NGOs. According to Rusetski, “at that period: “It was possible to involve colleagues from the conflict zones of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in peace processes.” UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women’s participation in peace processes was the basis to talk to each other. Then, women were able to accomplish things that unfortunately are not possible today. The first Action Plan was developed in 2006, but the process has not gone further. Today we can again observe development of this process,” explained Maia (Elene) Rusetski.
The speakers discussed in detail the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the draft National Action Plan that has been already discussed in the Parliament. Very soon Georgia will have an approved National Action Plan. According to Nana Ghvaladze, the Plan will stand upon the following pillars: Participation, prevention, taking into consideration women’s needs in conflict resolution, suppression of all forms of violation against women, and protection, assistance and rehabilitation of war-affected women and children.