AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
  

Seminar: Gender in Civil-Military Relations: Moving Towards Inclusion, 04/06




Civil-Military Co-operation Centre of Excellence (CCOE)
in co-operation with
Cordaid (NL), Genderforce (NL MoD) and Shevolution (Int)
Gender in Civil-Military Relations: Moving Towards Inclusion The Seminar will take place at "Landgoed Huize Bergen" in the Netherlands in the vicinity of 's Hertogenbosch. Language: English. Certificates of Attendance will be issued.

For enquiries about participation and accommodation, please contact: CPO Tino Taugnitz
taugnitz.t@cimicgroupnorth.org

Phone: +31 (0) 495 557 264
Fax: +31 (0) 495 557 029


Women are in the front line of modern conflicts, often deliberately targeted. Based on lessons and field experiences from Africa, the Balkans, Asia and the Middle East, this event looks at eminently practical ways for military forces and other parties to incorporate gender into all aspects aspect of Civil Military Relations, e.g.

  • Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation (DDR)
  • Quick Impact Projects
  • support for displaced persons and refugee returnees
  • stabilisation and public security
  • support for development of democratisation and Rule of Law processes
  • election support
  • support for reconstruction of the economy and infrastructure

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and the similar European Parliament Resolution state that gender must be incorporated in peace operations at all levels of activity. This is sometimes easier said than done. This Seminar aims to demystify gender and suggest practical approaches for busy people in conflict zones to incorporate gender considerations into every aspect of civil military co-operation from the pre-mission planning phase (Phase One) onward. All staff personnel, in particular those involved in planning as well as those who are in direct contact with these actors, are directly influenced by the gender issue and have to take into account this issue in their activities. Gender is a global issue. It has always a direct impact on (NATO/DOD/OSCE/UN) missions all over the world. The way we deal with that issue affects strongly the position of the military and its acceptance by the local population and the other international organizations (IOs, GOs and NGOs).

Men and women are equally welcome to attend.

We especially appreciate the participation of:

  • Military planners and decision-makers at strategic and operational level
  • Civilian organisations
  • Academics and researchers

Aims of the Seminar:

  • To clarify why "gender awareness" is important.
  • To consider knowledge transfer and increased cross cultural understanding between military and civilians, men and women, in post-conflict operations.
  • To embed gender considerations into future planning and training in the armed forces.
  • To develop a conceptual view on the role of Civil-Military Relations (CMR) in gender against the background of post-conflict Stabilization & Reconstruction (S&R) operations. This conceptual approach will be valuable for both military and civilians.

Objectives of the Seminar:

  • To identify and learn the approaches of UN, EU, NATO and IOs / (N)GOs on gender.
  • To understand the perception and priorities of the assumed beneficiaries by introducing field experiences from the Balkans, Asia and Africa covering specially selected conflict countries.
  • To establish a common understanding about the way gender will further increase possible successful outcome of CMR.
  • To develop future courses of action in "gender awareness" which will enable the participants to take gender perspectives into account and to integrate, mainstream gender considerations during stages of planning and execution/implementation within S&R scenarios and related military exercises.
  • Support/advise military commanders on gender issues in order to have them better prepared for deployment, through development of these issues in military policy and doctrine (e.g. NATO, EU, national).
  • Influence the development of future (NATO) related concepts and training & education, concerning gender issues, starting by implementing the Seminar results in the current NATO (CIMIC) training courses on different levels (e.g. the CCOE, NATO School and NATO Defence College).


(Keynote) Speaker: Elisabeth Rehn (FIN), co-author "Women, War, Peace: The UNIFEM Independent Expert's Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and Women's Role in Peace building." Former UN Special Representative in Bosnia, former Minister of Defence, Finland. Speaker: John Packer (CAN), Principal Investigator and Project Coordinator Initiative on Conflict Prevention through Quiet Diplomacy, Human Rights Internet. Former Director in the Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Cordaid supports him. Speaker: Mark Knight, former British military officer, worked on DDR in Sierra Leone. Subsequently wrote a report on gender and DDR in Sierra Leone funded by World Bank. Moderator: Dr ir DJM (Thea) Hilhorst (NLD), Senior Lecturer Disaster Studies (hoofddocent), Member Taskforce Women, Security and Conflict.
Chair: Colonel Harrie Knoop (NLD Army), deputy Director of Civil Military Co-operation Centre of Excellence Facilitators:
Lesley Abdela MBE (UK), directs Shevolution, has been twice "Women In NATO's International Speaker", on Gender in post-conflict reconstruction.

John Packer (CAN).

Chantal Gautier (UK), organizational psychologist.
Drs. Ingeborg ter Laak (NLD), project leader Genderforce.
Major (Reserve) Marian Feddema (NLD), functional specialist with gender as specialty, working for the CCOE.


Total charge 500 Euros (includes seminar fee 250 euros, meals and beverages (coffee/tea during breaks) 150 euros, accommodation 100 euros for the two nights at Landgoed Huize Bergen. Registration not later than 15 March 2006.

EXCERPTS FROM CWINF NATO POLICY ON GENDER RELATED ISSUES IN DEPLOYMENT (PARTICULARLY SEE SECTIONS (C) AND (D)

3. The objective of this gender policy is to set guidelines and recommendations to the NATO Member States and NATO Authorities on how to identify the various gender issues and how to integrate gender perspectives into all aspects of NATO deployment and peace support operations in accordance with UN resolution 1325. Integrating gender perspective in all aspects of operations from early conflict prevention to post-conflict reconstruction should become routine.

4.
 This policy was developed by NATO, in consultation with its member states.
5. NATO member states re-affirm their commitment to ratification, acceptance or approval of the UN Resolution 1325 and agree:

a) to review national legislation and to report on national efforts to meet obligations associated with the implementation of UN Resolution 1325,

(b) to ensure full national implementation of this policy in order to guarantee maximum effectiveness (Non-NATO Troop contributing nations are expected to take similar steps upon joining a NATO-led operation);

(c) that this policy is aimed at securing gender awareness to improve operational effectiveness;

(d) that all personnel taking part in NATO led-operations should receive appropriate training to make them aware of the gender issues;



Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.

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