Partnership in advancing human security.

What does "human security" really mean to the work of the Security Council? How can we ensure that resolutions which consider violent conflicts from the perspective of people who are most affected by them--women, children and civilians--are implemented systematically by the Council?

On 27 January, Council members gathered at the Rockefeller Foundation to discuss these questions in a working roundtable entitled "Towards International Peace and Human Security: Advancing Prevention, Participation and Protection in the Work of the Security Council" Sponsored by the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security and the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Canada. Chile and the United Kingdom, the roundtable brought together 13 current and 5 outgoing Council members, UN officials and civil society representatives for a three-hour discussion. The agenda addressed how to strengthen conflict prevention, the participation of women in peace-building and protection of civilians in all of the Council's work. Participants tackled the question of how to move beyond ad hoc implementation of thematic resolutions towards measures that strengthen, systematize and institutionalize full implementation.

In an unprecedented format, Council members, UN officials and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sat "elbow-to-elbow" as equal participants to examine a new conceptual framework known as the "three P's--prevention, participation and protection.

Five Security Council resolutions formed a basis for discussion, as all are groundbreaking initiatives that call on the Council to integrate the "three Ps" into its work:

* Resolutions 1265 (1999) and 1296 (2000) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict;

* Resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security;

* Resolution 1366 (2001) on the role of the Security Council in the prevention of armed conflict; and

* Resolution 1460 (2003) on children and armed conflict.

Participants, divided into four groups, each consisting of representatives of the Security Council, UN agencies and NGOs, discussed what the Council had done so far to implement these resolutions in conflict-affected regions, as well as to brainstorm ways that it can ensure more effective implementation.

Partnership was a recurring theme. It was noted that the roundtable's co-sponsors--three Governments, a sixmember coalition of NGOs, and two supporting organizations. International Peace Academy and Women Waging Peace--themselves represented this crucial spirit of collaboration. Speaking on behalf of the NGO Working Group, Isha Dyfan explained: "Preventing the scourge of war is the particular task of the Security Council. But it is not one that can be tackled alone. We must all work together."

On a similar note. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz of Chile emphasized that "achieving the full implementation of these resolutions is a joint [task], in which not only Governments but also the United Nations system and civil society must participate". Ambassador Jones Parry of the United Kingdom opened the discussion with a reminder that "these resolutions should provide the framework for much of the Security Council's activities. Each time we, as Council members, instruct the UN to act, these resolutions should be central to our decision-making".

The discussants highlighted positive examples of the advancement of the five resolutions: UN missions more regularly consult local women's groups; disarmament, demobilization and reintegration initiatives have begun to address the specific needs of girls, boys and women; and the Secretary-General for the past two years has published a list of actors who recruit and use child soldiers. But nearly all those participating expressed the conviction that the Council could take more action--and take action more systematically--to advance these resolutions.

Some ideas of practical measures that could be taken included: appointing one Member State or a network of States to act as a focal point for each issue; developing a checklist to ensure integration of thematic resolutions in all country-specific resolutions; and increasing opportunities for gender and children experts to brief the Council. Also discussed were the role of regional organizations in implementing Council resolutions, a general lack of awareness of the resolutions in conflict areas, and the overall need to maintain a regular flow of information between NGOs and the Council.

Many participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to come together to discuss these issues in an informal, neutral setting. In his closing speech, Ambassador Munoz called the exercise "novel and unique". Yet, he went on, "while we deserve to congratulate ourselves, we now face the task of ensuring that these principles of prevention, participation and protection are addressed in some way throughout all of the work of the Security Council."

A follow-up roundtable is planned for later this year, which will build on the first meeting by seeking to develop more concrete benchmarks and tools to advance the implementation of Council resolutions, while focusing more specifically on women, peace and human security.

By NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security was formed in May 2000 to call for Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). When it was unanimously adopted in October 2000, the Group began the difficult task of pressing for its full implementation. For more information, see http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ngo/wg.html