UN Security Resolution 1325 in Peacekeeping
By Clara Fisher, Paige Harland, Kat Ilich, and Erin McGown (2016).
Despite the resolution’s widespread praise and recognition and the development of guidelines and indicators, on-the-ground implementation of UNSCR 1325 has been uneven, and has had varying degrees of effectiveness. This has resulted in a lack of women in senior leadership positions, failure to take gender-specific needs into account, and a loss of legitimacy for the United Nations. The full implementation of UNSCR 1325 would promote the inclusion of women and a gender perspective in peacekeeping missions.
This paper seeks to answer the question: How can the UN system bridge the implementation gaps of Security Council Resolution 1325 in its peacekeeping operations? We found that while enormous strides have been made in the inclusion of women and a gender perspective in peacekeeping, implementation is inhibited by three core issues: a lack of gender perspective, a lack of accountability, and a lack of resources. However, we also found that there are many practical suggestions for solutions to these core problems which could improve the implementation of UNSCR 1325.