Jordan convenes a regional dialogue on Women, Peace and Security at the 65th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), in collaboration with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Women’s Empowerment (IMC), UN Women, and the Governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, organized a regional event on Women, Peace, and Security at the margins of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65), the UN’s largest gathering on gender equality and women’s rights.
The event featured the participation of H.E. Eng. Mousa Maaytah, Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs and Chair of the IMC, who presented Jordan’s achievements in the implementation of its first National Action Plan (JONAP) on UN Security Council resolution 1325. “Over the past years, we witnessed the importance of investing in this agenda, localizing efforts and forging strategic partnerships between the Government, security sector and civil society organizations. This translated into positive impacts on individuals, families, and communities, particularly during the COVID-19 response” commented Maaytah. “Jordan will continue to uphold its commitments to the JONAP as it progresses to its second phase, leveraging strategic partnerships with the international community and promoting continuous cross-regional exchanges.”
Bringing together experts, peacebuilders, and advocates from the Arab States, Asia, and Latin America, the cross-regional dialogue focused on progress, challenges and emerging priorities in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. The dialogue also provided an opportunity to reflect on how National Action Plans on UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 on Women, Peace and Security represent important frameworks to promote women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in decision making processes at all levels.
Dr. Salma Nims, Secretary General, Jordanian National Commission for Women, emphasized that there is an urgent need to develop humanitarian response plans that take into account the specificity of each context, while adhering to international best practices. This will require consistent commitment to the inclusion of women in the process of developing national response plans, which will then help delivering more effective and tailored responses that not only meet basic needs, but also enhance the provision of gender, age, and population-responsive services.
More than 100 participants joined the discussion, which also addressed the profound implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on national and regional peace, security and stability. This includes exacerbated vulnerabilities for women and girls in terms of gender-based violence and online harassment, increased care work, poverty and economic insecurity. Participants provided recommendations towards the formulation of the next generation of National Actions Plans, underscoring the importance of addressing exacerbated vulnerabilities resulting from the pandemic, while promoting strategic partnerships, sustainable financing and support to grass-root movements in localizing this agenda further.
H.E. Ms. Donica Pottie, Ambassador of Canada to Jordan noted that the lessons learned from Jordan’s National Action Plan could be applied by other countries, in particular using national and inclusive consultations to really ensure a plan that meets local priorities. She underscored the roles that Jordanian women had played throughout the pandemic, in both their professional and personal lives and hoped that their efforts would receive the recognition they deserved.
It is worth noting that the Government of Jordan has adopted a Jordanian National Action Plan (JONAP) for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 on WPS in 2017. The plan offers a comprehensive national framework to promote equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts related to peacebuilding, community resilience and security. The Government of Jordan is in the process of developing its second NAP; build on the achievements made during the first phase and aligning joint action to national COVID-19 recovery efforts.
“Women in Jordan, as well as all over the world, play an important role in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and in enhancing community security. The next generation of National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security will need to factor in robust and decisive interventions to address the spike of domestic violence, while expanding life-sustaining support to those most in need” said Ms. Aisha Mukhtar, UN Women Jordan Officer in Charge.
Available in Arabic here.
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