Assessing the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and a Gender Perspective in Peacebuilding Processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Abstract

The post-cold war era has witnessed a bewildering profusion of internal conflicts in the international system. During this period, Africa has become the most volatile amongst the regions of the world. Apart from the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes Region has been emblematic of this post-cold war reality. The sources of the conflict can be located in the character of African states, as defined by historical and colonial legacies, personalization of power, ethnicization of politics and weak structures of governance and exclusion of women from decision-making process. In most cases, especially with regard to western-oriented discourses, the place of gender perspectives in peace process, in the trouble spots in the postcolonial Africa states, is ignored or de-emphasised. Therefore, unless women are supported to achieve political and economic empowerment and are represented equally at all levels of decision-making, including peace negotiations, planning and budget decisions and the security sector, attempts to address and redress the impact of conflict on women and the need to incorporate a gender perspective in peace building shall inevitably fail. However, a comprehension of the potency of this construct tends towards the understanding of the failure of series of peace agreements in African countries. Therefore, this research, privileging gender perspectives, examines the ramifications of the UN resolution 1325 for the present situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is in apparent recognition of the impact of conflict on women and the significance of including them in decision-making structures of pre-conflict and post-conflict societies, the United Nations (UN) Security Council passed its first Resolution on women (Resolution 1325) in its 4213th meeting on 31 October 2000. Emphasis in this resolution was placed on the convulsions in the Eastern Region of the DRC and the role that external aggressors played in this combustion that has made this region the theatre of violent confrontations in recent times. The research argues that Women could enhance the peace process if they are given equal opportunity to participate in the peace and security structures and internal political processes as outlined in the UNSC Resolution 1325. Secondly, the research argues that building capacity from above is not enough to bring about sustainable peace and lasting change aimed at building the capacity of women in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. Therefore, the research ends with recommendations that may serve as the foundation for durable peace in this region and, if the resolution is effectively implemented, engineer sustainable development in the Great Lakes region.