Resolving conflict - riots, confrontation and UN Security Council Resolution 1325

In seeking to deal with these riots and their underlying causes, SC1235 has never been mentioned, much less invoked. During and after the Sydney riots, at no time did the Howard Government take on board the principles embodied in SC1325 – namely, that women should be equally involved in any and all efforts to resolve the conflict. Typically, as in any matters now deemed to have 'religion' rather than race at their base, if the Howard Government saw itself as having any responsibility to consult or bring parties together, it sought the advice and involvement of religious leaders, particularly imams. As with all major religions, little hope for women or women's equal participation there. In the United Kingdom, the current Prime Minister David Cameron has said race had nothing to do with the conflict, with 'gangs' being responsible. Apart from the failure to recognise that race discrimination and the holding of a criminal record are intimately linked, clearly the relevance or application of SC1325 and its principles are not in contention.

The idea that SC1325 relates to war and conflict solely where arms are involved is misplaced. In any event, even arms may be employed in domestic conflicts such as occurred – and have recurred – in the United States and the United Kingdom. In both countries, deaths have been a part of the riots, and 'arms' can encompass the use of knives and guns by non-military personnel. Fortunately, no deaths occurred in the Sydney instance, however, it is known that individuals and 'gangs' do go armed, at least on occasion, even in Australia. 'Armed' can include 'carrying weapons', being 'equipped', 'fortified' or 'prepared' with weapons and implements that can be employed for that purpose.

Even if a more restricted definition of 'armed conflict' is used, this does not detract from the scope of SC1325 in covering 'conflicts' where arms are not employed.

In any event, why should 'first world' countries ignore the application of SC1325 to themselves, when they advocate its application to the 'third world'? Countries in Africa, the Balkans and the Middle-East no doubt are sensitive to the hypocrisy of fellow members of the United Nations when those members seek to impose standards to which they fail to adhere domestically. The United States has never had a woman president. The United Kingdom has ever only had one female Prime Minister, and Australia has only recently gained the first. As for equality in political forums, including parliament and congress – state, federal and regional – Scotland and Wales stand alone as having equal numbers of female and male members. What if women were to demand equality in circumstances where, in consequence of economics and politics – along with race and religion – conflicts emerge domestically? Awaiting the outcome is unlikely to see any 50:50 representation around any negotiation table or in any fully-fledged processes toward resolution.

SC1325 'calls onall actors involved, when negotiating and implementing peace agreements, to adopt a gender perspective …' Amongst other matters, the call is to 'promote measures' supporting 'local women's peace initiatives and indigenous processes for conflict resolution' and to 'involve women' in all 'implementation mechanisms' of peace agreements.

'Peace' and 'peace agreements', like 'conflict' and 'conflict resolution', are not matters applying solely 'over there' – outside Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Albeit armed conflict in its traditional sense is, fortunately, in the past for each of these nations, this does not mean that women's role, women's voice and women's capacity for negotiation and constructive settlement of conflicts arising on the home ground should be ignored.

It is time for Member States of the UN to recognise their responsibilities not only to endeavour to ensure implementation of SC1325 outside their own boundaries, but to take heed of the provisions applicable on the domestic front. Rather than stand by until the next riot, or pay heed only to men's voices in seeking to resolve the circumstances and disputation leading to such outbreaks, governments in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, indeed governments the world over, must pay heed to SC1235 and, hence, to the importance of women and women's contribution to the resolution of conflict. Peace at home, like peace abroad, is possible only if this principle is implemented as a way of life.