Declaration by Cypriot Women on Peace
At the initiative of the Gender Advisory Team (GAT), a series of meetings were
held with women's representatives bodies, including women's organizations,
trade unions, and party branches, as well as with individual women from
throughout the island, to discuss the integration of a gender perspective in
the peace process in Cyprus. The GAT operates in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) that aims to incorporate
gender sensitivity and include women in approaches on security and
peace-building. The present declaration is an outcome of
these meetings. It is signed by the women of Cyprus, who also welcome the
recent decision of 28 May 2015 by the two leaders to establish a Technical Committee on Gender Equality. We reserve our further comments on this development and we are concerned to see efforts being made to ensure that the Committee's mandate delivers direct input on the substance of the negotiations, and that its composition prioritizes expertise in gender and peace-building.
Declaration Text:
Noting the change in climate and declared intention of the leaders to finalize an agreement as soon as possible, we urge them, all the more strongly now, to include gender perspectives in the negotiation and the peace -building processes. The lack of substantial women's representation in the peace process so far has been disappointing and contradictory to UNSCR 1325. It is now imperative that the leaders ensure that women's voices and perspectives are thoroughly integrated in the peace process. To this end, we demand that:
The negotiating teams, working groups, and technical
committees are gender balanced at a ratio of 30%-50%.
Each working group and technical committee includes an
actively participating gender expert, with specialized knowledge of the
gendered aspects of peace and conflict resolution, with the task to monitor the
collective outputs for gender sensitivity.
All documents prepared for incorporation into an eventual Peace
Agreement and Constitution, are checked for compliance with gender equality
standards and UNSCR 1325- related practices. We call on the UN to engage an international expert for this task.
Finally, we note that transparency is crucial for the success of any negotiation and to this end we also demand that channels of communication should also be set up between the leaders, negotiators, and the women's civil society.
Updates
May 30, 2015
Seeing this momentum grow reminds me how long we have waited to have a seat at the table. Your support confirms that we deserve a genuine role in shaping the future of our island.
Reached 100 supporters
May 30, 2015
40 Comments
This is an important initiative. Women should be involved in negotiating a settlement and drafting the documents that will embody it, so that they can play a full part in making it work.
The gender perspective constitutes a very essential component of a holistic approach to the negotiations. This declaration is a long awaited effort towards its realization. I fully support and endorse it and I look forward to the achievement of substantial progress in this direction as soon as possible.
Women of Cyprus are not begging! We have a strong voice and we demand full equality, particularly in the peace negotiations, a process that is deciding about our future and the future of our children. Such a process cannot be an all male business. The leaders should assume their responsibilities and include women in the negotiating teams, making them a substantial part of the peace process, as demanded by resolution 1325(2000) and subsequent resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The peace negotiations needs a fair representation of gender equality for all concerned, so female and male Greek Cypriots, and female and male Turkish Cypriots.
Very important declaration! Setting up a separate committee is a positive step but it is not enough! Gender is a cross-cutting issue! Each working group and technical committee should include an actively participating gender expert.
There should be thousands of times more of petitions like this one, not just in Cyprus but all around the world. Millions of small steps on the road to change. Yes, we can.
Thank you for this great effort! The important role of women in establishing peace needs to be emphasized. Women's Federation for World Peace
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Declaration by Cypriot Women on Peace
At the initiative of the Gender Advisory Team (GAT), a series of meetings were
held with women's representatives bodies, including women's organizations,
trade unions, and party branches, as well as with individual women from
throughout the island, to discuss the integration of a gender perspective in
the peace process in Cyprus. The GAT operates in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) that aims to incorporate
gender sensitivity and include women in approaches on security and
peace-building. The present declaration is an outcome of
these meetings. It is signed by the women of Cyprus, who also welcome the
recent decision of 28 May 2015 by the two leaders to establish a Technical Committee on Gender Equality. We reserve our further comments on this development and we are concerned to see efforts being made to ensure that the Committee's mandate delivers direct input on the substance of the negotiations, and that its composition prioritizes expertise in gender and peace-building.
Declaration Text:
Noting the change in climate and declared intention of the leaders to finalize an agreement as soon as possible, we urge them, all the more strongly now, to include gender perspectives in the negotiation and the peace -building processes. The lack of substantial women's representation in the peace process so far has been disappointing and contradictory to UNSCR 1325. It is now imperative that the leaders ensure that women's voices and perspectives are thoroughly integrated in the peace process. To this end, we demand that:
The negotiating teams, working groups, and technical
committees are gender balanced at a ratio of 30%-50%.
Each working group and technical committee includes an
actively participating gender expert, with specialized knowledge of the
gendered aspects of peace and conflict resolution, with the task to monitor the
collective outputs for gender sensitivity.
All documents prepared for incorporation into an eventual Peace
Agreement and Constitution, are checked for compliance with gender equality
standards and UNSCR 1325- related practices. We call on the UN to engage an international expert for this task.
Finally, we note that transparency is crucial for the success of any negotiation and to this end we also demand that channels of communication should also be set up between the leaders, negotiators, and the women's civil society.
Updates
May 30, 2015
Seeing this momentum grow reminds me how long we have waited to have a seat at the table. Your support confirms that we deserve a genuine role in shaping the future of our island.
Reached 100 supporters
May 30, 2015
40 Comments
You cannot have peace, prosperity or progress if you leave behind half the population - we need greater balance in the negotiating teams and gender equality at the heart of the negotiations
This is an important initiative. Women should be involved in negotiating a settlement and drafting the documents that will embody it, so that they can play a full part in making it work.
The gender perspective constitutes a very essential component of a holistic approach to the negotiations. This declaration is a long awaited effort towards its realization. I fully support and endorse it and I look forward to the achievement of substantial progress in this direction as soon as possible.
Women of Cyprus are not begging! We have a strong voice and we demand full equality, particularly in the peace negotiations, a process that is deciding about our future and the future of our children. Such a process cannot be an all male business. The leaders should assume their responsibilities and include women in the negotiating teams, making them a substantial part of the peace process, as demanded by resolution 1325(2000) and subsequent resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The peace negotiations needs a fair representation of gender equality for all concerned, so female and male Greek Cypriots, and female and male Turkish Cypriots.
Very important declaration! Setting up a separate committee is a positive step but it is not enough! Gender is a cross-cutting issue! Each working group and technical committee should include an actively participating gender expert.
There should be thousands of times more of petitions like this one, not just in Cyprus but all around the world. Millions of small steps on the road to change. Yes, we can.
Thank you for this great effort! The important role of women in establishing peace needs to be emphasized. Women's Federation for World Peace
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
You cannot have peace, prosperity or progress if you leave behind half the population - we need greater balance in the negotiating teams and gender equality at the heart of the negotiations