“1325 Network” Statement Regarding the Republic of Korea National Action Plan”

  for Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

--- Calling for active implementation of the National Action Plan and the building of a new good governance with civil society and the government to promote sustainable peace and gender equality---

May 27, 2014

The Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea) announced on May 23, 2014 that it had submitted its National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (hereafter “1325 NAP”) to the United Nations. In order to ensure the creation of a meaningful National Action Plan, the “1325 Network” has made great efforts to promote the development of the plan, including critique and support of its contents. The Network now expresses its position in regards to the South Korean 1325 NAP as follows:

1. The adoption of a 1325 National Action Plan is meaningful. It is the 14^th year since the adoption of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security at the United Nations Security Council in 2000. Through this announcement, South Korea has become the 45th state to create a National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325. This is the first comprehensive national action plan in regards to women, peace and security within Korea. South Korea is a region which receives significant international attention on issues related to peace, however, women have not been visible in the fields of peace, reunification and diplomacy. For this reason, we hope that the 1325 NAP will be a key tool for promoting women's equal participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, for protecting women's human rights, and for strengthening gender equality and women’s empowerment.

2. However, it is very unfortunate that the South Korean Government accepted only a small part of the various recommendations submitted by women's organizations during the NAP development process. It is most regrettable that the issues of establishing a civil society-governmental consultation body for 1325 NAP implementation, and the reality of the United States Forces in Korea and support for people who have been victimized as a result of their presence were not included in the NAP. Since the Resolution to Promote the Creation of a UNSCR 1325 NAP was passed in 2012 at the South Korean National Assembly, no legislation related to the NAP has been passed, and there are no socio-economic analysis of gender and gender sensitive data in the fields of peace, reunification and diplomacy. This means that the content which could be reflected in the NAP was limited.

3. For effective implementation of the 1325 NAP, we call on the Government to have a strong political will and promote the following measures.

1) We call for legal and institutional measures to be put in place for implementation of the 1325 NAP. If the recently announced NAP is fully implemented, this will contribute to women's empowerment. It is known that there is a current plan to change the lead Ministry for implementing the 1325 NAP. In order to carry out full implementation, we call on the government to make the lead Ministry public soon, and to develop legal and institutional measures including accountable mechanisms, a reporting framework, budget allocation, indicators for evaluation of implementation , and a concrete plan for monitoring.

2) We recommend the promotion of “a new governance with civil society and the government" in the process of implementation of UNSCR 1325. During the process of the 1325 NAP development, civil society requested the Government to establish a joint civil society-governmental consultative body, in which the government and civil society together participate in development of the National Action Plan. The South Korean Government accepted this request, and subsequently held discussion within this civil society-governmental body on the NAP draft. This was an endeavor for a new governance in this field, and the first such civil society-governmental consultative body in relation to women, peace and security. However, such a civil society-governmental consultative body was not incorporated into the 1325 NAP. We once again call on the government to accept our recommendation to establish a “1325 NAP Civil Society-Governmental Coordination Committee” in order to discuss the review, coordination, evaluation and institutional improvement in relation to the NAP.

3) It is necessary to foster an objective environment for the implementation of the 1325 NAP. The recent Sewol Ferry disaster has reconfirmed the importance of human security incorporating the welfare and safety needs of humans, going beyond traditional security concepts focused on the protection of national territory and sovereignty. We believe that thorough implementation of UNSCR 1325 would contribute to the promotion of gender equality and women's empowerment, going beyond national security. Furthermore, implementation of UNSCR 1325 without governmental efforts for peacebuilding will be difficult. We call on the government to pursue political and military talks, social and cultural exchanges, and economic cooperation with North Korea, and to take steps down the path of building peace for the Korean Peninsula, rather than maintaining the divisive regime between North and South Korea through expansion of military power and war deterrence.

Once again, we hope that the 1325 NAP will be a foundation towards a sustainable peace, good civil society-governmental joint governance, and gender equality. Furthermore, we pledge to continue to take positive actions as agents in the field of peace, reunification and diplomacy, for an end to the division of and for peacemaking on the Korean Peninsula, and for the enhancement of women's rights and gender equality.

                                                          1325 Network

Women Making Peace, Kyunggi Women's Association United, Kyeongnam Women's Association United, Kyeongnam Women's Association, Gwangju-Jeonnam Women's Association United, Korea Association Christian Women for Women Minjung, Alliance for the Human Rights of Gijichon, Daegu-Kyungbuk Women's Association United, Daegu Women's Association, Daejeon Women's Association for Democracy, Daejeon Women's Association United, Daejeon Women's Association for Peace, MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society of Women's Rights Committee, Busan Counseling Center Against Sexual Violence, Busan Women's Association United, Busan Women Education Center, Korean Catholic Women's Community for a New World, Saewoomtuh, National Solidarity against Sexual, Suwon Women's Association, Women Education Center, Women's Human Rights Defenders, Women's Forum for Peace and Diplomacy, Korea Women's Political Solidarity, Ulsan Women's Association, Jeonbuk Women's Association United, Jeju Women's Association, Jeju Women's Human Rights Solidarity, National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by U.S.Troops in Korea, The National Association of parents for Charm-Education, Cheonan Women's Association, Pohang Women's Association, Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, Korean Women Workers Association, Korean Women's Association United, Korean Womenlink, Korea Womens Studies Institute, Korea Women's Hot Line, Korean Differrently Abled Women United, Center for Korean Women & Politics, Korean Association of Women Theologians, Women Migrants Humanrights Center, YWCA of Korea, Housewives Meeting Together