Women, peace and security: widening women participation in United Nations peace operations

As the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) marks 24th anniversary this year, the participation of women in peace operations and processes around the world remains low, despite the continuing disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls and intensifies preexisting gender inequalities and discrimination. Laterally, women are also identified as active agents of peace in armed conflict, yet their role as key players and change agents of peace has been largely unrecognized. WPS agenda has been particularly attentive to the impact of war on women and become increasingly relevant in the vast landscape between violence and voting. The pillars of the WPS agenda – participation, protection, prevention of gendered violence, and providing gender-sensitive relief and recovery – are important issues and factors in nonviolent mass movements, where women’s participation or exclusion can shape immediate and longer-term outcomes. Malaysia has been in the peacekeeping business for the last five decades since its inception in Congo in 1960. Since then, the participation in UN peace operations have been subscribed mainly by Malaysian government agencies, in particular the armed forces and police forces and represented mainly by male participants. The UN on its part had created many opportunities and formulate policies including UNSCR 1325 allowing gender equalities in its system. Malaysia should take steps to educate and guide its citizen to clutch the opportunities available created by the United Nations in its field missions or headquarters appointments. The education should allow the Malaysians to capitalise the United Nations system by broadening its contribution base rather than stuffed by the security sectors alone. The study aimed to examine in widening the contribution base of Malaysian women participation in United Nations peace operations. In the attempt to scout the women participation, the study will explore the advantages and challenges on women participation in international peace and security agenda. The methodology of the study confining to qualitative approach with descriptive and interpretive in nature. The study has incorporated the secondary data which are available in different forms, such as journal articles, books, book chapters, reports of UN peacekeeping operations department, and other UN agencies. These sources have recorded the major activities of UN peacekeeping operations, their successful stories, and the issues associated with them. The arguments in the study are presented as interpretive arguments based on United Nations WPS agenda. The findings of the study have suggested that women apart being assets in peace operations and processes, also faces many challenges in engaging in UN peace initiatives due to their dual responsibilities of work and family, lack of accountability in recruitment for their positions, and lack of training in terms of technical knowledge, communication and language barriers. The study attempted to highlights the opportunities available for Malaysians citizen by promoting outreach programs for appointments in the UN system through the facilitation by National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM).