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Promoting gender for peace building: Reflection on peacekeeping in Haiti

This presentation discusses the Haitian context, the mission's mandate, strategies and actions, as well as challenges and recommendations for gender considerations in peacekeeping. It highlights the demographic, political, and humanitarian contexts, and emphasizes the importance of integrating gender in peacekeeping efforts, particularly in addressing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The presentation also outlines main strategies for promoting gender, such as training and capacity building, support for women's participation, and security sector and judicial reforms. It concludes with challenges and recommendations for responding to Haiti's unique conflict situation.

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Promoting gender for peace building: Reflection on peacekeeping in Haiti

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  1. Promoting gender for peace building: Reflection on peacekeeping in Haiti Baudouine Kamatari Senior Gender Advisor & Chief, Gender Unit MINUSTAH April 26, 2012 Buenos Aires

  2. Presentation • Haitian Context • Mission’s Mandate • Strategies and actions • Challenges and recommendations

  3. Haitian Demographic Context A few demographic data: • Population: 9 800 000 • Density: 352 inh./ km² • 76% of the population considered as poor • Life expectancy: 54

  4. Haitian political context: • Some improvements since the earthquake • Peaceful democratic transition • No effective political dialogue between executive and legislative branches • Weakness of national institutions • Fragile security transition • Prevailing culture of violence • Widespread corruption • Criminalization of armed group Context• 4

  5. Haitian humanitarian context • 490 000 people in Internally Displaced People camps (from 1 700 000 in february 2010) • Cholera epidemic (532 000 cases, 7060 deaths) • High vulnerability to natural disasters Context• 5

  6. Gender Considerations: Overview • Ministry for Women Affairs (1994) • Allocated 2% of the national budget • Poverty and discriminations • CEDAW (1981) • Women’s organizations • weakened

  7. Gender Considerations: Women’s Participation • 5 women parliamentarians out of 99 • 1 woman Senator out of 30 • 3 women Ministers out of 18 • 4 women Secretaries of State out of 20 • 52/650of women judges (8% ) • About 8% of women in the National Police

  8. Gender Considerations: Security of Women • Widespread domestic violence • Sexual violence as a means to destabilize communities & assert control • Few violence survivors refer to justice • No comprehensive data collection • No data = no problem = no policy

  9. MINUSTAH’s Mandate • United Nations Mission for the Stabilisation of Haiti • UNSCR 1542 (2004)…2012 (2011) • Security, rule of law and institutional reform • Protection of civilian population

  10. MINUSTAH In 2012, 7340 troops and 3241 police officers The mission will start downsizing from 2013 Where are the women?

  11. The importance of integrating Gender in peacekeeping/SGBV Poor data collection: • Victims do not report SGBV crimes • Mostly anecdotal evidences • Reflection of target populations or zones • Difficult to analyze trends or programmes impacts How do we respond to SGBV when we lack data?

  12. Gender Unit • MAINTREAMING OF GENDER INTO ALL MISSION COMPOTENTS / ACTIVITIES • PROMOTE MAINTREAMING OF GENDER IN KEY NATIONAL PROCESSES in the context of Mission mandate (Rule of Law; Governance)

  13. MAIN STRATEGIES:Internal • Induction trainings • Specific training sessions • Training of trainers • Gender Focal points • (Components, Sections & Regions)

  14. MAIN STRATEGIES:External • Awareness campaigns • Advocacy • Training • Institutional building (strengthening women’s organizations and the Ministry for Women’s Affairs) • Technical support for the development of policies and legal framework

  15. Strategies:Women’s Participation • Supporting women’s participation in decision making • 30% quota of women’s representation in decision-making • Support to women candidates during elections (threatened byelectoral violence) • Support to women parliamentarians (Caucus) • Promotion of women’s participation in leadership positions (Luxembourg funding project, Open Day, etc.)

  16. STRATEGIES: Women’s security • Protection of vulnerable people • Prevention and awareness at community level/patrols in IDP camps, IDP Gender Mobile • Reporting – SOPs • Joint security assessments – Gender • Building capacity & women’s trust • Trained UNPOL GFPts in all PC (nationwide)

  17. STRATEGIES:Security Sector and judicial Reform • Legal and policy framework • Law reform on Sexual and Gender Based Violence • National action plan • Capacity building • Training of security and judicial actors • Support to the Haitian National Police’s Coordination Nationale des Affaires Féminines et Questions de Genre

  18. Gender training module for all cadets at HNP • Specialized SGBV Unit established – headed by a female senior police officer • 150 female police officer being trained for the SGBV Unit - 23rd promotion • Space for reception of SGBV cases in 10 PC • Training of investigators, judicial actors, free legal assistance actors, etc

  19. Partnerships • MINUSTAH Components & sections • UNCT – UN Gender Thematic Group • GoH – MCFDF • Women & Men MPs Parliamentarians • Women’s organizations • Leaders • Civil Society 0rganizations

  20. Challenges and Recommendations Peculiarity of Haitian crisis • No war • Conflict? Post-conflict? • There is not a 2 or more groups clash • Protracted and violent 25 year transition after 30 years of dictatorship • Intra-community violence • Impunity and lawlessness What strategies can peacekeepers use to respond to peculiar conflict situations?

  21. Challenges and Recommendations • High turnover of military contingents and various understanding of gender and gender equality among peacekeepers make gender mainstreaming difficult • Consistent pre-deployment training in line with missions’ mandates, priorities and needs

  22. Challenges and Recommendations • What strategies can peacekeepers use to respond to intra-community conflicts and SGBV? • How can peacekeepers assist in seeing and reporting trends and cases of SBGV in communities for actions to be taken by the police? SGBV in military reporting & analysis - as an indicator of insecurity.

  23. Challenges and Recommendations • How can women in the infantry and the cavalry help promote gender equality and contribute to build trust among women/girls & communities in the fight against SGBV? • More women in peacemaking, • Incl. in infantry & cavalry

  24. Challenges and Recommendations • The fight against SGBV strong political leadership, commitment & consistency • MINUSTAH will be downsizing while SGBV is prevalent. • Clear position on SGBV • A military staff integrated with civilians and the police on Gender/SGBV at the Gender Unit

  25. Challenges and Recommendations • CIMIC activities respond to communities’ needs. It is necessary to involve all stakeholders, especially women’s organization in their design, implementation and evaluation. • CIMIC activities supported and designed to respond to gender related national priorities

  26. Challenges and Recommendations • SGBV means no security for women • Include SGBV as an security indicator • More women in infantry to built women’s trust and confidence in reporting SGBV cases • Promoting women’s participation decision-making including in military and police components

  27. Thank you for your attention

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