Sarajevo  28^th  of October 2004

 

WE, WOMEN FROM BIH, MACEDONIA, SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO, CROATIA, AND KOSOVO, ACTIVISTS FOR GENDER EQUALITY, SOME OF US MEMBERS OF NGOs, GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENTS, THE MEDIA,

 

HAVE GATHERED IN SARAJEVO FROM 26^TH TO 28^TH OF OCTOBER, ON THE OCCASION OF THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION 1325 ON WOMEN PEACE AND SECURITY BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO:   

 

STUDY THE RESOLUTION AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE SPECIFIC CONTEXT OF OUR COUNTRIES AND OUR REGION,

 

ASSESS THE STATUS OF PROGRESS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESOLUTION BY THE ACTORS OBLIGATED TO TAKE ACTION BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL, INCLUDING THE UNITED NATIONS AND OUR GOVERNMENTS,

 

DISCUSS AND AGREE ON ACTIONS AND MEASURES THAT WE AS WOMEN CAN TAKE AS FOLLOW UP TO ADVANCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESOLUTION IN OUR COUNTRIES AND THE REGION,

 

WE WISH TO CONVEY TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS OF OUR MEETING:

 

WOMEN OF THE COUNTRIES OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA CELEBRATE THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION DEDICATED TO WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY, WHICH IS OF HIGH IMPORTANCE FOR WOMEN AND MEN, AND TO  ATTAINMENT OF LASTING PEACE AND SECURITY IN OUR REGION AND WORLDWIDE.

 

WE NOTE THAT WOMEN HAVE, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OF CONFLICT AND POST CONFLICT, ACTIVELY SUPPORTED PEACE AND RECONCILIATION EFFORTS IN OUR COUNTRIES AND REGION, AND IN THIS REGARD, ARE CONTINUOUSLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESOLUTION.

 

WE NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT FOUR YEARS AFTER THE SCR 1325 HAS BEEN ADOPTED, THE ACTORS OBLIGATED UNDER THE RESOLUTION HAVE FAILED TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE ACTIONS REQUESTED BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL.

 

IN PARTICULAR, WE NOTE THAT WOMEN CONTINUE TO BE UNDER-REPRESENTED OR EXCLUDED FROM VARIOUS PHASES OF PEACE MAKING IN OUR REGION, AND IN PARTICULAR, PEACE NEGOTIATIONS, AND RECONSTRUCTION PROCESSES.

 

WE, WOMEN FROM THE REGION, ARE COMMITTED TO INCREASE EFFORTS IN OUR COUNTRIES AND OUR REGION TO:

 

• INCREASE KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS ABOUT THE RESOLUTION IN OUR COUNTRIES, 

• FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON TRACKING PROGRESS OF THE IMPLEMEMTATION OF THE RESOLUTION, 

• CONTINUE TO SHARE INFORMATION AND STRATEGIES IN FUTURE ON FURTHER ADVANCEMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESOLUTION.

 

WE URGE THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT THE RESOLUTION IS FULLY IMPLEMENTED,

 

ITS PROVISIONS TO BE RESPECTED BY PEACEKEEPING FORCES AND ACTIVELY APPLIED BY UN MISSIONS WORLDWIDE, PARTICULARLY IN PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS AND IN PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN DECISION MAKING WITHIN THE UN SYSTEM ITSELF.

 

INCREASE ATTENTION AND RECOGNITION OF THE WORK OF WOMEN IN OUR REGION BASED ON SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF WAR AND ADVANCEMENT OF PEACE.

 

ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK OF WOMEN ON PEACE BUILDING AT LOCAL, NATIONAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL IN THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’S ANNUAL REPORT.