Gender Perspective in UN Police Peacekeeping
- Authors: Tishkov S.A.1, Kharichkin I.K.2
-
Affiliations:
- Oryol Law Institute of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation named after V.V. Lukyanov
- Moscow State Linguistic University
- Issue: Vol 23, No 1 (2023): International Security: Global and Regional Trends
- Pages: 7-19
- Section: THEMATIC DOSSIER
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/2313-0660/article/view/320491
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2023-23-1-7-19
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/UORIFR
- ID: 320491
Cite item
Abstract
Despite the upsurge in conflicts at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries and the increase in peacekeeping activities, women’s participation in peacekeeping operations has been the exception to the rule rather than the standard practice. However, the UN has focused on the negative and disproportional impact of internal armed conflicts on women and children. For the past two decades, the UN has been working to incorporate a gender perspective into the peacekeeping architecture. The starting point was UN Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, which fully recognized the importance of the gender perspective in peace and security. The UN’s further systematic actions in this direction have changed the simplistic view of women as victims of internal armed conflicts and have recognized them as active contributors to peace and security. The purpose of the article is to comprehensively examine the current state of the international community’s commitment to women, peace and security in order to fill the existing theoretical gaps and find further ways to enhance the role of women in peace and security activities. The study is based on interdisciplinary, historical and structural-functional approaches, and uses content analysis of official UN documents and data, analytical reports of international organizations, relevant scientific materials and publications. The authors conclude that UNSCR 1325 (2000) initiated a major shift in UN peacekeeping in the context of a large-scale “Women, Peace and Security” agenda and has led to new approaches to women’s participation in all stages of peace processes. Women’s active and equal participation in peace negotiations and the implementation of political decisions has become an important factor in strengthening peace and security. Moreover, the UN’s current activities are not limited to women’s participation in peacekeeping. In addition to changes in the planning and staffing of peacekeeping operations, the UN has also taken steps to address less visible behavioral issues, including the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the professional skills of peacekeeping personnel. At the same time, the increase in the number of women in the military and police components of UN missions has raised some international concerns about the potential masculinization of female peacekeepers.
About the authors
Sergey A. Tishkov
Oryol Law Institute of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation named after V.V. Lukyanov
Author for correspondence.
Email: stishkov@list.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0406-0900
PhD (Politics), Assistant Professor, Deputy Head, Chair of Criminalistics and Preliminary Investigation in the Departments of Internal Affairs
Oryol, Russian FederationIgor K. Kharichkin
Moscow State Linguistic University
Email: igorkharichkin@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4478-0865
PhD, Dr. of Sc. (Philosophy), Professor, Department of Political Science, Institute of International Relations and Social and Political Sciences
Moscow, Russian FederationReferences
- Alchin, A., Gouws, A., & Heinecken, L. (2018). Making a difference in peacekeeping operations: Voices of South African women peacekeepers. African Security Review, 27(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10246029.2017.1406381
- Alexeiciuc, S.-D. (2020). Gender analysis of conflicts and conflict resolution. BENEFICIUM, (2), 58-65. http://doi.org/10.34680/BENEFICIUM.2020.2(35).58-65
- Arystanbekova, A. K., & Nurelbaeva, A. S. (2017). The women in the UN peacekeeping operations. Problemy Sovremennoi Nauki i Obrazovaniya, (22), 110-114. (In Russian).
- Arzieva, A. K. (2014). Development of recommendations on the formation of a peacekeeping groups of women. Nauka i Novye Tekhnologii, (2), 141-144. (In Russian).
- Bokeriya, S. A. (2017). Human security concept in the UN practice. Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, 17(2), 312-324. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2017-17-2-312-324
- Bondar, E. O., & Shurukhnova, D. N. (2019). Participation of employee of the internal affairs bodies in peace-making efforts of the United Nations Organization within the context of gender equality. Administrativnoe Pravo i Protsess, (6), 45-48. (In Russian).
- Bridges, D., & Horsfall, D. (2009). Increasing operational effectiveness in UN peacekeeping: Toward a gender-balanced force. Armed Forces & Society, 36(1), 120-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X08327818
- Caparini, М., Aubyn, F. K., Davies, O. V., et al. (2015). Peace officers: The role of police in UNAMID. Institute for Security Studies Monograph, (190), 1-47. Retrieved from https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono190.pdf
- Karim, S., & Beardsley, K. (2013). Female peacekeepers and gender balancing: Token gestures or informed policymaking? International Interactions, 39(4), 461-488. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2013.805131
- Khudaykulova, A. V. (2010). “Human security”: Concept, political discourse, and ways of implementation. MGIMO Review of International Relations, 6(15), 175-180. (In Russian).
- Krause, J., Krause, W., & Bränfors, P. (2018). Women’s participation in peace negotiations and the durability of peace. International Interactions, 44(6), 985-1016. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2018.1492386
- Kreft, A. K. (2017). The gender mainstreaming gap: Security Council resolution 1325 and UN peacekeeping mandates. International Peacekeeping, 24(1), 132-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/13533312.2016.1195267
- Otto, D., & Heathcote, G. (2014). Rethinking peacekeeping, gender equality and collective security: An introduction. In G. Heathcote & D. Otto (Eds.), Rethinking peacekeeping, gender equality and collective security. Thinking gender in transnational times (pp. 1-20). London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137400215_1
- Tidblad-Lundholm, К. (2020). When are women deployed? Operational uncertainty and deployment of female personnel to UN Peacekeeping. International Peacekeeping, 27(4), 673-702. https://doi.org/10.1080/13533312.2020.1760717
- Tishkov, S. A. (2017). Challenges for African Union involvement in police peacekeeping in Darfur. In S. V. Kostelyanets & A. A. Tkachenko (Eds.), Resolution of political-military conflicts in Africa: The role of regional organizations (pp. 78-87). Moscow: Institut Afriki RAN publ. (In Russian).
- Vinogradova, S. M., & Rushchin, D. A. (2015). Gender problems of social and personal security. Pushkin Leningrad State University Journal, 2(3), 170-180. (In Russian).
- Zhigaleva, Yu. E. (2017). Problematic aspects of the UN gender approach to peacekeeping. Academy, (4), 106-110. (In Russian).
- Zverev, P. G. (2017a). Women in blue helmets: On the issue of gender equality in UN peacekeeping operations. Vestnik Kaliningradskogo Filiala Sankt-Peterburgskogo Universiteta MVD Rossii, (1), 61-64. (In Russian).
- Zverev, P. G. (2017b). About improving the police personnel’s formating procedure for the UN peacekeeping missions. Vestnik Vserossiiskogo Instituta Povysheniya Kvalifikatsii Sotrudnikov Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del Rossiiskoi Federatsii, (4), 136-142. (In Russian).
Supplementary files
