Making women count, not just counting women

Abstract

A priority for NATO Mission Iraq is to further the Women, Peace and Security agenda as one of the mission's activities.This effort should focus on raising awareness of the operational benefits of equal opportunities and diversity and not just counting the number of women involved.Adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 2000, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) resolution 1325 sets out to guarantee men and women equal rights to participation in and influence on issues of peace and security.NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) has included a strong focus on WPS in its activities, but, as this brief argues, the effectiveness of the agenda is hampered by an unclear WPS mandate in the mission itself, as well as in the broader Iraqi context.RECOMMENDATIONS Formulate a clear mandate for WPS functions in the mission that positions the WPS agenda as an integral element of NMI's other activities. Support awareness-raising programmes and initiatives to transform social norms, including patriarchal gender norms and institutional socio-political constraints on female participation. Support the transparent qualifications-based recruitment and employment of women and prioritize the focus on inclusive work environments, both mentally and physically. Incorporate intersectional and masculinity perspectives in the work on WPS to avoid creating an image of WPS as a foreign-backed agenda that is only of, by and for elite women. MAKING WOMEN COUNT, NOT JUST COUNTING WOMENCreating a more effective security sector in Iraq requires increased inclusiveness