Northern Ireland Women's European Platform
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Lobbying Letter - Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown

Rt. Hon Gordon Brown MP

HM Treasury

12 Horse Guards Road

London SW1P 3AG

 

25 July 2006

 

cc. Mr. Peter Hain, Secretary of State for NI

      Mr. David Hanson, Minister for the OFMDFM

 

Dear Chancellor

 

Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform (NIWEP) is an umbrella organisation with affiliation from organisations and individuals working on gender and development issues in Northern Ireland.  NIWEP is the NI representative to the UK Joint Working Group and the European Women’s Lobby.

 

NIWEP was awarded Special Consultative Status from the United Nations in 1999 and is the only NGO in Northern Ireland with this status.  This organisation has been a strong supporter of the UN and has strived to ensure attendance of women from Northern Ireland at events which impact on gender equality.

 

In the report of the UN Secretary-General ‘Mandating and Delivery: Analysis and Recommendations to Facilitate Review of Mandates’  he sets out to ensure the High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence should include in its work an assessment of how gender equality, including how though gender mainstreaming, could be better within the work of the United Nations.

 

We urge you and the High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence to ensure that the final report will guarantee a more effective UN mechanism to achieve gender equality and we make the following recommendations:

 

 

  • The United Nations must increase and guarantee a regular budgetary fund for the achievement of system-wide gender equality

 

  • The views and use of gender mainstreaming must be re-examined. Gender mainstreaming must be understood as an addition and not a substitute for women-specific units, which should target programmes and activities to promote women’s empowerment and human rights.

 

  • To be effective, gender mainstreaming requires stronger units, programmes and policy frameworks which pay significant attention to women’s rights with the context of advancing gender equality.

 

  • The United Nations must recruit, employ, retain and promote women and men who understand and strive to include women’s rights as gender experts, not only for dedicated gender posts, but for assessments, programme planning and implementation throughout the system.

 

  • Gender Training should include UNSCR 1325 which must be carried out in all UN headquarters and with field staff.   The Peace-Building Commission (PBC) needs to ensure women’s participation in the formulation and implementation of peace building strategies and the Peace Building Support Office and the Peace Building Fund must have the capacity and adequate resources to support women-specific projects that lead to the full implementation of UNSCR 1325.

 

 

Your sincerely

 

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