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UNSCR 1325 aimed to address women and girls in peace and security by providing the first Resolution by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on this matter. Essentially, it recognised “that women‟s exclusion from peace processes contravenes their rights, and that including women and gender perspectives in decision-making can strengthen prospects for sustainable peace. ... The landmark resolution specifically addresses the situation of women in armed conflict and calls for their participation at all levels of decision-making on conflict resolution and peacebuilding.”2 The resolution forms a basis for what is known as a „PPP‟ strategy: Protect women against violence; Prevent gender-based violence; and promote Participation of women in peace processes.
Despite UNSCR 1325 being a ground breaking resolution of the UNSC ten years ago, its implementation has been hindered by a lack of political will, organisational inertia and discriminatory attitudes. Many also point to the lack of guidelines, tools and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure its implementation. Furthermore, scholars have outlined that 1325 has not made a significant contribution to the elimination of gender based stereotypes, or engaged men in implementing 1325. There has also been criticism that implementation of 1325 was either skewed quantitatively towards raising the numbers of women, or focusing on the „woman-as-victim‟ in conflict.