ABSTRACT
Introduction Two challenges confront UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) in terms of its regional application. The first is that despite its significance and global relevance, the even more important need to operationalize and contextualize it remains, particularly in the regions that are most affected by conflict. Among other things, this involves ensuring that each region develops its own particular programme for achieving the goals set out in the resolution. In this regard, and in the West African context, it is important to link the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peace and security architecture with UNSCR 1325. The second major challenge is to ensure that any such strategic linkage recognizes and integrates the energies of ordinary women working at the grassroots level in communities and villages in the various regions of the world. Therefore, in West Africa, while recognizing the leadership role of educated and elite women, there is a need to acknowledge the role of ordinary West African women and to ensure that any policy agenda that is drawn up reflects their interests, perceptions and priorities. This chapter is structured into four parts. The first part discusses the role of women in peace and security processes, while the second enumerates the main elements of the ECOWAS peace and security architecture and assesses the extent to which these comply with UNSCR 1325. The third part identifies the challenges facing the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in the West African context, while the final section concludes the chapter and puts forward some options for addressing the challenges.
