ABSTRACT
Introduction United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security is the most frequently cited policy framework in relation to gender and peacebuilding issues. The adoption of the Resolution was the first time that the UN Security Council had devoted its consideration exclusively to issues related to the role of women in peace and security processes. UNSCR 1325 did not emerge spontaneously, rather it was the culmination of ongoing advocacy, research, activism and field-based evidence that argued for the need to recognise the myriad and complex ways in which gender relations affected and were affected by armed conflict and efforts to build a sustainable peace. To provide some context for the subsequent country and regional case studies, this chapter offers a brief overview of the evolution of UNSCR 1325 as well as its implementation at the national, regional and international levels. It concludes with the recent adoption of UNSCRs 1820, 1888 and 1889.
