ABSTRACT
This chapter, by highlighting women from both inside and outside of the UN, examines how, in a United Nations Security Council composed of almost all men, the Security Council unanimously adopted the first UN Security Council resolution on Women and Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325). The chapter begins by addressing the history and the motivation of the resolution’s sponsor (Namibia). It then explores the effect of the May 2000 Windhoek Declaration and Plan of Action, as well as Beijing +5, on building the perceived need for UNSCR 1325, while identifying individuals and entities that lobbied the Security Council. It examines the drafting and socializing of the proposed UNSCR 1325, as well as the Arria Formula meeting and the Open Debate. It concludes by addressing the impact of fighting for UNSCR 1325 on the careers of proponents, as well as next steps such as the creation of the International Women’s Peace Center.
