A Paper presented to the
Campaign for Establishing a Middle East
Free Zone of Mass Destruction
Gender and Weapons Issues.
Prepared by: Hamsa Abd El-Hamid.
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Recently the International Conferences and Programs have drawn attentions to the necessary roles of women to establish peace and security.

In 2000, the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. It refers to the importance of gender mainstreaming in peace and disarmament negotiations. It affirms the need to support them in setting international peace and security.

Also, there are many other international resolutions approved in this context. For example, ECOSOC agreed conclusion (1997/02) which calls upon incorporate gender perspective at all U.N. activities such as peace, security and disarmament.

The resolution (1998/02) approved by the CSW concerning women in the armed conflict. It urges women to play big roles in peace and disarmament movements at local, regional and international aspects.

Unfortunately, the efforts spent by women and ngos in the ME are still weak towards disarmament issues. As women are absent from the formal discussions and decision-making process concerning peace and war. Therefore, the concept of gender is still absent when dealing with these issues.

Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization is looking for integrating the role of women and women ngos with the Disarmament issues in the ME, as for establishing the middle east a free zone area of MDW.

Consequently, this will improve the situation of the area, nations and especially the status of women and girls.  Also, the role of women will be improved by paying more interest on this issue. Women will have a big partion in decision –making, elections and voting. Then, they will be able to achieve the objectives and recommendations of international conferences concerned by women.

The participants of women on these issues will shed light on the issues of gender in the fields of disarmament conferences, workshops, researches, magazines and others. Similarly, the campaign for establishing a free zone of MDW in the Middle East will win another voice equivalent to men to achieve the goals of this campaign. Therefore, women ngos should be urged to adopt this campaign with shedding lights on:

1. Equality in decision-making.

2. Ability for intervention and advocacy on resolutions.

3. Establishing new channels for dialogues.

4. Review both women and men’s experiments in war and their prospected roles to avoid the armed conflict.

5. Trafficking on children, especially girls.

6. Role of gender and disarmament in establishing security.

7. Women’s rights.