Conference on the Role of Women in Global Security On 29-30 October 2010 the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Danish Minister for Development Co-operation, in cooperation with the American Embassy, hosted the high-level conference "Role of Women in Global Security" to sharpen the focus on women as critically important agents in not only prevention and resolution of conflicts but in post-conflict reconciliation and reintegretion.
The two-day conference gathered political, military, business and civil society leaders from diverse backgrounds in sharing best practices and formulating recommendations to expand and effectuate women’s decisive roles in conflict and post-conflict societies. The conference built on experiences primarily drawn from Afghanistan, Liberia, and Uganda but also from lessons learnt in promoting these issues within our own countries. The conference offered 27 breakout sessions focusing on three themes: Women in actual Conflict/Peacekeeping Operations, Women in Post Conflict Reconciliation and Reintegration, and Women in Economic Development. The breakout sessions produced a best practice for each theme: 1) Continue staffing, training, and deploying gender balanced units at all levels within the military 2) gender mainstreaming should be integrated in a whole-of-government approach to justice and security sector reforms 3) the interests of women and communities have to feed into development of national policy programs and budget strategies. The participant guided recommendations will feed into the ongoing efforts to accelerate implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. At the conference special and keynote addresses were given by Anders Fogh Rasmussen - Secretary General of NATO, Judy Cheng-Hopkins - UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding, Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva - European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humantarian Aid, and Crisis Response, Ellen Margrethe Løj - Special Representative to the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission in Liberia, Gabriel Opio - Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Affairs, Uganda, Vabah Gayflor - Minister for Gender and Devloment, Liberia, Gitte Lillelund Bech, Minister of Defence, Denmark, Maria Otero - Under Secretary General for Democracy and Global Affairs, USA, Melanne Verveer - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, USA, Raymond E. Mabus - Secretary of the Navy, USA, and Davood Moradian - Director General, Strategic Study Centre, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan.
