Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Human Rights
Issue 10 - Seventh Report of the Committee
Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights has the honour to table its
SEVENTH REPORT
Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2013, to examine and monitor issues relating to human rights and, inter alia, to review the machinery of government dealing with Canada's international and national human rights obligations, now tables its interim report.
In its 2010 report entitled Women, Peace and Security: Canada Moves Forward to Increase Women's Engagement, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights (the Committee) examined Canada's implementation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000) and the related resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009). Since that time, the Committee has continued to monitor progress on these and subsequent resolutions 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013) and 2122 (2013), and Canada's National Action Plan (C-NAP) for the implementation of these resolutions, announced in 2010.
On 24 March 2014, the Committee held a follow-up meeting on these issues and received evidence from representatives of the Government of Canada, UN agencies and civil society organizations. The meeting focused on the government's two annual reports released in early 2014 which cover implementation of the C-NAP from 2011 to 2013. Although the Committee had previously held meetings on the implementation of the UNSC resolutions in 2012 and 2013, this meeting represented the Committee's first opportunity to discuss progress in implementing the C-NAP as assessed in the government's reports.
Mirroring the UNSC resolutions, the C-NAP focuses on the prevention of violence against women and girls in situations of armed conflict, enhancing the participation of women in decision-making with respect to peace and security, the protection of the human rights and physical security of women and girls, and ensuring the equal treatment of women in peacebuilding and recovery efforts.
The C-NAP data suggest that some progress has been achieved to date, but there is still a very long way to go toward full implementation. The Committee commends the government for the detailed information provided in its two first progress reports. It notes, nonetheless, that greater consultation with civil society would strengthen Canadian reporting on implementation of the women, peace and security agenda as mentioned by a number of witnesses. In addition, it would be beneficial for future reports to identify priorities, given the broad range of issues associated with the women, peace and security agenda. The reports would also benefit from inclusion of benchmarks and analysis to be able to assess the impact of the various initiatives and to measure progress from year to year. As such, the Committee is pleased to hear that the government is considering introducing benchmarks as part of its mid-term review of the C- NAP.
At the same time, the Committee notes with concern the low number and depth of gender analyses conducted as part of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development's Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force projects in fragile and conflict affected areas. The Committee was pleased to hear officials state, however, that special training on the application of gender-based analysis has been introduced in all project activity and hopes that gender analyses will soon be conducted with respect to all such projects.
The Committee also notes with concern that the numbers of female Canadian Armed Forces, police and civilian personnel deployed to peace operations were lower than expected. It also notes the apparent lack of targets within the Department of National Defence for the percentage of women being deployed. The purpose and intent of the UNSC resolutions is to ensure the full participation of women in the promotion and maintenance of peace and security around the world. The implementation of these resolutions must continue to be guided by a model of substantive equality, which may require tailored initiatives to ensure that women are provided with similar opportunities as men. The women, peace and security agenda seeks to address underlying issues of inequality in societies that affect men and women's experiences of conflict and its aftermath. The Committee encourages Canadian government institutions such as the Canadian Armed Forces to consider introducing goals for the deployment of women in peace operations, as well as putting programs and plans in place to be able to reach those goals.
Canada has a key role to play in ensuring the full implementation of the UNSC resolutions both domestically and internationally. The Committee notes that the year 2015 will include a mid-term review of the C-NAP by the Canadian government, as well as a UN High-Level Review to assess progress in implementing Resolution 1325 internationally. The Committee looks forward to re-engaging with Canadian officials and other stakeholders on these issues at that time.
Respectfully submitted,
MOBINA S. B. JAFFER
Chair