EU: WHAT IS "MAINSTREAMING" WOMEN'S ISSUES AND HOW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000109 SIPDIS FOR EUR/ERA AND S/GWI E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2020 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KWMN MASS EU SUBJECT: EU: WHAT IS "MAINSTREAMING" WOMEN'S ISSUES AND HOW CAN WE HELP? REF: A. 09 STATE 124579 ¶B. 09 BRUSSELS 1709 ¶C. 09 BRUSSELS 1489 ¶D. 09 BRUSSELS 1366 ¶E. 09 BRUSSELS 1287 ¶F. STATE 4367 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Christopher Davis for reaso ns 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. The Secretary's priority to integrate women's issues into the broader work of the Department coincides with an effort by the European Union to mainstream gender issues into its own external relations. Towards this end, the EU is currently circulating an internal action plan that proposes specific options. Recently EU officials expressed interest in coordinating their efforts with us to mainstream gender issues within the realm of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP),especially in light of the 10th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. This cable identifies several specific suggestions by EU interlocutors on how the U.S. can help the EU protect women in conflict areas. END SUMMARY. -------------- THE EU INTERNAL ACTION PLAN -------------- ¶2. (SBU) During his January 14 presentation to the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, Juan Duarte, Head of the Human Rights Unit at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated that mainstreaming gender equality and women's rights is a priority for the Spanish Presidency. The EU Council Secretariat is currently circulating to member states a set of proposals on how the EU can concretely mainstream gender issues with member states, within EU structures, within the United Nations, and with third countries, international organizations and civil society. According to Council Secretariat Officer for Women's Issues Kati Leinonen, the first move is to encourage member states to step up implementation of 1325, specifically by developing and improving existing National Action Plans. Currently only nine member states use National Action Plans. Noting that states with National Action Plans tend to perform better at implementing the resolution, Leinonen conceded that member states without a Plan, such as Germany, also have successful programs. Still, she said, the EU will encourage the development of National Action Plans within the framework of its human rights consultations with third countries. ¶3. (SBU) To better implement the EU's own action plan to mainstream women's issues, the proposal suggests that EU institutions: - Finalize, by mid-2010, a "Gender Action Plan on gender equality in EU development cooperation" to provide operational guidance to EU development actors. - Reinforce the use of gender advisers in Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) missions and operations. - Develop elements for a standard training curriculum on gender that would contribute to greater coherence of gender training across member states. - Step up cooperation with the African Union (AU) and consider providing support to gender training personnel in AU-led missions. - Improve gender representation in senior management posts of the new External Action Service. - Make training on gender equality and women, peace, and security compulsory for the leadership and staff of EU Delegations and EU Special Representatives. ¶4. (SBU) The proposal also calls for intensified advocacy for the full implementation of Resolution 1325 within UN forums, with partner countries, and with regional organizations through the use of existing political dialogues. This advocacy would entail raising the issue in negotiations of agreements with third countries, when relevant, and insisting on women's participation in peace negotiations that the EU helps broker. The paper further calls for integrating the recommendations on gender equality provided by EU Electoral Observation Missions into the programming of EU external assistance and providing support to civil society activities on women's participation. -------------- BRUSSELS 00000109 002.2 OF 002 OFFERS FOR GREATER COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Our EU interlocutors say they would like to increase cooperation with the U.S. in this field. Leinonen said that EU is interested in capitalizing on the tenth anniversary of Resolution 1325, but she expressed concern about the apparent lack of an international plan on how to do this. The EU, she continued, would like to know what the U.S. is doing to commemorate the anniversary. She also suggested a joint article by Secretary Clinton and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton in the run-up to the anniversary. ¶6. (SBU) On several previous occasions, the EU has extended an invitation for greater EU-U.S. cooperation to combat sexual and gender-based violence in conflict areas. We are now ready to accept the EU's invitation to participate in its security sector reform missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where our personnel could help extend the rule of law and combat gender-based violence (reftels). On January 8, Catherine Massaro, a gender issues expert in the new Crisis Management Planning Directorate (CMPD),told Poloff that the EU would be interested in inviting the U.S. to participate in the next meeting of CSDP gender advisors. The civilian gender advisors last met late 2009, along with representatives from NATO and the African Union, to discuss best practices from the field. The EU, according to Massaro, envisions making these meetings an annual event and extending participation to military gender advisors as well. ¶7. (C) Along with the Congo, Leinonen and Massaro expressed particular interest in learning more about U.S. interests in this field in Somalia and Afghanistan. Leinonen described incorporating gender issues into the EU's planned Somalia security forces training mission as "an uphill battle." According to Massaro, the discussion on gender was quickly dismissed during a recent Political and Security Committee meeting because none of the trainees are female. Leinonen welcomed any suggestions from the U.S. or best practices that would be helpful in persuading her military colleagues that gender issues extend beyond the scope of female soldiers. Leinonen and Massaro then asked about Afghanistan, and how the U.S. perceives the collaboration between the EU gender advisors and work of the new United Nations gender advisor in Kabul. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) The EU is clearly struggling to implement the Council Secretariat's ideas on mainstreaming gender issues across the full range of EU activities. Several of our contacts admitted that the slow process of actually implementing the political plan is mainly personality driven, and they expressed concern about the long-term outcome should these key players depart. The EU is looking for guidance, and increased cooperation and participation may help ensure issues affecting women continue to be a focus of EU foreign policy in a way that supports U.S. interests. The decision to include U.S. personnel in the CSDP missions in the Congo, perhaps with a focus on combating sexual violence, could be an important step towards deepening our cooperation and strengthening EU engagement in this area. END COMMENT. KENNARD .