The Pursuit of Human Security from Feminist Perspectives

This study explores the meaning of human security from feminist perspectives. It considers the process by which international norms concerning gender equality and women's empowerment have been developed and implemented within the context of security issues. I argue that feminist discourse has improved our understanding of how gender equality and women's rights can be conceptualized and achieved in the framework of security. I employ a feminist rights-based approach in order to better explain the international efforts in building as well as strengthening normative legal frameworks better suited for the pursuit of human security for women, thereby adding the legal substance to the existing ethical and political arguments surrounding women's human security This rights-based approach also helps to better understand the important roles that international organizations play in such efforts particularly in the context of the United Nations, because it focuses on legal rights, the rule of law, and treaty-based solutions to human security. I test my argument by exploring the case of the United Nations Development Fund (UNIFEM). In particular, I examine; 1) UNIFEM's campaign toward the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995 and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000 and; 2) UNIFEM's involvement in peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities in East Timor (1999-2005) where the norms and principles of SCR 1325 were applied.<br>My empirical findings suggest that the pursuit of human security for women should be understood as an enhancement of gender equality and women's rights. Moreover, it suggests that women's security must be understood as a continuum of violence ranging from the domestic sphere to that of international conflict. This explains why international efforts have been increasingly directed toward building and strengthening normative legal frameworks aimed at eliminating gender-based violence as part of conflict resolution and sustainable peacebuilding. The case study suggests that as a rights-based approach indicates, international organizations, i. e. UNIFEM in my analysis, played a crucial role in both generating as well as applying the norms concerning gender equality and women's rights in the context of human security. While the mission of UNIFEM originated in the promotion of gender equality within the area of development, more recently the agency has extended its sphere of influence and activities to security. Also, UNIFEM plays a significant role in the application of the norms and principles of SRC 1325 in East Timor, including the area of electoral assistance with a focus on promoting women's political participation. Such assistance only became possible with coordination between the Gender Affairs Units within UNTAET and UNMISET and the network of women's groups in East Timor.