BACKGROUND
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been analyzed, studied, reported and evaluated from seemingly every possible angle, and a peaceful solution continues to be elusive.
Too often, however, this conflict has been discussed from a male-dominated "macro" point of view and there has been too little focus on the experiences, the opinions and the voices of the women who live it.
In October 2000 the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1325 calling for the enhanced female participation in the prevent, management and resolution of conflict, recognizing the need to mainstream a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations. To read UNSCR 1325, click here.
Gender mainstreaming is a concept that was discussed for the first time at the Third World Conference on Women in Kenya in 1985. As pointed out in the General Assembly's "Report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997:"
"Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality."
Both gender mainstreaming and UNSCR 1325 are two essential milestones that inspired Political is Personal to create a way in which the women living out the realities and consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be heard.
Political is Personal supports UNSCR 1325 in our vision, mission, objectives and methodology.
We affirm that it is not possible to understand or address the complex realities of a conflict or hope to reach a genuine peace if the experiences and needs of half the population are not heard.