RETHINKING COLLECTIVE SECURITY AND PEACE-KEEPING THROUGH THE GENDER PRISM – THE CASE STUDY OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
RETHINKING COLLECTIVE SECURITY AND PEACE-KEEPING THROUGH THE GENDER PRISM – THE CASE STUDY OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Summary/Abstract: As a legally binding document, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325(hereafter: UNSCR 1325) presents a solid legal framework for women’s inclusion in all phases of conflict resolution and peace processes by urging member states to ensure increased participation of women in the security sectors. There is a presumption that the adoption and implementation of the UNSCR 1325 empower women and give them importance as subjects, as persons who should decide the highest levels of national and international security spheres, which led to women’s economic development. This paper argues that the UNSCR1325 lays the foundation and provides women with opportunities to enter into spheres of national and international peace and security as active players, but only in the lower levels of the security institutions. Regarding those higher, additional efforts should be made by the respective national actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For this hypothesis confirmation, the article reflects upon the international legal texts followed by the desk analysis of the national framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina for women empowerment. The case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrates that the role of Gender Focal Points remains irrelevant for gender mainstreaming in law enforcement agencies at the state level, as conducted interviews show. The paper offers recommendations for improved women’s participation in the security sector at the national and international levels.

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