Gender and Transnational Police Reform: Lessons from the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands

Abstract

Gender equality and the advancement of women’s rights are now finally on the agenda of international peace and stabilisation operations, thanks to the sustained activism of women’s groups from the grassroots to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Spurred on by the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) and subsequent resolutions on women, peace and security, peacekeeping missions are now expected to ‘incorporate a gender perspective’ into their operations.1 They are furthermore expected to expand the role and contribution of women in field-based operations and, increasingly, to design specific strategies to protect women in conflict and address gender-based violence. The gender agenda has permeated not only UN peacekeeping but also, gradually, regional and other non-UN-led missions, including those focussed on broader stabilisation and security sector reform (SSR).