Women need to be involved in the peace process

SOCIALIST International Women (SIW) has arranged a regional meeting, which aims to help women become more involved in the resolution of the Cyprus problem.

Encouraged by the success following the bureau meeting that took place in Tel Aviv in May this year – in which Israeli and Palestinian women were united and included in the negotiations of peace – SIW decided that Cyprus should be their next stop.

Italian European Commissioner and head of the organisation, Pia Locatelli, made it clear at a news conference held yesterday, that the Cyprus problem is something they are compelled by.

“Cyprus and the resolution of the Cyprus problem is in our hearts. The problem needs help,” she said.

Referring to the referendum that took place last year, in which 76 per cent of the Greek Cypriot public voted against, Locatelli underlined the fact that the Cyprus problem is a delicate and complicated one and it needs urgent attention.

And the success of the Tel Aviv Resolution has prompted SIW to believe that maybe the lack of women in official negotiations has something to do with it.
Marlene Haas, Secretary General of SIW, also voiced her concern for the Cyprus issue stressing that women need to become more involved in the peace process.
“Women and children are usually the biggest victims at times of conflict, yet they are not invited to take part in the government.”

The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ which was adopted in October 2000, clearly states “the importance of the equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution.”

Twenty-two international members of SIW will attend the Regional Meeting, which will take place tomorrow at the Miramare Hotel in Limassol.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.