Inter-institutional Self-assessment Through Gender Dimension Discussed at the Ministry of Defense

CHISINAU, October 2, 2015 — The Ministry of Defense hosted a meeting regarding the initiation of the inter-institutional self-assessment through gender dimension in the security and defense sector. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Prosecutor’s Office, Security and Intelligence Service, Customs Service, the Ministry of Defense, as well as of the NGOs — UN Women Mission to Moldova, OSCE Mission to Moldova, IDC on NATO in Moldova, and Gender-Centru.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Aurel Fondos, stated that the inter-institutional self-assessment through gender dimension in the national security and defense sector is very important for the implementation on national level of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on the role of women in ensuring peace and security. “I think that the involvement of each institution in this process is very important and necessary in order to identify the gaps in this field and, subsequently, to come up with eloquent proposals and recommendations for the achievement of this goal”.

During the meeting, it was established that the institutions participating in the self-assessment process will examine and develop an inter-institutional self-assessment survey on the gender dimension in the national security and defense sector. The survey will be the base for the development of the National action plan regarding the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace and Security”.

The survey comprises specific gender-related questions for the defense and security institutions and is part of the Gender self-assessment guidelines for police, armed forces, and justice. The guidelines were developed in 2012 by Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, in order to facilitate the identification of measures necessary for the implementation of Resolution 1325 by countries without experience in this field, such as Republic of Moldova.