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403 Maria Concepción Pérez Villalobos Military advisers for gender and for the protection of children in armed conflicts were fundamental values only began to gain speed in the 1990s, despite the fact that the traditional vision of women in war or conflicts has remained much unchanged throughout history and among different societies. The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 represented a turning point in the treatment of gender issues. Following the conference in Beijing, the transformation of the situation of women started to be considered as an issue that affected the whole of society. For the first time, there was a general acceptance that a sectorial approach wasn’t enough, but rather that the subject should be included in all state policies15. The conference unanimously approved the Declaration and Platform for Action, which incorporated a new mechanism for action called “gender mainstreaming”. Mainstreaming implies incorporating the gender perspective as a common tool when designing, implementing and evaluating public policies in all areas. To be able to apply the gender perspective, there must first be a comprehensive review of societies, looking at and analysing the foundations, causes and structures of inequality. This means, then, that attention is not just focused on women and their legal or social situation, but also on how to reorganise institutions and adopt political and economic decisions to promote equality, which will in turn affect society as a whole.16. “The fundamental change arising from Beijing was the recognition of the need to move the focus of attention from women onto the concept of gender, admitting that the structure of society and relations between men and women within it should be re-evaluated. Only through a fundamental restructuring of society and institutions will it be possible to fully potentiate the role of women, to allow them to take their due place as equal participants in all aspects of life. This change reaffirmed the fact that the rights of women are human rights and that gender equality is an issue of universal interest, beneficial for all”17. 3.2 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and its subsequent development This is a document that is focused in its entirety on the development of the gender perspective in the area of armed conflicts and peacebuilding. It therefore refers to two 15  NGOs and associations took a very clear lead role at the conference. The conference was the global meeting point for a large number of feminists and women’s associations from across the world. 16  PÉREZ VILLALOBOS, Mª Concepción: Mujer, paz y seguridad. El tratamiento del género en las Fuerzas Armadas, Granada: Editorial UGR, 2013, pp. 61 and 62. 17  http://www.un.org/es/globalissues/women/#1325 (last viewed: 18/08/2013). In order to follow up on the fulfillment of committments undertaken in Beijing, the UN Commission on the Status of Women organised three further meetings at its headquarters (New York): in June 2000 (Beijing+5), in Fenruary 2005 (Beijing+10),  and in March 2010 (revisión of Beijing+15). The committments undertaken at the IV Conference were reaffirmed, but progress made was not as significant as in Beijing. http://www.cinu.org.mx/temas/mujer/confmujer.htm (last viewed: 18/08/ 2013).


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