Gender Perspectives in Peacekeeping Law and Practice: Perspectives from the Pacific

Dr Gina Heathcote, School of Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

The research to be presented looks at the role of law in peacekeeping and the gendered consequences of both the application of law and the conceptual assumptions of the regulation of peacekeeping. Of particular importance is the use of soft law standards and the implied powers of the Security Council to establish and monitor peacekeeping practices. Two clear implications of the contemporary model is the poor regulation of violations of women's rights and the conceptual 'feminising' of peacekeeping regulation through codes of practice. The paper will analyze the success of a core area of collective security premised on soft law authority and regulation, as well the practical consequences for women's lives in post-conflict communities. The paper will look to peacekeeping models from the Pacific to draw out the claims, particularly the peace enforcement and peace building in Timor Leste (1999 - ), peacekeeping in Solomon Islands (2003 - ) and Bougainville (1998-2003).

Biography:
Dr Gina Heathcote lectures in Public International Law and the International Law on the Use of Force at the School of Law, SOAS. Her forthcoming book, The Law on the Use of Force: a Feminist Analysis, approaches international justifications for the use of force through the lens of feminist interrogations of interpersonal justifications for violence. Gina's research covers feminist approaches to international law, collective security, and the relationship between gender, violence and law.

Organiser: Bloomsbury Gender Network hosted by the SOAS Centre for Gender Studies

Contact email: rs94@soas.ac.uk