New Learning Unit on “Gender and Disarmament” by Mara Zarka
First of five new learning units extending the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course online
How are gender and disarmament related? What role does gender play in disarmament? These questions are addressed in the new EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium eLearning unit authored by Mara Zarka, Research Associate and Project/Events Manager at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP). The unit is produced by the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt as part of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course, funded by the European Union.
Extending the existing 15 units, the new learning unit is the first of five to be published this year. While the existing units already cover issues from arms control theory, weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons through to humanitarian arms control and emerging technologies, the new units will either cover new issues or significantly deepen existing ones.
Based on a new and fresh design, with an updated user interface to enhance usability and accessibility, the unit takes you on a journey through the issues vital to an understanding of the importance of gender in disarmament issues. Filled with videos, photos, graphs and quizzes, the module is comprised of five chapters:
- Key Terms and Historical Overview, highlighting the historical role women have played in disarmament, such as the peace camp that was set up outside the Greenham Common Air Force base in England.
- The UN Framework, featuring landmark UN Security Council resolution 1325 and subsequent UN resolutions.
- Treaties, Conventions and Action Plans containing gender references, including an examination of female representation in multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation fora as well as a closer look at the first legally binding multilateral instrument to acknowledge the connection between international arms trade and gender-based violence.
- Initiatives, Implementation and Actions highlighting the International Gender Champions initiative and the rise in adopting a Feminist Foreign Policy.
- EU Positions and Actions examining EU strategies incorporating gender in disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, as well as EU actors engaged in promoting gender mainstreaming.
Resources, databases, and educational opportunities can also be found in the eLearning unit.
Access the eLearning unit here.
Within the scope of its activities in the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, PRIF operates a Europe-wide eLearning program with the purpose of developing expertise in the fields of arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament.