HL Deb 03 June 2003 vol 648 cc141-2WA
The Earl of Sandwich

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What specific actions they are taking to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 to safeguard the rights of women in Iraq. [HL2796]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:

The Government is fully committed to Resolution 1325 and wants to see women fully involved in reconstructing a new Iraq. We are building a dialogue with Iraqi women and we are exploring the possibility of holding a women's conference to produce representatives who would attend a national conference shortly afterwards. The UK-funded "Towards Freedom" television channel will soon be transmitting programmes to encourage women to participate in this process. Our military on the ground and our secondees in the Coalition's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) are aware of their responsibilities under Resolution 1325. A gender expert from the Women's Equality Unit at the Department of Trade and Industry will soon join ORHA to focus on these issues.