• The interstate wars of the Cold War years have been succeeded by gruesome intrastate wars often involving non- state actors and unconventional armies. Various shady forces, such as arms and drugs dealers, and organized crime syndicates, have preyed on the tensions. The sophistication of weapons has contributed to the increasingly indiscriminate nature of warfare. As many as 85 percent of the casualties in recent wars have been civilians.
• The shift to intrastate wars has witnessed a frightening increase in gender-based violence. Ironically, just after rape was recognized as a war crime in 1994, the period from 1995 to the present has witnessed shocking instances of rape as a deliberate weapon of war particularly in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Other forms of gender based violence include forced impregnation and the deliberate spread of the HIV/AIDS virus.
• The representation of women remains pitiful-and is at its lowest- in all areas pertaining to peace and conflict resolution. These include foreign affairs; defence; UN missions; the UN Security Council; the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UN Peace keeping missions. o There is still a huge disparity between military expenditure at a national level and the resources set aside at international level for peace efforts. Persuading boys to drop their toys was never going to be an easy proposition. Yet, if the new millennium is to make a difference to the lives of women, we have no choice but to go for a "Gun Free Globe". I propose that the UN, OAU and other regional organisations:
• Act as a role model by achieving gender parity in all areas related to peace processes - from preventative diplomacy to peace building - by 2010. o Set a voluntary target for reduction in military spending (e.g. one percent of GDP by 2005). Monitor implementation and publicise good practice.
• Involve local women in all stages of the design, planning and implementation of post conflict transformation as opposed to reconstruction.
• Ensure that crimes of war and especially gender-based violence is exposed, investigated and that justice is served.
• Build and empower local peace movements and civil society.
• Conduct research on, and publicize best practices on gender and conflict resolution.

According to ECA Executive Secretary K.Y. Amoako, "it is women who are giving us the early warning of conflict and who are pressuring for the demilitarisation of our societies."

But the Secretary General of the Fourth World Conference on Women Gertrude Mongella asks a pertinent question: since Beijing, "have the voices for peace been louder than the sounds of guns?"

Colleen Lowe Morna was a participant in a UN expert group meeting on post Beijing challenges held in Beirut from 8-10 November. This is the second article in a four part series drawn from discussions at the Beirut meeting. The next two articles will focus on equality and development.