Igballe (Igo) Rogova, KWN Executive Director, was recently invited by UN Women, New York to become a member of the High Level Expert Advisory Group for the Global Study on the 15-year implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325. The study is in line with Security Council Resolution 2122, which calls for the UN Secretary-General to undertake a high-level review of women, peace and security to be conducted in October 2015. The study will examine the substantive impact of the work achieved in this area during the past 15 years, including successes, challenges, and recommendations for the future to continue towards full implementation of UNSCR 1325. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, will be the primary author. 
     Adopted in 2000, UNSCR 1325 was the first UN resolution to specifically address the unique and often disproportionate impact armed conflict has on women. In particular, it calls for holding a gender-based perspective in all post-conflict processes, UN programming, and Security Council missions, as well as having gender-based training in UN peace support operations. Additionally, it requires equal participation of women in all efforts to further peace and security. 
     Rogova has been an international and domestic advocate for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 since its adoption in 2000. She used the Resolution to demand more meetings between UN officials, international decision-makers and women in Kosovo immediately after the war in Kosovo. Rogova also was instrumental in establishing the Women’s Peace Coalition that united women from Kosovo and Serbia in demanding a role in the negotiations between their countries as per Resolution 1325, as well as the Regional Women’s Lobby for Peace, Security and Justice in South East Europe. 
     Although Kosovo is not fully recognized by all UN members and thus Kosovo could not formally adopt the Resolution, Rogova has advocated for more than a decade for the enforcement of this important Resolution within the country. In 2014, the Assembly of Kosovo officially adopted a National Action Plan for implementing UNSCR 1325. The action plan obliges the Agency for Gender Equality in the Office of the Prime Minister to create and lead an Inter-institutional Secretariat to ensure the Resolution’s implementation. 
     Under Rogova’s leadership, KWN has published several reports on UNSCR 1325. In 2007, KWN released a report entitled Monitoring Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in Kosovo, followed by a second edition in 2009. In 2011, KWN released a comprehensive publication called 1325: Facts and Fables, a collection of stories and facts on the implementation of the Resolution in Kosovo. The innovative publication has been used by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and specifically the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR), among other local and international actors in raising awareness about Resolution 1325. KWN also was involved in the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office’s monitoring of UNSCR 1325 implementation in Europe. 
     The upcoming Global Study will build on earlier high-level reviews, including the tenth anniversary review of UNSCR 1325 in 2010 and the 2002 Secretary-General’s Study on Women, Peace and Security. The focus of the upcoming study will be on identifying and filling knowledge and data gaps, and building the evidence base on women, peace and security. The study aims to synergize with other major UN initiatives, including the 20-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action from the Fourth World Conference on Women, as well as the formulation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. This presents the opportunity for the studies and their recommendations to inform each other and ensure a coherent, comprehensive agenda for women’s rights and equality.
     As a member of the Advisory Group, Rogova will draw from her extensive experience to provide guidance to the lead author. 
    The other prestigious members of the High-level Advisory Group for Global Study include Ms. Madeleine Rees (United Kingdom); Ms. Elisabeth Rehn (Finland); Major General Patrick Cammaert (Netherlands); Ms. Luz Mendez (Guatemala); Ms. Liliana Andrea Silva Bello (Colombia); Ms. Sharon Bhaghwan Rolls (Fiji); Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury (Bangladesh); Ms. Leymah Gbowee (Liberia); Ms. Ruth Ochieng (Uganda); Ms. Yasmin Sooka (South Africa); Ms. Alaa Murabit (Canada/Libya); Ms. Maha Abu Dayyeh (Palestine/Israel); Mr. Youssef Mahmoud (Tunisia); Ms. Julia Kharashvili (Georgia); Ms. Pramila Patten (Mauritius); and Ms. Bandana Rana (Nepal).