Twenty-three years after the adoption of a landmark 缅北禁地Security Council resolution on women, peace and security, their presence is still woefully lacking at negotiation tables, Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres said on Wednesday.听
Addressing the Council鈥檚听听on听, he appealed for countries to 鈥渦rgently bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality鈥� through concrete action in the areas of participation, financing and leadership.
鈥淥f 18 peace agreements reached last year, only one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a women鈥檚 group or organization,鈥� he听said.听 Women also comprised just 16 per cent of negotiators or delegates at UN-led, or co-led, peace processes, he added.听
War鈥檚 impact on women听
Mr. Guterres highlighted how women鈥檚 contributions are needed in a world that is on a 鈥渒nife鈥檚 edge鈥� due to raging conflicts, escalating tensions, coups, rising authoritarianism, climate chaos, the nuclear threat, and other crises.
鈥淲here wars rage, women suffer.听 Where authoritarianism and insecurity reign, women and girls鈥� rights are threatened.听 We see this around the world,鈥� he said, pointing to situations in Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine and the recent escalation in the Middle East.听
鈥淲omen and girls are among the many victims of Hamas鈥� brutal atrocities,鈥� he told the packed Council chamber.听
鈥淎nd women and children are more than half the victims of the relentless bombing of Gaza. Tens of thousands of pregnant women are desperately struggling to access essential healthcare.鈥澨�
Shut out and fed up听
Mr. Guterres called for the women, peace and security agenda to be fully implemented now 鈥渂ecause women have had enough of being shut out of the decisions that shape their lives鈥�.听
Women are demanding concrete actions, he continued, with the first step being ensuring their presence in peace talks.听 He encouraged governments to support conflict mediation to set ambitious targets for women on negotiating teams.听
The 缅北禁地chief also underscored the need for 鈥渕oney on the table鈥�, stating that 鈥渋f we want to stand with women driving change, if we want to support women enduring conflict, if we want to remove barriers to participation, and if we want women鈥檚 organisations to deliver, we need to pay for it.鈥澨�
Funding and fair representation听
He urged countries to allocate 15 per cent of their overseas development assistance to gender equality, and a minimum of one per cent to women鈥檚 organizations mobilizing for peace. Fifteen per cent of funding for mediation must also support women鈥檚 participation.
Governments should also support the UN鈥檚 goal of raising $300 million by 2025 for the听听through its听.
Finally, women must have full, equal and meaningful participation at all levels of decision-making on peace and security, and in political and public life.听
鈥淭hat means pushing fair representation in national and local governments, cabinets and parliaments,鈥� he said.听
He further called for 鈥渞obust, comprehensive legislation鈥� to combat violence against women, whether online or in real life, and to end impunity for perpetrators.
600 million in conflict areas听
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of听, presented the Secretary-General鈥檚 latest report on resolution 1325, which reveals that last year, 600 million women and girls were living countries affected by conflict 鈥� a 50 per cent increase since 2017.听
She also focused on the current crisis in Israel and Gaza, where women and children on both sides have been killed.听
Middle East crisis听
Many women and children were among the more than 1,400 Israelis killed by Hamas, and women are among the roughly 200 hostages seized by the militants. More than 6,000 people have been killed in Gaza, 67 per cent of them women and children.
缅北禁地Women estimated that there are now more than 1,100 new female-headed households in Gaza, while upwards of 690,000 women and girls have been displaced.
鈥淏ut let me be clear - every act of violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, is unequivocally condemned irrespective of the nationality, identity, race or religion of the victims,鈥� she said.听
Wins and warnings听
The 缅北禁地report reflects a decline in women鈥檚 meaningful participation across the peace spectrum, but it also provides examples of what has worked, especially at the local level.
Ms. Bahous listed examples of women鈥檚 achievements, including leading successful crossline negotiations to secure access to water and humanitarian aid, brokering the release of political prisoners, preventing unresolved tribal conflicts and mediating local ceasefires.听
Women鈥檚 participation in 缅北禁地Peacekeeping also increased in the past year.听 These 鈥渂lue helmets鈥� have set up mobile courts to convict perpetrators of gender-based violence, helped to secure the release of women and girls abducted by armed groups and other achievements.
鈥淭hese examples should inspire us,鈥� she said, while warning that as peace operations withdraw from countries, the UN's capacity to monitor and protect women's rights becomes more limited.听
An interactive exhibition mounted outside 缅北禁地Headquarters in New York gives life to the subject of the听Security Council听meeting.
The 50 large portraits of women peacekeepers and peacebuilders provide a powerful reminder of the urgent need for more action to ensure women are included in efforts to end conflict and build lasting peace.
Gender aspects of conflict听
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also briefed the Council, saying developments in the Middle East and elsewhere were 鈥渁 shocking reminder of how rapidly humanitarian conditions can deteriorate.鈥�
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger urged warring parties to 鈥渕aintain a minimum of humanity鈥� and adhere to international humanitarian law, which upholds the equal protection of civilians, combatants, prisoners of war and those wounded in hostilities.
She drew attention to the gender aspects of conflict, a subject she had raised in a previous address to the Council, noting that 鈥渕any violations against women go undocumented and continue to be considered an inevitable side effect of war.鈥澨�
She called for action to prevent and address sexual violence, promote accountability, and to ensure it is always designated as a war crime under international law.
No women, no peace
The ICRC has also been working with legal and military experts to understand how military operations impact women and girls differently, as they often are the ones caring for children, the sick and the elderly, thus affecting their ability to flee danger.
Finally, the Red Cross 鈥渟ees every day鈥� how women鈥檚 meaningful participation in both economies and societies benefits communities as a whole and improves prospects for peace.
鈥淭here are 100 steps to peace, and the first are always humanitarian,鈥� said Ms. Spoljaric Egger.听
鈥淲ithout direct input from women, without the recognition of the gendered impact of armed conflict on women, and without the acknowledgement of women's roles in all aspects of their society, peace responses will fall short and therefore lack the prospect for truth, stability and security.鈥�
Hope from Colombia
Brazilian diplomat Gliv芒nia Maria de Oliveira brought positive news from Colombia, where women participated in the negotiations between the Government and the largest remaining rebel group in the country, ELN, which led to听听that began in August.
Ms. de Oliveira represented her country at the talks, noting that 鈥渕ore women were also present as builders and promoters of peace.鈥�
She recalled that earlier negotiations between the Colombian authorities and the FARC rebel group, which ended some 50 years of conflict, also had a 鈥済ender dimension鈥� that was further reflected in their 2016 Peace Agreement.
