Security Council: women, peace and security

Note: Following is a partial summary of statements made today in the Security Council open debate on women, peace and security. A complete summary of today's Council debate will be available after the conclusion of the afternoon meeting as Press Release SC/14672.

Opening Remarks

ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, Secretary‑General of the United Nations, presenting his latest report on women, peace and security (document S/2021/827), referring to a presentation of photographs, said while the women pictured therein do brave work defending peace and human rights on the front lines, mediating with armed groups and pushing for peaceful transitions, they remain too on the periphery and excluded from the rooms where decisions are made. "Today women's leadership is a cause, tomorrow it must be a norm," he stressed.

He painted a dismal picture of women's rights around the world, with an "avalanche of crises" ranging from an uptick in military coups, new armament races, and nuclear threat being the highest it has been in 40 years. "Our world is going back," he warned, adding that military spending last year was $40 trillion; the greatest it has been since 2009. These funds could have been used for development instead, he said. Noting that conflict prevention is at the heart of women-led movements, he pointed out that the report shows that an increase in investment in arms led to a rise in insecurity and inequality suffered by women. Gender inequality is the most "stubborn and persistent" of all inequalities, he said.

He went on to note that there is a backdrop of rising violence against women around the world, from Myanmar, where groups working for women's rights have had to go underground since the coup, to Mali, where space for women's representation isn't just shrinking but closing after two coups, and Afghanistan, where there is a reversal in the rights of women and girls, from their right to a seat in Government to a seat in the classroom. Against this backdrop, he said: "We need to fight back and turn the clock forward." Noting that this is at the heart of Our Common Agenda, and his call to action on human rights, he pointed out that incentives can be powerful to improve the representation of women. The United Nations is enhancing the representation of women delegates in all peace processes they co-led or led, he said, adding that women are key partners in the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.

Further, the United Nations remains in Afghanistan to promote and defend the rights of women in all engagement with the de facto authorities, the Taliban. "We won't stop until women can return to their jobs and girls can go back to school," he said. He called on the Security Council to help in three ways: by ensuring partnership, that women can meaningfully engage in peace processes; to help protect women rights defenders and activists who risk their lives to carry out essential work; and to improve the meaningful participation of women in systems during the transition to peace, including through quotas in elections and justice systems.

SIMA SAMI BAHOUS, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN‑Women), noting that the doors that Council resolution 1325 (2000) was meant to burst open have let in only a glimmer of light. "But as women, as peacebuilders, as development practitioners, we take that glimmer, and we fight," she said, highlighting two areas requiring focus. Emphasizing the need to significantly increase funding for the women, peace and security agenda and conversely curb military spending, she said the evidence clearly shows that high levels of military spending in post-conflict settings increase the risk of renewed conflict while investing in gender equality has a high return in peace dividends.

In 2020, global military expenditure increased by 2.6 per cent to nearly $3 trillion despite the global economy contracting 3.3 per cent, the competing demands of COVID‑19 and all economies, whether in peace or conflict, struggled to meet people's basic needs, she said. In stark contrast, in humanitarian appeals, sectors that address gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health services are only funded at 33 per cent and 43 per cent respectively, compared with an average funding of 61 per cent for the overall appeal. None of the ceasefire agreements reached between 2018 and 2020 included the prohibition of sexual violence, and the percentage of peace agreements with gender provisions stands at 28.6 per cent. "At this critical juncture, we have to review prioritization", she said.

When State support is absent or inadequate, women rely even more on their local organizations, she pointed out. Yet, the share of bilateral aid supporting feminist, women-led and women's rights organizations and movements in fragile or conflict-affected countries is a mere 0.4 per cent. Furthermore, there has been a striking increase in the fragility of funding for these organizations. More than 80 per cent of local civil society organizations working on the frontlines of crises reported this year that their organization's existence was at risk due to lack of funding. She went on to ask the international community to do more to support women's participation in decision-making on defence and security sector expenditures, expand the use of gender-budgeting tools and programming to influence military spending levels, and strengthen citizens' oversight of military budgeting through enhanced transparency and accountability.

She also called for more support for women's meaningful participation in peace and security processes, which is the central goal of resolution 1325 (2000). Quotas and other special measures are the best tools to expedite positive change to increase representation. The Secretary‑General's report shows that women's parliamentary representation in conflict and post-conflict countries doubles where there are legislated quotas. The United Nations is committed to promoting the use of quotas, not just in politics, but in peace processes and other relevant contexts. Other recommended approaches include: inclusive selection measures, independent delegations of women representatives, political commitment by Member States for processes they support, as well as investment in better data collection, gender analysis and monitoring of results across all peace efforts.

"We cannot expect women to build peace if their lives are constantly under threat," she stressed, noting that in 2020, the United Nations verified 35 cases of killings of women human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists. But this number is a significant undercount and comes from only seven conflict-affected countries with data. From Mexico City to Paris this year, the resounding expression of political and financial support to gender equality galvanized by the Generation Equality Forum could not have come at a better time. She pointed to the new Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, whose areas of work will be directly supportive of the Secretary‑General's goals, inviting Governments to join the Compact's 153 signatories and make concrete commitments to advance the common cause over the next five years. "If we want to see a tangible difference in the lives of women and girls and a paradigm shift in the way we confront peace and security issues, we need Governments to step up," she said, adding that all actors, including regional neighbours, trading partners, military allies, donors, and the Security Council, must step up.

BINETA DIOP, African Union Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, noted that women and girls in several West Africa countries have been offered the opportunity to participate in peacebuilding processes. Their inclusion is not only just and right, she said, but has directly benefited the sustainability of these processes. Noting that there are many examples of local women playing a critical role as peacebuilders, she said this must be followed by sustained investment. Having visited many post-conflict areas, she said women peacekeepers are struggling to fund their initiatives.

Africa has the most robust framework for advancing the women, peace and security agenda, she said, and continues to bear the brunt of conflict-related areas. However, the continent is largely dependent on external funding for implementation efforts. Lamenting an increase in military spending, she said funding should instead be directed at efforts to include women and girls in peacekeeping initiatives. During a recent visit to Somalia, she observed the need to equip women with the necessary tools in allowing them to pursue a leadership role. Emphasizing the need to create a flexible funding mechanism to support women's peacebuilding, she underscored the importance of accelerating gender reform in the military.

CELIA UMENZA VELASCO, member of Cxhab Wala Kiwe, said that her organization, whose name means "great people's territory" in the Nasa Yuwe language, is also known as the Association of Indigenous Councils of the North of Cauca in Colombia. She said she represents the non-governmental organization (NGO) Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, as well as indigenous women and women in all their diversity, including those suffering from war, poverty and discrimination. Colombia remains one of the world's most dangerous countries for defenders of human rights and land and territorial rights. On average, at least one indigenous defender is killed every week. In her territory of Cauca, three indigenous women leaders whom she worked with were killed in 2020.

Indigenous communities in Colombia have been calling for demilitarization for decades, she said, as much of the war was waged on their land, and violence continues in their territories today. "Although we have peace in name, lack of implementation of the Peace Accord has refuelled conflict," she said. Although the peace agreement between the Government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) contains 130 provisions on gender equality and women's rights, five years since its adoption, implementation is at a standstill, especially of its gender provisions and the Ethnic Chapter. Implementation is most delayed in provisions for comprehensive rural reform, which would give women access to land and enable them to chart a path to inclusive and holistic development for their communities, she noted, adding: "Colombia's Peace Accord may be unprecedented in its incorporation of international standards of gender equality, but what good are agreements and promises if they are not kept?"

She urged the Council to call on the Government of Colombia to fully implement and resource the peace agreement, particularly the Ethnic Chapter and gender provisions; adhere to free, prior and informed consent processes with campesino, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities and ensure that development processes comply with international human rights principles and law; and address the crisis of violence against human rights defenders and ensure perpetrators are held to account. The Government should also immediately demilitarize the police force by moving the National Police out of the Ministry of Defense, dismantling the Mobile Antiriot Squad of the National Police; redirect funds to support social investment; and ensure women leaders fully participate in the peace agreement's implementation and in negotiations with other armed actors in Colombia. "I urge you not to allow this open debate to be yet another occasion where you listen to women civil society but fail to act on our concerns," she said, stressing that the plight of Afghan women illustrates all too clearly the cost of doing so.

Statements

RAYCHELLE OMAMO, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Security Council President for October, said the Council and other United Nations agencies must continue to design peace processes that are inclusive of people, particularly women, at the grass roots level. Kenya, working with several United Nations partners, is launching the African tour of the travelling Photoville Exhibition. Women working at the local level and at the heart of conflict zones are frequently overlooked and underrated, she said. Yet sustainable peace must be owned and nurtured by communities and families. "It is therefore necessary to uplift and amplify the voices of women in the field and bolster their contributions in conflict preventions and peacemaking," she said, adding that this demands investment in women across the peacebuilding and peacekeeping continuum. Local women must be brought from the periphery to the centre of the women, peace and security agenda. "Our peace must be owned by women," she said, adding "Kenya is committed to this investment in local women".

LINDA THOMAS‑GREENFIELD (United States) expressed stressed the importance of promoting women's leadership and participation in every aspect of public life and the need to ensure their safety and security. Security is necessary not just for women but for all who value peace. In 2017, the United States administration became the first country to adopt a domestic law on implementing the women, peace and security agenda. Describing how the Government is internalizing the agenda through training, she said the Department of Homeland Security trained its officials on women's security issues and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided support to the survivors of gender-based violence. These are not just "talking points" but "genuine commitment" codified in its policy. From South Sudan to Colombia, women played a crucial role in a country's transition from conflict towards peace. The Council must prioritize the perspective of safety for women by including it in many more mandates of peace missions, she said, urging Governments of other Security Council members to join the United States in adopting national action plans, which will hold them accountable.

TARIQ AHMAD, Minister for State of the United Kingdom, said his country is committed to the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all peace efforts, adding that increasing the number of women peacekeepers and women in leadership roles is vital to operational effectiveness. He outlined steps taken by the United Kingdom in this regard, including a gender barrier study that will enable a better understanding of obstacles faced by women in the national armed forces deployed in peacekeeping operations. It has supported the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund since its inception, committing more than £175 million to empower women and young people. In addition, he said, the United Kingdom supports the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)to tackle reprisals, particularly those committed against Security Council briefers. "If we cannot protect briefers here, we undermine the purpose of the Security Council," he stressed. On Afghanistan, he emphasized that the rights of women and girls must be central to any discussions with the Taliban.

COLM BROPHY, Minister for State of Ireland, emphasizing that peacekeeping efforts considering only the needs of parties to the conflict are doomed to fail, said women must be at the table, participating fully and equally. Peacekeeping must be gender-responsive, he said, adding that the Council must heed women leaders, human rights defenders and civil society. It must also ensure that women peacebuilders participate safely, facing no risk of reprisals against them or their family. Turning to military spending, he expressed dismay that it is greater in much of the world than pandemic-related health spending. Adding that evidence clearly shows a strong correlation between militarization and gender inequality, he said the world would be better if welfare was privileged over warfare, especially through investment in women and girls. Doing so lifts whole communities out of poverty and marginalization, he said, building resilient, inclusive, peaceful societies.

DANG DINH QUY (Vietnam), acknowledging the effectiveness of women's leadership during the pandemic, called on States to value their experiences, knowledge, understanding and expertise in all fields by removing barriers and promoting their rights, interests and needs at all levels. Highlighting the importance of strengthened international cooperation, especially on capacity-building and best practices sharing, he called on the donor community to contribute a minimum of 15 per cent of its official development assistance (ODA) to advancing gender equality in conflict-affected countries. He further pointed out that 21 per cent of his country's military is comprised of women, including many serving United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic and South Sudan. The number is all the more remarkable when compared to the Secretary‑General's target of 15 per cent by 2028, he said, adding that women also hold 30 per cent of the senior leadership positions in the country's ministerial agencies.

TAREK LADEB (Tunisia), noting that the world is still tackling COVID‑19, said the pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on women and girls, especially in conflict areas. Adding that the percentage of women in peacekeeping efforts remains low at 23 per cent, he said they are generally absent from mainstream policy development. Most adopted measures directed at the pandemic fail to consider the gender dimensions, he said, observing also that humanitarian crises severely lack funding to meet the needs of girls and women. Emphasizing that women's equal participation in peacebuilding requires greater solidarity at all levels, he said they must no longer be viewed as victims, but capable of leadership roles. Tunisia has succeeded in placing them at higher political levels, he said, adding that, for the first time in the Arab world, a woman leads the country's Government.

ABDOU ABARRY (Niger) said despite recent progress to implement the women, peace and security agenda, very few women are participating in peace processes, yet women and children are the major victims of conflicts. Results are better when women are included in peace negotiations. Women's participation in the peace process is a system of justice. He asked how peace can be achieved without women, who make up half of the population. In Niger, the Sahel region is an area of insecurity and climate change, issues that disproportionately impact women and girls. More funds should be invested in women organizations that strive for peace, particularly at the grass-roots level. Niger is moving to increase women's participation in Government and has implemented a national action plan for women, peace and security, he said. It is working with the African Union, European Union, UN-Women and the United Nations Group of Friends of Women of the Sahel. Women's voices need to be heard, he said, underscoring that women need to be included as peacebuilders and more effectively used in peacekeeping missions.

DAI BING (China) said gains in comprehensively advancing the rights of women risked being reversed against a backdrop of mounting turmoil. He expressed concern about women living in the shadow of occupation in Palestine, and those who were now at risk in Afghanistan, due to a hasty withdrawal, adding that women are at risk of trafficking and sexual violence in other conflict areas. The international community must consider the needs of women in such places and provide timely humanitarian assistance. In Syria and Iraq, abuses are perpetrated by extremist forces, and the family members of foreign terrorist fighters are still detained, he said, calling for concerned countries to step up their screening and repatriation. China supports the enhanced role of women in peacekeeping, in a manner that includes the participation of local women and women's groups, as well as supports their representation in peace talks and political arrangements. He touched on the achievements of Chinese women peacekeepers, including those with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), who helped demine thousands of mines, thereby enabling the creation of safe zones for Lebanese people. With the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), China has created and funded a prize for women's education, which it has awarded to 10 organizations in developing countries so far.

ALICIA GUADALUPE BUENROSTRO MASSIEU (Mexico) said that her country in 2021 adopted its first national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). About 35 per cent of Mexico's uniformed personnel deployed in United Nations peace missions are women. In general, however, the participation of women in peacekeeping operations continues to be low due to the various barriers they face in the various stages of recruitment, training, selection, deployment and operation. In this regard, she acknowledged Canada's Elsie Initiative for supporting Governments in ending these barriers. The inclusion of local actors, such as peacebuilders and human rights defenders, is also essential at all stages of the political and peace processes and is an indispensable condition for national ownership. In parallel, she urged the Council to continue including the voices of women briefers in its deliberations and take measures for their protection. Mexico ‑ as co-Chair of the Council's informal Group of Experts on Women and Peace and Security, together with Ireland ‑ will continue to work towards these objectives.

SVEN JÜRGENSON (Estonia) touched on the situation of women in Afghanistan, reports of sexual violence against women and girls in Tigray, and incidents of women being attacked, tortured or detained for their participation in protests from Belarus to Myanmar. Emphasizing that the United Nations leadership remains essential in encouraging and supporting the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, he noted that the lack of gender provisions in ceasefire agreements undermines that endeavour. Estonia calls for investment in women peacekeepers and mediators, and resources for gender and women protection advisers, he said, stressing that threats and attacks against women activists and civil society representatives must not be cause for their exclusion or for self‑censorship. They need to be heard, in the Council and at the local level. He went on to underline the need to break the pattern of impunity, including by setting benchmarks on sexual violence and other human rights violations.

INGA RHONDA KING (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) said that the consistent inclusion of gender provisions in peace agreements and post-agreement implementation remains urgent. Indeed, the absence of such provisions in all ceasefire agreements secured in the last few years is of particular concern. Even with increased efforts at the national, regional, and multilateral levels, women's participation across the peace, security and development continuum still falls appallingly short, she remarked. As such, mandates of United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions must include operational elements to support Governments' quest for the equal, meaningful participation of women in peace processes and across development initiatives. Moreover, there is need for greater representation of women in disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and security sector reform. She went on to emphasize the urgent need to apply anti-colonial-intersectional gender analysis as standard in every aspect of the Council's work. There is no circumstance under which conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence against women, girls, and children, including reprisals against women peacebuilders and civil society, can be tolerated. "We must insist on prevention, accountability, and on transforming the conditions that produce this violence in the first place," she said.

T. S. TIRUMURTI (India), recalling that the first woman General Assembly President, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, was from his country, said she and several other Indian women leaders made great contributions to the United Nations in its formative years and shaped the discussion on human rights and gender equality. India has moved from women's development to women‑led development, he added, pointing out that the constitution mandates that 33 per cent of local self‑government seats be reserved for women. Further, more than 20 states have provisions to ensure that women hold 50 per cent of total seats, he said, noting that, as a result, more than 1.3 million elected women representatives lead in the creation and implementation of public policies at the grass‑roots level. He went on to emphasize his country's commitment to increasing the number of its women peacekeepers, recalling that, in 2007, India deployed the first‑ever all‑female formed police unit to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), where it served for a decade. Indian peacekeepers are playing an important role in preventing conflict‑related sexual violence, he affirmed, while also stressing the importance of the United Nations remaining actively focused on the role of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, especially in Afghanistan.

GENNADY V. KUZMIN (Russian Federation) stressed that efforts to ensure gender equality should focus on situations representing indisputable threats to international peace and security. Emphasizing the importance of developing regional and national structures to implement the woman, peace and security agenda, he said they should only be set up when needed in conflict or post-conflict situations. An increase of bureaucratic structures in the absence of conflict is unjustified, he said, adding that the result is more critical than the appearance of working towards it. Calling also for the international community to adopt measures to increase women's participation in social and economic life in post-conflict situations, he said steps must be taken to bolster their access to finance and technologies.

NICOLAS DE RIVIÈRE (France) emphasized the need to increase and enhance women's participation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. He pointed to the heightened role of women in implementing the peace agreement in Mali and the appointment of a French female general in the Gendarmerie nationale to head the police component of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) as examples of concrete action to follow. The Council must unequivocally reaffirm that the hard-won gains made by women and girls in Afghanistan cannot be erased. He underscored several ways in which France is promoting the women, peace and security agenda, including through financial support for gender focal points in peacekeeping missions and a €6 million contribution to the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation and Nadia Murad's Initiative for survivors of sexual violence.

Ms. O'NEILL (Canada), speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, an informal network of 65 Member States, said there has been too little progress since the adoption of resolution 1325 [2000] called for all United Nations‑supported peace processes to require and ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women. She expressed the Group's "unshakable solidarity" with Afghan women and girls who face the prospect of losing 20 years of gains. She called on the Council to include women in its discussions and fully integrate the women, peace and security commitments into all its work and outcomes. She also urged Member States to create a safe environment for women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and advocates for gender equality, whom are at risk, or have faced retribution, for their efforts. Also needed is predictable and sustained funding for local and grassroots women's organizations and networks.

Speaking in her national capacity, she said a major issue facing the Canadian Government this year is sexual misconduct in its own armed forces. The Government understands that to address sexual misconduct meaningfully, it must examine every aspect of its organizational culture. Knowing it is not alone, Canada helped create the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations. One of its central tenets is to reach the numerical targets set out in the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018-2028. Canada is taking steps domestically to advance the women, peace and security agenda. On the international front, Canada believes the process of engaging with women peacebuilders needs to be fully institutionalized within the United Nations system, including gender parity in senior management. The crisis in Afghanistan is a litmus test of the international community's commitment to implementing resolution 1325 [2000], she said.

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