“While we must pause to appreciate these firsts, we must recall that we have neither significantly changed the composition of peace tables, nor the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls.” “In the first twenty years since the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, we witnessed some historic firsts for gender equality,” said Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, when she addressed the Security Council on WPS earlier this year. Where women had significant influence, an agreement was almost always reached. In 2015, an analysis of 40 peace processes since the end of the Cold War showed that where women were able to have a strong influence on the peace negotiations, there was a much higher chance of an agreement. Mouna Awata (left) is the president of the Women’s Peace Hut (Case de la Paix) in Gao, Mali, and mediates with armed groups to resolve conflicts. Last year, globally only six out of 18 peace agreements included gender-sensitive provisions, and just one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a women’s organization, according to UN Women.Īs we face unprecedented levels of human suffering due to conflicts and crises across the world, undoubtedly with devastating impact on women, we look at why their role in preventing conflicts and sustaining peace has never been more critical. Many more such crimes against women and girls go unreported and continue with impunity.ĭespite such worrying trends, many peace processes and negotiations take place without female mediators and/or signatories, with significant impact on gender-sensitive provisions designed to protect and include women and girls. That same year, over 30 women human rights defenders were killed in those zones. In 2022, the United Nations verified nearly 2,500 cases of sexual violence mostly against women in conflict zones. Today, more than 600 million women and girls live in conflict-affected countries. On 25 October, the United Nations will mark the adoption in 2000 of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to improve the protection of women and girls during conflicts, and recognize their leadership and unique roles in peace processes.
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