WPC Updates

Due to the pandemic, the event, known as #SheInspiresMe, will be entirely virtual this year, with a packed schedule of live sessions with well-known, successful and inspiring women from across the globe.

United Nations, Indian Army Major Suman Gawani, honoured with the prestigious UN gender advocate award, has underscored the importance of female peacekeepers in the front ranks, saying it helps bring a “sense of security” among the survivors of a conflict.

This week, the Permanent Missions of the United Arab Emirates and Ireland to the United Nations and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, GIWPS, hosted a high-level virtual panel discussion on advancing women’s role in economic recovery and climate resilience in post-conflict settings.

United Nations, UNSG Antonio Guterres honoured peacekeepers Major Suman Gawani from India and Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo from Brazil with the 2019 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, saying their “inspiring work” promotes equality in the forces.

Amid COVID-19, strong multilateral system key to delivering for world’s most vulnerable, European Union Foreign Policy Chief tells Security Council.

Pakistan’s women peacekeepers; With nearly 4,462 uniformed personnel serving in some of the most dangerous UN missions, such as in the Central African Republic and Mali, Pakistan is the sixth largest contributor to UN peace operations.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on the account of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers  Reiterates To Wage Peace And Build Better Future.

The Peace Centre in partnership with International Center for Transitional Justice -Uganda hosted a tweet chat on Transitional Justice in the Face of COVID-19.

A new campaign led by women with strong professional qualifications and global experience in more than 50 organizations plans to change the mind-set on feminist foreign policies in the United States.

As Africa braces for its first recession in 25 years, one group of global experts will gather to consider ways in which coordinated policy support can help economies recover more quickly.

In observance of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, on 29th May, Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to pay tribute to all the UN blue helmets who have lost their lives since 1948.

Rights group West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP) said in a report that the upsurge in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) owing to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was a concern in The Gambia.

Within the framework of joint efforts the Public Security Directorate (PSD) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) have strengthened their partnership to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Warns against Shifting Resources from Gender-Equality Initiatives, in Remarks to ‘Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding’ Event.

The Ugandan ministry of Gender, labour and social development has reported that over 106 billion shillings has been distributed to various women groups under Uganda Women Entrepreneurship programme.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

Read More “The Women, Peace and Security Update; No.27”

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

Read More “The Women, Peace and Security Update; No.26”

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

Read More “The Women, Peace and Security Update; No.25”

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

Press statement of Nigeria coalition on youth, peace and security on ‘COVID 19: Nigeria’s peace and security’

Popular rhetoric suggests that New Zealand is a staunch champion of the WPS agenda. Does the evidence support that claim?

Women, Peace and Security in the time of Corona

Arguments linger over the best ways to increase women’s meaningful participation in the peace and security sectors.

The First 100 Days of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Asia and the Pacific: A Gender Lens. This report presents a snapshot of the gender dimensions of the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic and captures promising practices for integrating gender in preparedness and response planning. 

Safeguarding Afghanistan’s vulnerable millions from Coronavirus Threat. For the many millions caught in the crosshairs of conflict whose access to health services is already limited or close to impossible, the pandemic brings a new terror.

United Nations leaders, humanitarian experts and sister advocates at the U.N. are alarmed by the COVID-19 pandemic’s potential to devastate vulnerable communities, particularly refugees, migrants, and women and girls already challenged by economic hardship and social disparities.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

The speaker of the parliament of Uganda, Hon Alitwala Kadaga has urged women in leadership positions to take up the lead role in fighting for the rights of disadvantaged and marginalized fellow women if Uganda is to achieve full women participation.

African women leaders come together as a movement to launch the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and its Call to Action, backed by the African Union and the United Nations through UN Women.

Key Messages from The South Sudan Peace Process; The Role and Prospects of Women Refugees.

Major General Kristin Lund Visits Mali and the Netherlands discusses Women in the UN, Gender
Peace and Security, and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

The United Nations and other international organizations will devote substantial time and attention in 2020 to assessing progress (or the lack of it) in increasing the participation of women in political and peace processes.

Negotiating culture for the realisation of women’s rights; “ I am sometimes told that gender is an idea whose time has passed. I disagree. I think it is needed now more than ever, having tasted its fruits.”

Some of the most exceptional works documented by women in recent times are being showcased at a two-day women’s film festival hosted by the Indian Embassy in Washington.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

Women Wage Peace — Visualizing Progress on Action for Peacekeeping. This photo essay illustrates women’s strength, leadership and invaluable contributions in peacekeeping settings.

Indonesia plans to establish a women’s network with Afghanistan to encourage Afghan women to contribute to the peace process in the war-torn country.

As part of its strategic goal to increase women’s participation in peace building, The Peace Centre held a conference under the theme; The Role and Prospects of Women Refugees in the South Sudan Peace Process.

“We must condemn gender-based violence and men must take the lead.” the president of Namibia said when he officially opened the 10th Pan African Women’s Organisation Congress (PAWO) in Windhoek.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi raised the issue of women’s empowerment in the 43rd Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. “Investing in women means investing in human rights.

Gender gap is causing wars says Defence Forces Chief . “The gender gap is one of the biggest drivers of inter-state and intra-state violence and insecurity”, the Vice-Admiral said.

In celebrating the achievements of women in Australia, here are four favorite moments where women have been at the centre of important agreement processes.

5 Activists Tell Us Why Women Must Be Leading the Fight For
World Peace; Women
from three continents tell us why they fight for inclusion in the conflict
resolution process.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has sensitized over 600 women and youths on peacebuilding initiative in Daura Maia’dua and Sandamu Local Government Areas of Katsina state.

Hundreds of women professionals under the Women’s Advocates
Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) yesterday met in Abuja, the Nigerian
capital,
vowed to mobilise against corruption in all spheres of the country’s economy.

Committee on Teaching About the UN with the co-sponsorship of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN, has dedicated its conference will convene on February 28, 2020, under the theme “War no more” 

Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong has revealed that the Defence White Paper will focus on fostering diversity and increasing women’s participation in the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).

Noteworthy is the fact that post-independence Africa has
been characterized by a myriad of armed conflicts, though in recent times, they
have reduced in number. Can
Africa achieve, sustain peace and security.

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has said the inability of the citizens especially the vulnerable to challenge abuse of their fundamental human rights had emboldened security agents in the act.

What does the new Australia-ASEAN Informal Defense Ministers
meeting mean for the future of security ties?- A
closer look at the importance of a recent development amid wider trends

The Women, Peace, and Security Index Assesses
Countries Based on Women’s Well-Being & Empowerment.

The UAE recently
hosted a group of nine female ambassadors to the United Nations as part of the
Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2020 and discussed opportunities to leverage
multilateralism and bilateral relations to promote gender equality across all
sectors of society.

According to analyses by the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation in
the peace and security situation in Africa, there is need
to increase women’s influence in peace and security leadership and strengthen
the protection of women and children against various forms of violence.

At least 25 diplomats are attending a
seminar on the war on terrorism and extremism, which is one of Kenya’s 10-point
agenda at the UNSC in its campaign.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

The Peace Centre launches its Research study on Gender Dimensions of the Implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. 

Women’s International Peace Centre hosts an Exchange Learning Visit for a group of South Sudanese Young Women leaders

Translating frameworks and policies into actions is one of the biggest challenges thwarting “Gender is my Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) as well as African Union member states from realizing the desired results.

Priorities for the 2021 Peacekeeping Ministerial: Reflections from an Expert Roundtable.

Speakers at the 33rd session of the African Union (AU) summit that opened on Sunday in Ethiopia’s capital, voiced views on development, peace and security and economic empowerment of women in Africa. 

Mexico has become the third country to incorporate feminist perspectives in its foreign policy.

A conference was organized by the Lagos State government
through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to
sensitize security personnel on the need to align with the United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325)

Stakeholders gathered at the Africa Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to consider actions to accelerate the implementation of impactful delivery of gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives. 

The Indian government has failed to integrate the WPS agenda into national security and defence policies or implement schemes for the advancement of women in these areas. 

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

The expert leading UN efforts to stamp out sexual violence committed during wartime has welcomed the release of 78 women and 50 children by an armed group in South Sudan.

Stakeholders gathered at the Africa Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to consider actions to accelerate the implementation of impactful delivery of gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives.

The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(WHINSEC) held
its fourth annual Women, Peace, and Security Conference at Fort Benning
Wednesday.

A four-Day Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop
on Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) meant to build the capacity of
the contingents of the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) took place in
Banjul, The Gambia.

When feminism meets foreign policy; Feminist thinking about war and peace are very old but feminist advocacy around foreign policy may have been formally facilitated by the official creation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda post-2000.

Convening at the African Union pre-summit on gender, women and girls in Africa reviewed the status of conflicts in the continent, the existing and emerging threats and made recommendations on mainstreaming gender equality as a key component of the implementation of the roadmap.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ 2019 WPS report stresses
that the international community “cannot afford to backslide” in advancing the
WPS agenda…

Leymah Gbowee, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, has joined
the UAE’s Higher Committee of Human Fraternity.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

Bridging the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda With the Responsibility to Protect in Conflict Prevention

Sudanese activists living in the diaspora present an open letter to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, as part of a campaign to have the deposed dictator Omar Al Bashir and his co-accused extradited to face the ICC in The Hague on charges of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

Women, Peace and Security (WPS), FBA  and PRIO in collaboration with UN Women, organize a Research-Policy Dialogue on ‘New Insights on Women, Peace and Security for the Next Decade’.

Feminists Rev Up for Beijing+25 Reviews

The climate emergency, global poverty, terrorism and people trafficking cannot be tackled unless we invest in defence, diplomacy and development. All three must work together in the 21st Century, writes Lord McConnell.

Briefing Security Council, Secretary-General
Commends Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for Recognizing Vital
Role Women Peacekeepers ‘Can, Must Play’ in Implementing Mission Mandates

Indigenous
women and girls are making significant contributions to the parallel Women,
Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) global agendas.
With their traditional knowledge of natural resource management, they can offer
valuable insights on how to cope with the negative impacts of climate change.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

In April last year, a young South Sudanese lady in golden sneakers and a white toub jumped on top on a white car raising her arm and leading protests. Being Alaa: Why every woman can relate to this freedom heroine 

The Peace Centre in partnership with TRAC FM organised a 3 day meeting to develop an effective advocacy campaign plan for their Transitional Justice Campaign

The Nigerian Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with the UNFPA review the national gender policy with the aim of capturing emerging issues and chat better ways for women, especially as the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration approaches.

In lead up to Generation Equality Forum, UN Women announces six themes to anchor the forums.

Experience in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) highlights many of the operational challenges in implementing the UN’s agenda of women, peace and security

In West Africa, the Commission of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Spain are to strengthen
women’s voice in furthering peace and security.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and some government agencies have called on Nigerians, especially women to join the fight against corruption to reduce crimes and corrupt practices in Nigeria. 

The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel
(UNOWAS), together with The Economic Community Of West Africa States (ECOWAS)
Commission organized a
Workshop to mobilize Togolese stakeholders to help ensure the holding of
peaceful and violence-free presidential election.

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

A 2020 Resolution for Peace and Security Funders 

The President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly set out his 2020 priorities, which aim to make the 17 Sustainable Development Goals a reality by the start of the next decade.

Organizing for peace in Ukraine: an interview with Nina Potarska who believes listening to people on both sides of the frontline in eastern Ukraine is crucial for even tiny steps towards resolution.

Sailors assigned to various units in Japan participated in a two-day course on Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, about gender perspectives during and post-conflict and crisis in support of a new national strategy on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and domestic law.

Sustaining
peace: Harnessing the power of South Sudanese women

Welcome to Women’s International Peace Centre’s links roundup, where we share news, op-eds, and other stories that we’re talking about in Women, Peace and Security

The Peace Centre and Global Fund for Women co-create a space for women peacebuilders to engage in key conversations and exchanges to strengthen the collective capacity to promote women’s leadership in peacebuilding and reconstruction, address sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations, and address the impact of the mining and extractive industry on women and girls’ rights and lasting peace in the Great Lakes region of Africa. 

President Rodrigo Duterte called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN) to collaborate in enhancing cooperation to address conflict and promote sustainable development.

President Rodrigo Duterte has urged
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the United Nations (UN)
to enhance their cooperation in fighting security threats in the region.
Calling on the two agencies to promote “counter-narratives” to address
extremism and terrorism

Deputy Secretary-General Amina
Mohamed Lauds
Women’s Role in Bringing Change to Horn of Africa, Urges Security Council
Support for Regional Growth, Peace

A Chinese envoy on Monday asked
for international
efforts to promote peace and stability in Africa, particularly the Horn of
Africa citing a need to promote the settlement of differences through dialogue
and consultation.

South
Africa committed to women as leaders in global peacekeeping when it held the
rotational presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of
October 2019.  

Placing women’s rights and
representation at the heart of peacemaking in Africa ;
Statement by Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN,
at the Security Council briefing on Peace and Security in Africa.

The week in Women, Peace and Security

It is time that we re-define
peace-building processes and adopt
a radical intersectional feminist approach that is based on the different
experiences and identities of women.

On October 31, 2019, the path-breaking UN Security Council Resolution mandating the inclusion of women in all stages of conflict resolution turned 19.

Nearly two decades after the U.N.
Security Council approved a landmark resolution on women’s engagement in peace
and security, much
of the progress in women’s representation remains relatively stagnant or has
backtracked, according to experts in the field.

The UK will put ordinary
citizens at the heart of its Presidency of the Security Council, as it
takes over from South Africa as the President of the United Nations Security
Council in November.

Since its establishment in 2003,
the Iraqi
Women’s Network has been a beacon of light, leading the struggle for
women’s rights in Iraq.

In Pakistan, women account for
nearly half of the population, yet they have been ignored politically,
economically, educationally and so on and so forth. The country cannot move
ahead if female
backwardness remained spoke in its progress.

The Week in Women Peace and Security

Failure
to focus on gender in humanitarian action risks setting a precedent in which
gender is excluded in consequent development and peacebuilding.

After decades of conflict, Afghanistan
has promising opportunities to negotiate a cease-fire between warring parties.

Leaders who drove progress for
women around the world, and who are still at it full-speed ahead, have
experienced many dynamics and cycles and had to adapt
in order to keep pushing for progress toward equality.  

ACDHRS Holds 4th Forum on ‘Women Peace Table’ under the theme: “The proactive Actions of the Forum for Peace and Security in Senegal, the Gambia and Guinea Bissau Space”

Pakistan’s outgoing Ambassador
Maleeha Lodhi made an
impassioned plea to the UN Security Council to safeguard and protect the
suffering women in curfew-bound Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK)

The week in Women, Peace and Security

The
Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2492 (2019) , urging States
to recommit themselves to its women, peace and security agenda by creating safe
environments for women leaders, peacebuilders, human rights defenders and
political actors around the globe.

Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the UN,  lauds the efforts made by countries, the UN and regional and international organisations in realising the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, Chinese Permanent
Representative to the UN Zhang Jun underscored
the need to help women achieve equal development, escape poverty and access
quality education.

UN Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka called attention to the exclusion of women from peace processes despite a resolution passed in 2000 to promote their participation.

The annual report 2019 was submitted pursuant to the
presidential statement dated 26 October 2010 (S/PRST/2010/22), in which the
Security Council requested annual reports on the implementation of its resolution
1325 (2000), and resolution 2122 (2013), in which it called for updates on
progress, challenges and gaps across all areas of the women and peace and
security agenda.

The Iconic Photo of Alaa Salah Helped Fuel Sudan’s
Revolution. Now, she and other
women are being sidelined.

The Week in Women, Peace and Security

UNSG Antonio Guterres emphasizes “Change is coming at a pace
that is too slow for the women and girls whose lives depend on it, and for the effectiveness of our efforts to maintain
international peace and security”

South Africa’s Foreign Minister
Naledi Pandor on Tuesday called for
empowering women at all levels to lead the efforts to achieve peace,
security and sustainable development.

The loud and common message from women
affected by conflict is: progress
is too slow, political will is not strong enough.

U.S. Mission to the UN, headed by
Ambassador Kelly Craft,
released a press statement criticizing references to sexual and reproductive health.

South
Africa’s mixed performance as council president in October shows how much work
is still needed.

The Week in Women, Peace and Security

AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace,
and Security, Ms. Bineta Diop, advocates for more Somali women to play
an active role in ongoing efforts to restore peace and security in the
country.

The United Nations Office for
West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) organizes the
Regional
Open Day on the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Somali
Women kick start processes to develop a National Plan of Action to strengthen
their participation in peacebuilding and socio-economic progress in the
stabilization and rebuilding efforts.

Maria Tanyag explains the
role of feminist research in solving the climate crisis.

Using
the WPS agenda to protect the ecosystem  the ‘relief and recovery’ pillar
of the WPS agenda provides an ‘entry point’ for the protection of the
ecosystem.

Arab Charter on
Women’s Rights launched in Abu Dhabi an exceptional and qualitative move towards
the advancement and empowerment of Arab women.

The Women, Peace and Security
Index by the Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security
and Peace Research Institute Oslo downgraded
Bangladesh’s rank from 127th in 2017 out of 153 countries to 142nd this
year.

The UAE Permanent Mission to the
United Nations and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security,
GIWPS launched a new joint
initiative on advancing the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction,
on the sidelines of the high-level week on Women, Peace and Security.

First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi noted that majority of peace agreements signed in the last three decades have no women signatories and a vast majority of peace agreements fail to reference women and address their concerns, such as gender-based violence.

The week in Women, Peace and Security

“When I hear the
vuvuzela, I think, ‘here comes safety’; South Africa’s iconic vuvuzela
trumpet is being used as a tool to beat street crime against women in Soweto.

The United Kingdom remains committed to a holistic
approach to supporting peace and security in Africa, recognising the
mutually reinforcing links between security, prosperity and good governance.

Christine Ahn founder
and executive director of Women Cross DMZ and international coordinator of the
Korea Peace Now! urges Korean
peace process to include women to be truly sustainable.

Civil society groups
in the Pacific say gender
equality and women’s rights are essential for climate justice.

Rosa Anaya,
an El Salvadoran human rights activist is honored with the 2019 Hillary Rodham
Clinton Award for Advancing
Women, Peace and Security for her work rehabilitating inmates in El Salvador.

The Borno State
Honourable Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, pledges
NGOs
collaborative support to strengthen resilience, peacebuilding for women and
girls

UN Peacebuilding
Commission and the AU Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD)
Framework are urged to work
together to provide assistance to post-conflict countries.

Hillary Clinton
awards Michelle Bachelet, Virginia Marta Velásquez and Rosa Anaya working to combat
gang violence and promote women’s rights in Central America.

Members of the UN
Security council to visit Addis Ababa for annual
consultations between the panel and the AU’s Peace and Security Council

A
new report on domestic violence against women in Pakistan ‘Not accepting abuse as the
norm: Local forms of institutional reform to improve reporting on domestic violence
in Punjab’, argues for beyond legal remedies to protect women.

Aisha Buhari Calls for Eradication of Gender Bias in
Military

Nigerian Federal Government to step
up efforts to include women in conflict resolution processes and peacebuilding

Vice President Biden plans to build on
the Violence
Against Women Act, make women
safer, and protect women’s civil rights.

World Peace Summit to calls for collective
efforts for Sustainable Peace and Development

G7’s Gender Equality Advisory
Council are urging countries to ditch
archaic and discriminatory laws and promote empowerment

Front
Line Defenders is now accepting applications for the Research and Admin
Fellowship: Africa. The
fellowship is designed to provide training and practical work experience in an
international non-governmental organisation to recent graduates seeking a
career in human rights

The
many scripts that women
are told to follow in the machinery of patriarchal fear taught by society.

The week in Women, Peace and Security

Report from Action on Armed Violence examines the gendered impacts of explosive
weapons

The Government of Lebanon endorse the country’s first National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, offering a comprehensive national framework for the long term stability and security of Lebanon and a building block for the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Congress must be engaged if the Women, Peace
and Security Agenda is to be more
than words

West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), establishes a weekly live radio programme in seven states across Nigeria on “Women’s Voices for Peace”

Women are a crucial factor for
lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Countering negative
narratives on women’s military participation; the need to
normalise the participation of women in militaries

 Why are women
mysteriously missing from D.C. think tanks’ foreign policy panels?

As Afghanistan
Elections Approach, Special Representative Underscores Importance of
Resumed Talks between Kabul, Taliban, in Briefing to Security Council

UN Member States
agree on the scope, modalities, format and organization of a high-level meeting
to mark the 25th
anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing+25)

The week in Women, Peace and Security

The 10th World Humanitarian Day campaign recognised ‘#WomenHumanitarians’ and
the role they play in fostering peace and security, with women often ‘the first
to respond and the last to leave’ when a crisis hits their communities.

Celebrating the women
staying behind in humanitarian crises across the world.

The Group of Gender Equality Leaders
established issues a set of recommendations
on gender parity in education and access to health services, as well as
promoting women’s “full and effective participation.”

United Nations Assistance Mission for
Iraq
(UNAMI) urges the inclusion of women in decision making.

Dr. Denis Mukwege has announced the
creation of a global
fund for victims of sexual abuse

The Norwegian
Embassy in Manila partners with the Center for Peace Education (CPE) for the “WePeace:
Women in Peacekeeping project, an initiative that provides a
gender-responsive, community-based, training that will build the capacity of
women peacekeepers in their local communities.

New Zealand’s defence ministry and
Samoa’s foreign affairs ministry co-hosted a summit on women, peace and security in Apia. 

New Zealand launches
the Pacific Defence Gender Network at the WPS summit in Apia.

Countries are failing to implement weapons treaty’s gender provisions;
the
Australian government doesn’t consider gender-based violence when assessing
applications for defense export permits.

The week in Women, Peace and Security

Liberian women demand President Weah
to take action against continuous intimidation against female political actors that has continued to deny women the
freedom, autonomy, and opportunities and marginalize their voice, participation
and ability to exercise their civic and political rights. 

Civil
society organizations have called for Indonesia to show its leadership in
linking women to the peace and security agenda, as women continue to be underrepresented
in peacebuilding.

Switzerland
commits to gender mainstreaming in peace
processes through
its dialogue project, in liaison with the NGO Wildaf-Mali.  

UN envoy in Iraq calls for inclusion
of women in politics, decision-making process as currently no women have been placed in the
Iraqi Parliament leadership, nor as ministers in the new federal government.

South Africa is finally making the headway with its women, peace and security agenda at a time when sexual violence is on the rise

Uganda hosts its first ever conference for Women
in Military on Women Peace and Security with the sole aim of bolstering and promoting the
integration of women and general consideration of gender in the military
circles.

UN Security Council prepares to
vote for the for non-permanent seats on the council 2021-22

The week in Women, Peace and Security

Writing for the Global Observatory,
Jamie Hagen has considered the future of LGBTQ human rights in the context of the Women, Peace
and Security agenda.

Women are working to make inroads as mediators and advocates
in a number of conflicts elsewhere despite the July meeting between US President Donald Trump and
Pakistani leaders excluding women and Trump’s signing of the US Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017.

A book by Patricia Wall, Our women on the ground, delves into the
stories of 19 Arab and Middle Eastern female journalists.

The London School of Economics’ Middle East Centre releases a
short video on the nexus between displacement and the Women,
Peace and Security agenda.

The United Nations–African Union peacekeeping mission in
Sudan’s Darfur region—launches a public awareness campaign on the ‘elimination of sexual
violence in conflict’.

Women leaders in Kenya demand for 50 per cent of all State
and public office jobs following the 50:50
gender rule.

The need for a gendered
approach to countering violent extremism.

Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale meets with Sudanese women
and youth leaders urging them to continue their persistent and peaceful
engagement.

Susan Sebit calls for young
women’s inclusion in peacebuilding in South Sudan.

In an interview with the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office,
Ghalia Sassi discusses her experience as a mediator in Libya and suggests ways
in which women mediators can be better supported.

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The week in Women, Peace and Security

Women Around the World and Women and Foreign Policy Program
call for a feminist
approach to humanitarian support

Girls at Dhabas a local
feminist collective advocating gender equality in the public sphere organize a women
centric march against violence 

South Africa set to adopt
a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security

PRIO Researchers contribute to a new book on Women, Peace and
Security in Myanmar. 

National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence are
calling for gun
control.

Press Statement of the Peace and Security Council of the
African Union at its 862nd meeting to an open session on the theme: “Sexual
Violence in Armed Conflicts in Africa”

The Trump administration leads in elevating women in
peacebuilding processes the world with a Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
comprehensive law (2017) and strategy (2019)

South Africa to promote
women’s role in peace and security at the UN.

Negotiations with the Taliban must include Afghan
women to protect their progress and build a sustainable peace.

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Happy New Month!
This week we share news, resources and opportunities for women, peace and security globally.

The
Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth addresses the need to promote an environment
that recognizes young people’s important and positive
contributions to peace and security, while
creating safe spaces and expanding opportunities for young people.

Ms. Anna Mutavati, the Deputy
Representative UN Women in Uganda urges the government to increase the
engagement of women in peace negotiations in conflicts while speaking at Women Peace and Security Programme workshop

The African
Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Office to
the African Union (UNOAU) call for nominations of African women who have exceptionally advanced the women,
peace and security agenda in Africa. The women will be featured in an upcoming commemorative
book set to be launched in year 2020.

The UN
deputy chief issues an impassioned plea on 21^st July for Afghans to
reconcile with the past and put “women at the centre” of all
efforts to forge a durable peace, and a truly inclusive political process where
women’s voices are truly heard. 

The role of
young women as advocates of peace and security in Palestine is being
strengthened through implementation of the Interpeace and Freedom Theatre project through creativity and art.

Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
addresses the African
Union Peace and Security Council on ending sexual violence in conflict.

Refugee women could generate up to $1.4
trillion to annual global GDP if employment and wage gaps were closed according to a new analysis conducted by the
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), in collaboration
with the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

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In Lebanon women’s rights groups want the government to abolish the law which  forces rape survivors to marry their attackers via  Women and Girls Hub.

Want to Empower Women Worldwide? Give them access to contraceptives. Melinda Gates shares why she advocates for over 225 million women around the globe who still lack access to modern contraceptives via National Geographic

‘Men will think beating their wives is the same as breaking road traffic rules’  Anger and betrayal as Russia enacts a new law that cuts the penalty for  domestic abuse from jail time to a fine  writes Women and Girls Hub.

‘Under Trump, we are all women‘ Open Democracy sheds light on strategies used against women for decades by the Christian right and the anti-abortion movement.

In a country where 10 per cent of the population has access to electricity, UN Women shares stories on how rural women light up villages in Liberia.

UNFPA describes  the Minimum Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies.

Are you a women’s human rights defender?  Do you want to increase your understanding of women’s human rights, and learn how to use the UN Human Rights system?  Apply for CEDAW for Change Training Program.