Women, Peace and Security: Sexual Violence in Conflict and Sanctions

Security Council Report's third Cross-Cutting Report onWomen, Peace and Security analyses statis- tical information on women, peace and security in country-specific decisions of the Security Council and developments in 2012, with a particular focus in the case study on the nexus between sexual violence in conflict and sanctions imposed by the Security Council. The report also examines the Council's inconsistency in including language on the UN's zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploi- tation and abuse for UN personnel in resolutions establishing or renewing mandates for peace mis- sions. The report will also briefly touch on key developments on the women, peace and security agenda in early 2013.

The overarching observation of the report is that there has been significant pushback on women, peace and security issues. However, this dynamic has largely been played out in difficult negotiations at the thematic level rather than in any particular rollback in country-specific deci- sions of the Council. The report also demon- strates that the Council has created several tools with considerable potential of having an impact on women, peace and security issues on the ground. It has not, however, applied these tools consis- tently or, in some cases, at all. It also seems as if the Council's focus on the broad women, peace and security agenda is uneven. In recent years, for example, the Council has regularly, if inconsistent- ly, addressed sexual violence in conflict. However, there are some indications that the Council's focus is less sharp when it comes to the women's partici- pation aspect of this thematic agenda.