Middle East (S/PV.7118)

Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, Under Secretary-General (USG) for Political Affairs, briefed the Council on the situation in the Middle East, focusing on developments in

Israel/Palestine and the status of negotiations, the conflict in Syria and intra-Syrian talks, the situation in the Golan, and the formation of a government of national

interest in Lebanon alongside continued tensions from terrorist attacks and spillover from the Syria crisis.

There is no mention of women, peace and security.

As with each of the recent briefings on the situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question (with the exception of the open debates, where particular

country representatives address WPS concerns), there was no reference to women, peace and security. The USG missed many opportunities to emphasize women’s

critical role in conflict resolution, mediation and peacebuilding processes, especially in the context of Israel/Palestine peace talks and the Geneva conference on Syria

(where women were largely excluded).

There is also no mention of women’s political involvement more broadly, nor of the fact that Lebanon’s recently-formed government has only one woman in its

cabinet. The USG further neglects to highlight the protection needs of women in each of these volatile situations, especially those displaced as a result of the Syria

crisis.

As there is no mention of women, peace and security, there is little alignment with the most recent MAP on the situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian

question (February 2014). Accordingly, there is no attention given to the role of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts, nor to ending violence

targeting women and girls, including through the demolition of homes, and the denial of adequate access to education and healthcare through restrictions on building

schools, clinics, and roads in “Area C” of the West Bank.

The previous meeting on the situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question was an open debate, S/PV.7096. Therefore, some country

representatives did bring attention to women, peace and security concerns (including Israel, Luxembourg, Australia, Lithuania, Chile, Nigeria, the UK and Rwanda),

but the Secretary-General did not address WPS in his opening remarks, nor did the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process in his prior briefing (not

an open debate), S/PV.7084.

The Security Council convened on the 26 of February (S/PV.7119) to vote on resolution 2140 (S/RES/2140) regarding the situation in Yemen. Resolution 2140

affirms the Council’s continued support for Yemen both through humanitarian assistance and political transition.

The United States made one reference to women’s participation in the Yemeni government following the expected political transition.

Member States failed to reference women’s concerns protection or promotion regarding humanitarian assistance, SSR, justice, or SGBV. The provision of gender

specific humanitarian aid, inclusion of women in the security sector, reform of justice, or protection from SGBV was completely avoided.