Statement by Lisa Davis, June 2, 2016

The UN Security Council must dramatically improve its daily implementation of women, peace and security. It must better link protection efforts with women’s participation and rights, and call on mission staff to hold regular consultations with women’s local civil society organizations, and with women and girls in displacement settings. Addressing and preventing sexual violence in conflict also requires taking steps to improve peacekeeping and prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, including through better vetting and accountability measures for peacekeepers. Moreover, the Security Council should ensure adequate protection mechanisms for the courageous whistleblowers who bring these crimes forward. The Security Council must ensure that it prioritizes and promotes women’s rights and participation throughout its work. The Council has made numerous commitments to these necessary steps, including in recent resolutions. It is time to implement these existing commitments. While formal peace negotiations must be transparent and inclusive of local women peacemakers, their work must also be supported in the long term. Peace talks must not merely tick the gender representation box, but instead meaningfully and holistically include women and civil society