Report of the Secretary-General: On the Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015) and 2332 (2016) in the Syrian Arab Republic (S/2017/244)

Period: 1-28 February 2017

MANDATE

Pursuant to Security Council Resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), the Security Council orders: all parties to immediately put an end to all forms of violence and attacks against civilians; rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners; to demilitarise medical facilities, schools and other civilian facilities; to lift the sieges of populated areas; to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights. Pursuant to Resolution 2165 (2014), the Security Council also requests to establish a mechanism to monitor the humanitarian situation on the ground. In this vein, Resolution 2139 (2014) invites relevant actors to ensure full participation by all groups and segments of Syrian society, including women (para. 30).

GENERAL ANALYSIS

The report gives a detailed account of humanitarian and security situation in Syria. It discusses continued fighting in multiple areas around the country resulted in further civilian deaths and injury as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure (para. 3) and introduces a humanitarian corridor opened by the Government of Syria and the Russian Federation for civilians who wanted to leave the besieged area (para. 5). As of March 2017, this corridor has reportedly not been used by civilians. The report also notes the impact of counter-terrorism measures on the ground. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Defense publicly confirmed that the international coalition to counter ISIL carried out 549 strikes against ISIL, and the Russian Ministry of Defence reported carrying out 991 “combat sorties”, destroying 2,306 “terrorist objects”, including control centres and ammunition depots (para. 18). Such measures have resulted in disruption of critical infrastructure and several civilian casualties (paras. 7, 20). As a result of the conflict, the number of displaced peoples in the country is growing, with many of them have been displaced more than once, as conflict lines have shifted (paras. 8, 39). Finally the report warns that the high contamination of improvised explosive devices and unexploded ordinance remains an issue of concern for potential returnees (para. 10).

Of 43 paragraphs in the report, 1 (2,32%) include references to women and gender. Existing references to women’s rights and experiences highlight their vulnerability. For example, the report finds that “threats against women and the most vulnerable civilians, such as children, older persons and persons with disabilities, as well as other violations and human rights abuses, were also reported” (para. 16). All other references to women and gender are provided within the same rhetoric.

GENDER ANALYSIS

Protection

The protection needs of women in Syria are not discussed in the report. However the reports of local sources suggest that threats and/or actual exercise of rape, sexual violence and sexual harassment are utilised in Aleppo, particularly by government and pro-government forces for persecution and retaliation purposes. In fact, the report does not refer to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) crimes, not even once. The report also fails to specify the ways in which international or national non-governmental organisations address women’s health issues, including reproductive health and family planning provisions, and address women’s protection needs.

Prevention

The risk of SGBV is heightened during conflict by aggravating factors, including the polarisation of gender roles, the proliferation of arms, the militarisation of society and the breakdown of law and order. There is no discussion on measures undertaken by relevant actors to prevent further instances of SGBV and proliferation of weapons and improvised explosive devices. The UN Secretary-General does not bring any light to the lack of international commitment to refraining from arms sales and ammunition supplies to the Syrian government and other parties to the conflict.

Participation

While Resolution 2139 (2014) requests all relevant actors to ensure full participation by all groups and segments of Syrian society (para. 30), all subsequent reports are silent on this issue. The empowerment of Syrian women requires full recognition of their active role in leadership, development, conflict resolution and promotion of durable and sustainable peace, rather than perceiving them as mere victims of the conflict. The UN Secretary-General does not incorporate gender analysis in his coverage of the political and security situation and fails to highlight the main barriers to women’s participation in Syria.

Relief and Recovery

The protection and empowerment of women in Syria require a more comprehensive legal response to the crimes committed against women in particular and against civilians in general, including the fight against impunity and the change of existing legal framework. While the existing political dead-lock significantly limits the possibility of adjusting legal system and addressing impunity in Syria, the UN Secretary-General’s report, at the same time, makes no specific references to the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda and fails to account for the lack of services provided for women in the context of the current humanitarian and security situations in Syria.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Participation

Reporting process should be reflective of the status of women’s participation in design and implementation of all initiatives throughout the conflict cycle. Specifically the UN Secretary-General should bring the attention of relevant stakeholders to the need to establish and support an ongoing consultative process with the Women’s Advisory Board. Reporting should generally reflect the efforts of local civil society, including women’s groups, as well as efforts of all actors to support the work of women’s civil society groups. Finally the UNSG should inquire relevant actors to provide necessary resources for these activities.

Protection

The report must include information not only on cases of violations of the ceasefire agreement and the use of weapons against critical infrastructure. Also it should discuss the efforts that are made by all parties to the conflict to end all forms of violence and attacks against civilians (S/RES/2139, para. 2). If there are no efforts made, it also has to be clearly stated and further addressed by the Security Council. An update on the ways to address restrictions on humanitarian aid to women in hard-to-reach and besieged areas and prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence, including in IDP camps is also required.

Prevention

The munitions survey report showed that most munitions in Syria had been manufactured in factories located in China, Iran, Syria and the former Soviet countries. The UN Secretary-General should explicitly call upon member states to refrain from selling arms sales, providing ammunition supplies and delivering explosives to any of the parties in conflict or countries that might transfer the explosives to them because of their impact on civilians and on women, as mandated by articles 6 and 7 of the Arms Trade Treaty.

Implementation

The lack of references to the WPS resolutions in both UNSG reports and UNSC resolutions on Syria further complicates the implementation of the WPS Agenda in the country-specific context. It is imperative that the UN Secretary-General’s reports on the situation in Syria integrate gender analysis throughout each section of the report to ensure women’s concerns are adequately represented, providing a balance between the protection and participation aspects.