Peacekeeping

The Peacekeeping theme focuses on a gendered approach to multi-dimensional peacekeeping missions, predominantly through gender mainstreaming of peace support operations and the increase of female recruitment in peacekeeping, military, and police.

The Security Council calls for an increase in the number of women in peacekeeping operations (1325,OP6).

It is also important to note that the issues of gender and peacekeeping should never be reduced to the number of women recruited as peacekeepers. Promoting security is about providing real human security for the population, not about the militarisation of women. The point is not to achieve gender parity for its own sake, but rather to draw on the unique and powerful contribution women can make to peacekeeping.

The Security Council commits to include a gender component in UN field operations (1325,OP5), and requests that the Secretary-General’s reports to include information on the progress of gender mainstreaming within each operation (1325,OP17). Without a gender perspective, it is almost impossible to adequately create an inclusive security, which forms the basis of promoting sustainable and durable peace. Gender training, pre-deployment, on the ground, and post-deployment is effective for ensuring peacekeeping personnel have sufficient knowledge and skills.

Peacekeeping missions are increasingly being mandated to address sexual violence (1960,OP10), and training can increase the prevention, recognition, and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (1820,OP6). The implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda varies greatly among Peacekeeping Operations. This variation is a result of the peacekeeping mission’s mandates and also structure, leadership, funding, whether there is a designation of a separate unit to address gender, and the number of gender advisors. These key gaps were highlighted in DPKO’s Ten-Year Impact Study on Implementation of Resolution 1325 in Peacekeeping.


These measures can trigger positive changes for women within conflict and post-conflict situations, such as increased physical security, employment-related benefits, capacity building for local women’s organisations, and increased awareness of women’s rights. Additionally, positive role models and examples of women’s leadership have a positive effect on the environment and contribute to the success of peacekeeping missions.

For more resources on this Critical Issue, visit PeaceWomen Resource Center >>

Security Council Open Debate on The United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: their Potential Contribution to the Overarching Goal of Sustaining Peace

Is The UN Sending The Wrong People To Keep The Peace?

This article is a four-part series that tries to investigate why some UN peacekeepers become predators. Reports of sexual violence by peacekeepers have emerged, and while UNSCR 1325 calls for more women peacekeepers, it doesn't recognize that more women won't change masculine militarization and sexual violence.    

Is The UN Sending The Wrong People To Keep The Peace?

Security Council Resolution 2363: Paragraph 41

Security Council Agenda Geographical Topic: 
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Peacekeeping
Displacement and Humanitarian Response
Extract: 

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every 60 days following adoption of this resolution on UNAMID, including:

(i) information on the political, humanitarian and security situation in Darfur, including detailed reporting on incidents of violence and attacks against civilians, including sexual and gender-based violence, by whomsoever perpetrated;

[...]

Security Council Resolution 2363: Paragraph 31

Security Council Agenda Geographical Topic: 
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Peacekeeping
Displacement and Humanitarian Response
Extract: 

Condemns all violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, including those involving any form of sexual and gender-based violence, in particular the deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks; and demands that all parties in Darfur immediately end attacks targeting civilians, peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel, and comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law as applicable and that the Government of Sudan hold perpetrators accountable;

Security Council Resolution 2363: Paragraph 27

Security Council Agenda Geographical Topic: 
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Peacekeeping
Displacement and Humanitarian Response
Extract: 

Demands that the parties to the conflict immediately cease all acts of sexual and gender-based violence and make and implement specific and time-bound commitments to combat sexual violence, in accordance with resolution 2106 (2013); urges the Government of Sudan, with the support of the United Nations and the African Union, to develop a structured framework through which conflict related sexual violence will be comprehensively addressed, to cooperate with UNAMID to enable comprehensive reporting of and response to incidents of sexual and gender based violence, allow access for service provision for sexual violence survivors and hold perpetrators accountable; requests UNAMID to strengthen its reporting on sexual and gender-based violence and actions taken to combat it, including through the swift deployment of Women Protection Advisers; requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the relevant provisions of resolutions 1325 (2000), 2242 (2015), and subsequent resolutions on women, peace and security, are implemented, including supporting the full and effective participation of women during all stages of peace processes, particularly in conflict resolution, post-conflict planning and peacebuilding, including women’s civil society organisations, and to include information on this in his reporting to the Council; further requests UNAMID to monitor and assess the implementation of these tasks and requests the Secretary-General to include information on this in his reporting to the Council;

Security Council Resolution 2363: Paragraph 27

Security Council Agenda Geographical Topic: 
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Peacekeeping
Displacement and Humanitarian Response
Extract: 

Demands that the parties to the conflict immediately cease all acts of sexual and gender-based violence and make and implement specific and time-bound commitments to combat sexual violence, in accordance with resolution 2106 (2013); urges the Government of Sudan, with the support of the United Nations and the African Union, to develop a structured framework through which conflict related sexual violence will be comprehensively addressed, to cooperate with UNAMID to enable comprehensive reporting of and response to incidents of sexual and gender based violence, allow access for service provision for sexual violence survivors and hold perpetrators accountable; requests UNAMID to strengthen its reporting on sexual and gender-based violence and actions taken to combat it, including through the swift deployment of Women Protection Advisers; requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the relevant provisions of resolutions 1325 (2000), 2242 (2015), and subsequent resolutions on women, peace and security, are implemented, including supporting the full and effective participation of women during all stages of peace processes, particularly in conflict resolution, post-conflict planning and peacebuilding, including women’s civil society organisations, and to include information on this in his reporting to the Council; further requests UNAMID to monitor and assess the implementation of these tasks and requests the Secretary-General to include information on this in his reporting to the Council;

Security Council Resolution 2363: Paragraph 14

Security Council Agenda Geographical Topic: 
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Peacekeeping
Displacement and Humanitarian Response
Extract: 

To ensure an adequate human rights, child protection and gender presence, capacity, and expertise in Darfur in order to contribute to efforts to protect and promote human rights in Darfur, with particular attention to vulnerable groups;

[...]

To assist in harnessing the capacity of women to participate in the peace process, including through political representation, economic empowerment and protection from gender-based violence;

Security Council Resolution 2363: Preamble

Security Council Agenda Geographical Topic: 
Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Peacekeeping
Displacement and Humanitarian Response
Extract: 

[...]

Noting that inter-communal conflicts remain one of the main sources of violence in Darfur and expressing concern at ongoing inter-communal conflict over land, access to resources, migration issues and tribal rivalries, including with the involvement of paramilitary units and tribal militias, as well as at the persistence of attacks against civilians, sexual and gender-based violence

Welcoming the increased presence of the Sudanese Police in Darfur, as compared to previous years, urging the Government of Sudan to continue to increase the number and presence of police in Darfur, underlining the importance of effective police and rule of law institutions to establishing a protective environment and combating impunity in line with international human rights standards and noting that whilst the Sudanese Police have increased their presence in Darfur, they lack capacity to fully cover all the localities and protect communities and that the presence and capacity of justice and corrections institutions across Darfur is limited and impunity for serious crimes remains widespread, acknowledging efforts by the local governments to restore law and order through the deployment of additional police, corrections and judicial human and material resources across Darfur, noting that these efforts should be consolidated and expanded to enhance the protective environment for the civilian population, without any discrimination, particularly with respect to violations and abuses of women’s rights and sexual and gender-based violence as well as violations and abuses against children and recalling the importance of national political leadership towards that goal,

[...]

Noting some improvements in the protective environment, expressing concern that IDPs continue to face grave security challenges including being killed, raped, or harassed as they conduct life-sustaining activities outside the camps and at the increase in human rights violations and abuses in 2016 and the first quarter in 2017 and the worrying levels of conflict-related sexual and gender based violence and grave violations against children,

[...]

human rights law and international humanitarian law, stressing the importance that the Council attaches to ending impunity including through ensuring accountability and bringing to justice the perpetrators of crimes, including sexual and gender-based violence, committed by all parties in Darfur, urging the Government of Sudan to comply with its obligations in this respect, welcoming the ongoing investigations by the Special Prosecutor for Darfur appointed by the Government of Sudan, particularly with respect to cases of sexual and gender based violence, and stressing the need for further progress in this regard with respect to perpetrators on all sides, reiterating the call for swift progress on the draft Memorandum of Understanding providing for UNAMID and African Union observation of the proceedings of the Special Court, and calling on the Government of Sudan swiftly to investigate attacks against UNAMID, and to bring the perpetrators to justice,

[...]

 

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