UN Summit of the Future Side Event: Women in Peacekeeping Missions
20-21 September 2024 - The UN Summit of the Future Action Days, held from 20 to 21 September 2024, featured several high-level side events. The Summit brought together world leaders to discuss pressing international issues and find consensus on creating a better and safer planet for all. One of the side events, with the theme ‘A Key to Peace: More Women in Peacekeeping,’ was conducted virtually and in person at the UN Headquarters in New York on 21 September 2024.
The side event took the form of a panel of speakers, all experts in their fields. Ms. Molly Dlamini, ALO Board Member, Member of Femwise- Africa, Member of Gertrude Shope Women Mediators Network, Ms. Deborah Warren-Smith, Manager at the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations, UN Women, and Ms. Linda Naidoo, Project Officer for the United Nations Office for Southern Africa (UNODC) Regional Programme on Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The panel focused on the vital role women play in peacekeeping and conflict prevention. Women’s participation in peacekeeping and conflict prevention is necessary for achieving Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
Since 2023, over 170 armed conflicts worldwide have been recorded, leaving approximately 117.3 million people displaced.
[1] Every day, 500 women and girls in conflict-affected countries lose their lives due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
[2] The side event highlighted that women have the right to be part of peace processes. Building lasting peace and security with women’s participation is linked to increased stability. Furthermore, it has been repeatedly reported that peace agreements facilitated by women signatories have higher chances of being implemented and lasting longer.
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Despite clarion calls to improve the participation of women in peacekeeping and conflict prevention, women continue to be largely excluded. In 2023, women comprised only 9.6 percent of negotiators, 13.7 percent of mediators, and 26.6 percent of signatories to peace and ceasefire agreements. These numbers represent the secondary status of women in peacekeeping and conflict prevention processes, underlying an urgent need to eliminate structural barriers that disempower women.
Increasing women’s participation in peacekeeping and conflict prevention can help eliminate gender stereotypes, inequalities, and patriarchal cultures, fostering more significant levels of gender equality and empowering women. By increasing women’s representation in military roles at all ranks, it is hoped that the masculine associations of militarism, which prioritize the use of force and the classification of women as victims, will begin to be eroded.
Women’s underrepresentation in the security sector is a critical issue. In support of the UN Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P), some progress has been made in the overall percentage of female individual police officers in peacekeeping. Still, women’s participation in military peacekeeping is very low at 6.5 percent. The approach should be to deploy gender-balanced units at all levels that consider gender equality, protection, and rights. Pre-deployment courses to upskill both males and females should include topics such as gender sensitivity, respecting populations without discrimination, and information on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).
Ms. Naidoo highlighted that UNODC’s strategic vision supports gender equality and women’s empowerment. This includes empowering women to participate in strengthening peace and security, as well as human rights. “Increasing the number of women in peacekeeping requires comprehensive efforts, including gender-sensitivity policies and creating enabling environments that support female peacekeepers,” she said.
Talking about increasing the security and protection of women peacekeepers, Ms. Naidoo said, “There should be the enforcement of zero-tolerance policies on sexual harassment and setting up dedicated reporting mechanisms for female peacekeepers to report on misconduct, SEA, and threats. There should also be enhanced personal security training for female peacekeepers, which includes self-defense, situational awareness, and survival skills tailored for high-risk environments.”
According to Ms. Warren-Smith, the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) is designed to support and incentivize efforts to increase the meaningful participation of women in United Nations peace operations. “The EIF will also improve the living and working conditions of uniformed women peacekeepers in UN peace operations.” The side event highlighted that including women in peacekeeping and conflict prevention will diversify leadership and bring greater perspectives into play. This way, women and men can work together to build a safer planet for all, achieving gender equality and equal access to opportunities.
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