United Nations Human Rights’ Post

Today (24 May) is ☮International Women's Day for Peace & Disarmament☮! > Marking decades of feminist action for disarmament that led to the Beijing Platform of Action, WPS Agenda, and key disarmament treaties (ATT, TPNW). Today is the day to continue to call for disarmament, in a world that's becoming increasingly insecure and unstable, with military spending at an all time high. Disarmament is a catalyst for #peace and #security! Today is the day to call even louder for cease fire in #Palestine, #Sudan, #Yemen, and too many other conflict areas around the world. And for those of you in the EU, today is the day to orient yourself to vote for peace & security in the next European Elections on June 6th: https://lnkd.in/ecbyAsPf More here: https://lnkd.in/ev38hemY PAX for peace / WO=MEN, Dutch Gender Platform / Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - WILPF

The increasing call and efforts to have a gendered lens to #peacebuilding and #disarmament is fundamental as we honour women’s immense contributions today - on International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament. No matter where you come from, women play an important role in policy discussions, creating awareness and empowering females towards participating in peacebuilding efforts. At the same time, we all must also remember that peacebuilding and disarmament actions must factor in #intersectional and #decolonial perspectives because no one size fits all - and that's something easier said than done. UN Women Asia and the Pacific #DEI #gps #womenpeacesecurity

🌍 Advancing Women's Role in Peace and Security As conflicts persist globally, women and girls continue to bear disproportionate burdens, facing risks of gender-based violence and being underrepresented in peace negotiations. The UN’s latest report highlights eight key steps to empower women in peace and security roles: 1️⃣ Increase women’s participation in peace negotiations 2️⃣ Repeal discriminatory laws 3️⃣ Strengthen decision-making power 4️⃣ Hold rights violators accountable 5️⃣ Preserve women’s rights post-mission 6️⃣ Protect peace and political activists 7️⃣ Support survivors of conflict-related violence 8️⃣ Prioritize peace over military spending At Unity Beyond Borders, we stand with the UN in advocating for these vital steps to ensure women’s voices and rights are central to peacebuilding and security worldwide. Together, let’s work towards a world where women are empowered to lead in building sustainable peace. #WomenPeaceSecurity #EmpowerWomen #UBB #HumanRights #SDG5 #SDG16

Civil society leader, Ms Kholood Khair briefed the United Nations Security Council today giving focus to the situation of women, peace and security in #Sudan as part of the Security Council's discussion on “Sustaining WPS Commitments in the context of accelerated drawdown of peace operations”. And in doing so, amplifies Sudanese women's voices, often missing and ignored in 'talks' and decisions about Sudan. Her powerful statement (attached) highlights the grave situation for women and girls and their sustained exposure to conflict related #sexualviolence. She says, "There is currently no body in-country to adequately monitor human rights, no body to effectively protect civilians, and no body to sufficiently support women, who have so far been almost entirely excluded from participating in any aspect of resolving the current crisis, despite being on the frontlines of the response". She calls for the international community to work towards a ceasefire while at the same time put in measures for the protection of civilians, including physical protection. She stresses that #womensrights must be prioritized, as well as ensuring that conflict-related sexual violence be included as a component of sanctions. While there may not be full agreement on the value of peace operations, given its deficiencies and shortcomings, including in Sudan, there is resolute agreement that more must be done to protect women and girls, and to end the war in Sudan. #keepeyesonsudan #notatarget #IHL #WPS #POC #TalkaboutSudan #endviolenceagainstwomen #ceasefirenow #womensleadership #famine NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security UN Women Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) International Peace Institute (IPI) Human Rights Watch USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance African Union IGAD SOAS University of London Georgetown University GWL Voices Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Volker Türk UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women Global Fund for Women UN Security Council Briefing on Women, Peace and Security by Kholood Khair - NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (womenpeacesecurity.org)

🧗♀️ On #InternationalWomensDay, let’s celebrate the unwavering strength and impact of women in #peacebuilding and let’s take the time to highlight important numbers about the #WPSAgenda. 👉 More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50% increase since 2017. 📈 Events of political violence targeting women increased by 50 per cent in conflict-affected countries between 2020 and 2022. 📊 Women are still significantly underrepresented in formal peace processes. UN Women shows only around 10% of mediators, negotiators, and signatories in peace agreements globally are women. 🕊️ United States Institute of Peace research suggests including women in peace processes increases the likelihood of agreements lasting at least 15 years by 35% 📈 In 2022, 58% of meetings of the UN Peacebuilding Commission were informed by briefings from women peacebuilders. 💪 Misogyny is a common thread in the rise of authoritarianism and in the spread of conflict and violent extremism so let's continue fostering inclusivity and collaboration for a brighter future together! 🔗 Link to the Report of the Secretary-General on Women and peace and security in the comment. #WomenSecurity #PeaceAndSecurity #ClimatePeacebuilding #UNSCR1325 #WPS

It is crucial understand how to do “patriarchal bargaining” to navigate the patriarchal practices that block women’s rights in Afghanistan. Read more in this GO article ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eCYFnFWh

I fully support Australia for taking a bold step towards gender equality on the global stage by bringing the Taliban government before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for gender discrimination. This systematic oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan should come to an end in this 21st century in a so-called era of AI. In my view, the Taliban's treatment of women is not just a local issue, but a violation of fundamental human rights that demands international intervention. The recent laws banning women from showing their faces or speaking in public are particularly unacceptable. By taking this case to the ICJ, I look forward to seeing Judge Hilary Charlesworth on the ICJ bench. Having been inspired by her expertise in international law and gender issues, this could be instrumental in bringing justice to the women suffering under Taliban rule. This case can potentially set a significant precedent in international law regarding gender discrimination. Moreover, I believe this action sends a powerful message to other regimes that might consider similar oppressive measures. It shows that the international community is willing to use legal mechanisms to uphold women's rights globally. #WomensRights #InternationalLaw #GenderEquality #Afghanistan #HumanRights

The foundation for the AU #PSC to embrace a policy supporting a 30% gender quota in conflict prevention, peace processes, & election observation missions led by the AU is laid out in Pillars 2 & 4 of the AU Strategy for #GEWE. ➡️Read here: https://bit.ly/48te3F2 #WPSAfrica

I fully disagree with this month’s rhetoric on this topic, and it’s not because I agree with the Taliban’s position. One can have a conference in which international actors talk about Afghan women’s issues with Afghan women OR one can have a conference that engages with the Taliban to discuss… anything at all. There is no [option C: all of the above] to select. Afghanistan is a face-saving culture. Inviting T to a conference where they will be getting yelled at by anyone about anything is a nonstarter. In the choice between acquiescing on something, which their own guys and the groups looking to poach their fighters would see as a weakness, and doubling down on a stupid thing that the whole world and half of their own people very much hate, they will Always choose Option B. Coming at this subject directly has been a failing strategy for three years. Hammering it once again and harder isn’t actually the road to successville. On the other hand, for a while there, when this wasn’t the hot topic of the day, the edicts stopped coming out, and actors on the ground have been able to slowly and delicately move the needle for women, by tying women’s access and employment to charitable works, by employing them in private businesses which are not restricted from hiring women (unless and until a story about impropriety or socially unacceptable fraternization starts buzzing around town), and by providing private single-gender schooling options - which now go to grade 8 publicly, and to grade 12, with both permission and discretion, and into college in the provinces. Now, in the last month we have seen an uptick in people on social media and the news discussing ways to call the Taliban in for a scolding session - deserved or not that’s the intention. Suddenly a few more edicts and a few more restrictions against women popped up this week. **People NEED to start connecting the dots on that.** Yes these topics are important. No I am not implying people should ignore them, or know the ills that happen and not act to change them. It’s the method that makes it all fail. Get them talking about the subjects all parties want to talk about, like environment (after ten years of drought causing massive loss of crops and livestock, would action here not help Afghans feed themselves?), banking (you don’t think Afghan banking issues makes things hard for Afghan citizens and businesses?) and infrastructure (regional actors need Afghanistan to link major transnational projects together as planned… the west can be involved or not… gotta choose) before diving into the tough stuff, quietly and delicately. Do the Taliban “deserve” the kid glove treatment? No… many of you know how much I loathe “deserve.” The people of Afghanistan and the women of Afghanistan need the painfully slow baby steps of progress to continue, get bigger, and accelerate. This is how that happens. One can make progress on this OR they can scold T. Choose. #Afghanistan #Women

As we mark International Women’s Day today, the world must confront a haunting question: why does it keep on failing the women and girls in Afghanistan? Let today be a reminder that the strong women of Aghanistan continue to persevere against the Taliban’s oppressive regime and fight for their rights. Let their resilience serve as a call to action for the international community to reevaluate its commitment to protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls. “The time for diplomatic rhetoric is over – now is the time for decisive and collective action to preserve the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls. In failing to act decisively, the world risks witnessing the normalization of this remorseless dismantling of women’s rights in Afghanistan,” I write for The Diplomat. #iwd2024 #afghanwomen #womensrightsarehumanrights #womensrights #afghanistan #oped #opinionpiece #amnestyinternational #humanrights #humanrightsdefenders #internationalwomensday