Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: November 2024

For November, in which the United Kingdom has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the Central African RepublicSouth Sudan, and Yemen.

Central African Republic

Violence and insecurity in the Central African Republic (CAR) persist, driven by continued impunity for serious crimes. All parties to the conflict have committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), exacerbated by the cross-border proliferation of weapons. Women and girls continue to be subject to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), which disproportionately affects rural women and women in conflict-affected areas. However, there is a persistent lack of access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, psychosocial and legal support and other SGBV response services. Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and peacebuilders face threats to their political participation and increasingly restricted civic space in one of the most gender-unequal countries in the world. Though the CAR has a 35% electoral quota for women, there are serious gaps in its implementation: women currently make up only 11.4% of parliamentarians.

The situation in the CAR is also significantly impacted by spillover of regional conflicts. For example, the war in Sudan has displaced over 35,000 people into the CAR, 83% of whom are women and children; it has also disrupted the delivery of food and humanitarian assistance to CAR regions bordering Sudan.

The Security Council should:

  • Renew in full MINUSCA’s mandate as contained in Resolution 2709 (2023).
  • Request that MINUSCA monitor and report on reprisals against women human rights defenders and provide necessary support to those at risk.
  • Call on the CAR authorities to take measures to ensure the effective promotion and protection of civic space, both online and offline.

South Sudan

The situation in South Sudan remains precarious. 9 million people76% of the population — are in need of humanitarian assistance, 24% of whom are women. South Sudan continues to experience widespread food insecurity, with associated risks for groups such as children, people with disabilities and those who are pregnant and lactating. Acute food insecurity also presents other protection risks, including gender-based violence, high-risk negative coping mechanisms and early, child and forced marriage. Conflict-related sexual violence remains a serious concern for women and girls, in a culture of pervasive gender inequality and entrenched impunity for gender-based crimes. Over 820,000 people have entered the country from Sudan since that conflict began in April 2023, compounding the existing humanitarian situation in South Sudan by straining limited resources and exacerbating existing humanitarian needs. Humanitarian access remains highly constrained with almost 80% of access incidents involving violence against humanitarian personnel or assets, including the deaths of nine humanitarian workers. Restrictions and operational interference on the work of civil society and non-governmental organizations, such as arbitrary transportation fees, recruitment interference and appropriation of operational items, continue to hinder the humanitarian and protection response in South Sudan.

Authorities have consistently failed to take steps to implement the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), leading to the September 2024 extension of the transitional period. Elections, originally scheduled for December 2024, have once again been postponed. At the same time, civic space has virtually disappeared, as the government and National Security Service repress dissent with impunity, including through the recent passage of sweeping security laws. Women human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists report surveillance, intimidation and gender-based harassment by state authorities, both in the country and abroad.

The Security Council should:

  • Demand that all warring parties respect international human rights and humanitarian law, including by immediately ceasing all acts of sexual and gender-based violence, and by ensuring unfettered humanitarian access to all parts of South Sudan.
  • Call for the protection and promotion of civic space and condemn all threats and reprisals against women human rights defenders, civil society activists or other women active in public and political life.
  • Demand the meaningful participation of diverse women in the implementation of the R-ARCSS, the ongoing constitutional and electoral process, and any peace processes, including the Nairobi process.
  • Ensure NGOs are consulted on the implementation of the NGO Act (2016), a national bill that has the potential to significantly disrupt humanitarian operations, specifically emphasizing the need to protect the independence of NGO network platforms.
  • Urge reversal of recent amendments to the National Security Service Act and call on the South Sudanese authorities to protect the rights of freedom of assembly and expression.
  • Urge the finalization of the proposed Anti Gender-Based Violence Bill, which has been pending since 2020, in order to address impunity and protect the human rights of women and girls.
  • Call for increased international cooperation and resources to support South Sudan in tackling the humanitarian crisis resulting from the influx of over 820,000 refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan, which exacerbates the country’s pre-existing challenges.

Yemen

The situation in Yemen remains one of serious concern, exacerbated by regional conflicts; climate change and lack of access to water; increasing cases of cholera; poverty and economic crisis; and widespread food insecurity. An estimated 18.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 49% of whom are women and girls, while the Humanitarian Response Plan is currently only 47% funded. Of the nearly 4.5 million IDPs in Yemen, an estimated 80% are women and children. Severe flooding and storms have caused extensive damage across Yemen, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Households continue to resort to extreme coping mechanisms, including child, early and forced marriage: over 30% of girls are married before age 18. Since June 2024, Yemeni nationals working for UN agencies, INGOs and other civil society organizations have been arbitrarily detained, compromising the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance. The political process in Yemen also remains impeded by the consequences of the war in Gaza.

Women’s human rights are restricted by all warring parties in Yemen. The mahram (male guardian) requirement impedes the ability of women, including aid workers, to work, travel and access healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, and to participate equally in public and political life. Women-led and civil society organizations, and journalists and women human rights defenders, face restrictions, threats, arbitrary detentions and abuses in custody, enforced disappearances, hate speech and targeted killings. There are no women in government for the first time in 24 years, and they are also excluded from peace negotiations.

Council members should continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all Yemeni nationals working for UN agencies, INGOs, and other civil society organizations who have been arbitrarily detained. The Security Council should also articulate its support for an inclusive political process with the full, equal, safe and meaningful participation of diverse women, including in truce and ceasefire negotiations, and in the humanitarian response. Further, Council members should demand that all UN-supported peace committees include women, including but not limited to the Prisoners’ Exchange, the Taiz Committee and the Security and Military Committees. Council members should demand all parties to the conflict and their allies respect international law, and emphasize that women’s human rights must be non-negotiable in any peace or political process. Council members should prioritize diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and reiterate their full support for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen to secure a sustainable settlement to the conflict, which should include accountability and transitional justice.