Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: April 2025

South Sudan

The situation in South Sudan remains precarious as escalating violence threatens a relapse into civil war. 70% of the population requires humanitarian assistance, 24% of whom are women. Widespread food insecurity persists, presenting protection risks including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and high-risk negative coping mechanisms such as early, child and forced marriage. Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains a serious concern for women and girls, in a culture of pervasive gender inequality and impunity for gender-based crimes. Over a million people have entered the country from Sudan since that conflict began in April 2023, compounding the existing humanitarian situation in South Sudan and straining already-limited resources. Humanitarian access remains highly constrained as providers face violence and intimidation as well as bureaucratic and legal restrictions and operational interference. 

Authorities have consistently failed to implement the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), extending the transition period four times and further delaying elections. Women’s representation in government also falls short of the 35% quota established by the R-ARCSS. Institutional, legal and policy reforms envisioned by the peace deal, including constitution making, judicial reform and transitional justice, have not been completed. Civic space has virtually disappeared as the government and National Security Service (NSS) repress dissent with impunity. Women human rights defenders (WHRDs), 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:

• Renew in full the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and call for its full implementation.
• Reiterate its grave concern at the repression of civic space and targeting of civil society, journalists, human rights defenders and humanitarian personnel, and demand that all parties protect women-led organizations, peacebuilders and human rights defenders from threats and reprisals and provide a safe environment to enable them to carry out their work without hindrance. Council members should also call on UNMISS, in accordance with Resolution 2729 (2024), which requires it to protect civilians, fully take into account gender considerations, and assist in creating an environment conducive to women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation, to take proactive measures to prevent and respond to threats, reprisals, hate speech and violence against WHRDs, civil society activists and other women active in public and political life.
• Urge all parties to recommit to implementation of the R-ARCSS and work to deescalate tensions, including by releasing or presenting in court all detainees under NSS detention. Demand the meaningful participation of diverse women in the implementation of the R-ARCSS in line with the 35% quota, as well as ongoing constitutional and electoral processes, and any peace or de-escalation efforts.
• Demand that all parties respect international law, including by immediately ceasing all attacks against civilians, including SGBV, and by ensuring unfettered humanitarian access to all parts of South Sudan.
• Urge the NSS to end its practices of unlawful arrest and detention. Call on the South Sudanese authorities to reverse amendments to the National Security Service Act and protect the rights of freedom of assembly, association and expression.
• Call for the finalization of the proposed Anti Gender-Based Violence Bill, 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.
• Demand full compliance with the UN arms embargo on South Sudan.

Sudan

Sudan’s civil war has had a particularly devastating impact on women and girls. UN and international experts have documented widespread violations of international law by all warring parties, some of which could amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide. Sudan is the world’s largest displacement crisis; further, ongoing conflict and humanitarian access restrictions have also created the world’s largest hunger crisis, escalating rapidly with famine conditions in Darfur and the Western Nuba Mountains, and half the population facing acute food insecurity. These conditions exacerbate pre-existing gender inequalities, with women eating last and least and often compelled to adopt harmful coping strategies that increase protection risks and the risk of SGBV.

Widespread SGBV enabled by the proliferation of arms has been a hallmark of the conflict, particularly CRSV including kidnapping, rape, sexual slavery and sexual exploitation. Women and girls from non-Arab tribes have been targeted based on their ethnicity, which could constitute an act of genocide. Women activists, journalists, peacebuilders and human rights defenders, including those documenting rights violations, have been targeted and intimidated for their work. With the near collapse of health infrastructure and continued attacks on providers and medical facilities, survivors have limited access to health care, particularly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care including safe abortion, and psychosocial support. Rates of maternal and newborn mortality have also risen dramatically. Emergency response rooms and local organizations, including women-led organizations, play a pivotal role in delivering assistance, but sudden funding cuts threaten their continued operations.

The Security Council should:

• Demand all parties fully comply with Resolution 2736 (2024), including by immediately halting the siege of El Fasher, seeking an immediate cessation of hostilities, stopping attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, ending and ensuring accountability for all acts of SGBV, and ensuring rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access into and throughout Sudan and the protection of humanitarian personnel, including local and national women-led organizations.
• Demand the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of diverse women in all efforts to build peace, including those led by the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan, the African Union and the League of Arab States.
• In line with Resolution 2736 (2024), call on external actors to refrain from interfering in the conflict, including by supplying arms to the warring parties in violation of the arms embargo;
• Urgently identify options for civilian protection, including but not limited to options elaborated by the Secretary-General.
• Call on Member States to urgently fund gender-responsive multi-sectoral response, including the humanitarian and refugee response plans, and support neighboring countries and host communities. Provide increased, flexible, sustainable and direct funding to diverse local civil society and humanitarian organizations, including women-led and LGBTIQ-led organizations. Ensure that disaggregated data, intersectional gender analysis and SGBV risk mitigation assessment inform all aspects of the crisis response.
• Expand the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to cover the entire territory of Sudan. Strengthen the existing sanctions regime to include SGBV as a stand-alone designation criterion. Call on warring parties to allow unfettered access for independent monitors and investigators.
• Strengthen the UN Country Team’s capacity to monitor, document and report on human rights violations, including reprisals against WHRDs, including by establishing Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements on CRSV.

Yemen

The situation in Yemen remains one of serious concern, exacerbated by regional conflicts; environmental degradation and the effects of climate change; poverty and economic crisis; and widespread food insecurity. 9.6 million women and girls require humanitarian assistance, including 1.3 million malnourished pregnant women and new mothers. Of the nearly 4.5 million IDPs in Yemen, an estimated 80% are women and children. Households frequently resort to extreme coping mechanisms, including child, early and forced marriage: over 30% of girls are married before age 18. Women are at the forefront of the humanitarian response, but severe funding cuts and impacts of counter-terror measures threaten access to life-saving services and vital lifelines for women and girls across the country. Since June 2024, Houthi authorities have arbitrarily detained Yemeni nationals working for UN agencies and NGOs, violating their human rights and compromising the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance. Among those detained, a World Food Programme staff member died in detention in February 2025. 

Women’s human rights are restricted by all warring parties in Yemen. The mahram (male guardian) requirement in Houthi-controlled areas impedes the ability of women, including aid workers, to work, travel and access healthcare, including SRH care, and to participate equally in public and political life. Civil society organizations, including women-led organizations, and journalists and WHRDs, face restrictions, threats, arbitrary detentions and abuses in custody, enforced disappearances, hate speech and targeted killings. People of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities have also been targeted. The 30% quota for women’s representation established by the National Dialogue Conference has not been met: there are no women in government for the first time in 24 years, and they have also been excluded from peace negotiations. 

The Security Council should:

• Continue to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained Yemeni UN and NGO staff.
• Express support for an inclusive political process with the full, equal, safe and meaningful participation of diverse women, including in truce and ceasefire negotiations and the humanitarian response. Demand that all UN-supported peace committees meaningfully include women, in line with the minimum 30% quota established by the National Dialogue Conference. 
• Demand all parties to the conflict and their allies respect international law, ensure the protection of civilians and civilian objects, and emphasize that women’s human rights and the rights of LGBTIQ people must be non-negotiable in any peace or political process. 
• 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.
• Call on the international community to urgently scale up and facilitate principled humanitarian assistance with quality and flexible funding provided to national and international organizations, particularly women-led organizations, in order to avert a more severe humanitarian catastrophe.   
• Prioritize climate-responsive peacebuilding by integrating climate change and its disproportionate impact on women into peace negotiations, ensuring that climate adaptation and environmental restoration are central to any peace agreements or political settlements in Yemen.