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Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: March 2020

Source: NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

For March, in which China has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on Colombia, DRC, Somalia, and South Sudan.

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Colombia

In its discussion of the forthcoming Secretary-General’s report on the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, the Council should call on the Government to fully fund implementation of gender justice provisions and the Ethnic Chapter of the Peace Accord. The Council should request the Verification Mission for information on ways in which the Government is upholding and funding these provisions, and include data disaggregated by gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, and disability. The Council should ask the Government to provide a progress update on establishing and maintaining community-based and gender-responsive self-protection and early warning systems to address the presence of new armed actors and violence in territories formerly under FARC control, particularly Afro-descendant and Indigenous territories. The Council should call on the Government to implement fully security guarantees and protection efforts for women human rights defenders (HRDs), particularly those from Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and rural communities, as well as women and girls who are former combatants or formerly associated with FARC. Civil society and legal experts in Colombia report that victims confront numerous barriers to accessing and participating in the transitional justice system, particularly the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP). They lack access to information, they and their legal advocates lack access to resources for adequate participation, and ongoing insecurity is preventing survivors/victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) from speaking out. There is currently no macro-case in the JEP that allows for SGBV victims throughout Colombia to meaningfully seek justice. The Council should request the Government to provide an update on how it is ensuring the necessary conditions for women, particularly Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and rural women, to be included in transitional justice and reconstruction measures, including the JEP. Finally, the Verification Mission should provide age and gender-sensitive reintegration and reincorporation support, specifically socioeconomic guarantees; women’s acquisition of land; and access to education and health services that encompass sexual and reproductive health care, and services that are inclusive of pregnant and lactating women and girls living in Territorial Training and Reincorporation Spaces (ETCR).

Democratic Republic of the Congo

As the Security Council discusses the recent report of UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), issues related to women’s meaningful participation should be discussed alongside critical protection concerns, including in the context of inquiring regarding updates on the implementation of the second NAP on Resolution 1325 (2000). Protection of civilians (PoC) continues to be MONUSCO’s priority, as such the Security Council should inquire as to how protection measures are gender-sensitive and consider the specific protection needs of women and girls. There has been a noted increase in SGBV perpetrated by armed groups, as well as State forces, and women continue to face barriers to accessing justice, reparations and victim support services (CEDAW/C/COD/CO/8). A draft law on reparations for victims of SGBV lapsed last year and women’s civil society have not been consulted on any further legislative efforts to address the gaps in victim reparations (Madre). In 2019, the UN SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict visited centers in DRC that provide medical and psychological care to survivors of SGBV (MONUSCO). Civil society organizations reported to her that “sexual violence continues to be systematically planned to destroy women” and victims in remote areas lack access to services” (SRSG on SVC). There is an urgent need to address the lack of timely and adequate multi-sectoral assistance for survivors of SGBV, including medical and psychosocial assistance and legal support. The lack of a legal framework criminalizing intimate partner violence and marital rape has implications for addressing conflict-related SGBV as survivors/victims can face violence from perpetrators in various settings (CEDAW/C/COD/CO/8). The Council should request updates from senior leadership on MONUSCO’s efforts to address this issue, including specifically the extent to which the mission has consulted with, or plans to consult with, women’s civil society organizations in supporting the Government to pass a comprehensive reparations law that eliminates barriers to reparations for survivors/victims of SGBV, ensuring full compliance with court-ordered reparations and assisting the Government to add intimate partner violence and marital rape into its penal code. Further, the Council should request updates on the extent to which MONUSCO is supporting local women’s groups and the Government in providing services to address SGBV, including comprehensive medical, psychosocial, legal and socioeconomic assistance which is inclusive of persons with disabilities and LGBTIQ+ people (CEDAW/C/COD/CO/8).

Somalia

The Security Council will be renewing the mandate for the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). In its renewal, the Council must maintain existing preambular and operative language on women, peace and security and update the mandate to include standard language explicitly mainstreaming gender as a cross-cutting issue in UNSOM’s mandate. Further, the Council should:

  • Require UNSOM to ground their support for the forthcoming elections and constitutional review process, strengthening the rule of law and security sector reform (SSR), and addressing corruption in intersectional, gender-sensitive analysis developed and executed with the input from regular, ongoing consultation with diverse civil society organizations, including women’s groups (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 4). Language regarding consultations with civil society organizations that was removed in 2019 should be replaced.
  • As per the recommendations from the August 2019 civil society briefer, Amina Arale, add language in UNSOM’s mandate that calls for the mission to establish a protection mechanism to ensure women candidates can campaign without restriction or violence, and support women’s meaningful participation in the forthcoming elections as candidates, voters, and poll workers, including by ensuring their safety (S/RES/2408 (2018), OPs 2, 4, 21).
  • Add language in UNSOM’s mandate calling on the mission to ground its support for efforts to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism in intersectional gender-sensitive conflict analysis which identifies root causes of insecurity and conflict, including various forms of inequality and exclusion, and further call on all actors to ensure implementation does not undermine the human rights of women civil society leaders and HRDs, and prevent diverse civil society organizations from operating effectively (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 15).
  • Add language calling on SSR efforts to not only be inclusive, but also grounded in protection and promotion of human rights and support civil society efforts to monitor and hold accountable security institutions for their obligations in that respect. Further, diverse civil society organizations (CSOs), including women’s groups should be actively consulted in the course of SSR (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 11).
  • Add language noting the particular impact forced evictions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has on diverse women and girls, including women and girls with disabilities, due to the increased risk of violence, including SGBV, and call on stakeholders to ensure efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis are gender-sensitive (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 19).
  • Add language calling on the Government to ensure its implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and related national laws, are gender-sensitive and inclusive of groups led by women and girls with disabilities (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 20).
  • Add language calling on UNSOM and relevant actors to mainstream intersectional gender-sensitive analysis in its risk assessments related to preventing conflict and violence, including in those undertaken as part of addressing the link between the climate crisis and potential insecurity (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 21).

    • The Security Council will be renewing the mandate for the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). In its renewal, the Council must maintain existing preambular and operative language on women, peace and security and update the mandate to include standard language explicitly mainstreaming gender as a cross-cutting issue in UNSOM’s mandate. Further, the Council should:

    • Require UNSOM to ground their support for the forthcoming elections and constitutional review process, strengthening the rule of law and security sector reform (SSR), and addressing corruption in intersectional, gender-sensitive analysis developed and executed with the input from regular, ongoing consultation with diverse civil society organizations, including women’s groups (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 4). Language regarding consultations with civil society organizations that was removed in 2019 should be replaced.
    • As per the recommendations from the August 2019 civil society briefer, Amina Arale, add language in UNSOM’s mandate that calls for the mission to establish a protection mechanism to ensure women candidates can campaign without restriction or violence, and support women’s meaningful participation in the forthcoming elections as candidates, voters, and poll workers, including by ensuring their safety (S/RES/2408 (2018), OPs 2, 4, 21).
    • Add language in UNSOM’s mandate calling on the mission to ground its support for efforts to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism in intersectional gender-sensitive conflict analysis which identifies root causes of insecurity and conflict, including various forms of inequality and exclusion, and further call on all actors to ensure implementation does not undermine the human rights of women civil society leaders and HRDs, and prevent diverse civil society organizations from operating effectively (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 15).
    • Add language calling on SSR efforts to not only be inclusive, but also grounded in protection and promotion of human rights and support civil society efforts to monitor and hold accountable security institutions for their obligations in that respect. Further, diverse civil society organizations (CSOs), including women’s groups should be actively consulted in the course of SSR (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 11).
    • Add language noting the particular impact forced evictions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has on diverse women and girls, including women and girls with disabilities, due to the increased risk of violence, including SGBV, and call on stakeholders to ensure efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis are gender-sensitive (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 19).
    • Add language calling on the Government to ensure its implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and related national laws, are gender-sensitive and inclusive of groups led by women and girls with disabilities (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 20).
    • Add language calling on UNSOM and relevant actors to mainstream intersectional gender-sensitive analysis in its risk assessments related to preventing conflict and violence, including in those undertaken as part of addressing the link between the climate crisis and potential insecurity (S/RES/2461 (2019), OP 21).

      • South Sudan

      In its renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Council should ensure it maintains all existing WPS provisions (S/RES/2459 (2019), OP 7(a)(i),(v),(vi), (vii), 7(b)(ii), 17, 18). In the context of ongoing efforts to restrict civil society space, and challenges facing local women’s CSOs, the Council should ensure it clearly and unambiguously expresses its support for the equal and meaningful participation of diverse women’s CSOs in all work carried out by UNMISS, as well as by the Government in the transitional process, including all peace and political processes, freely, without interference or violence and in line with required quotas for women’s representation. Further, the Council should:

      • Explicitly mandate that UNMISS systematically and meaningfully consult, engage, and partner with diverse women’s CSOs in carrying out its PoC activities (S/RES/2459 (2019), OPs 4, 7), efforts to prevent and end SGBV (OPs 7(a)(v), 20), facilitate confidence-building and mediation efforts (OPs 7(a)(vi), 15) in humanitarian response (OPs 7(a)(ii),(viii)), in SSR processes (OPs 7(a)(iii),(vi)) and in eradicating the spread of SALW (OP 30).
      • Call for UNMISS and regional actors to ensure efforts to monitor the transitional process include, as indicators of progress, reduction in violations of women’s human rights, including SGBV, and expansion of civil society space, including for women’s CSOs and women HRDs.
      • Call on all UN entities to ensure humanitarian assistance efforts are gender-sensitive and grounded in intersectional gender-sensitive conflict analysis.
      • Add language calling on SSR processes to not only be inclusive and gender-sensitive, but also grounded in protection and promotion of human rights and support civil society efforts to monitor and hold security institutions accountable.
      • Add a provision to UNMISS’ mandate calling on the mission to ensure its support for the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and peace process prioritizes support for mainstreaming gender throughout all discussions and ensuring the equal and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of the process.

        • In its renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Council should ensure it maintains all existing WPS provisions (S/RES/2459 (2019), OP 7(a)(i),(v),(vi), (vii), 7(b)(ii), 17, 18). In the context of ongoing efforts to restrict civil society space, and challenges facing local women’s CSOs, the Council should ensure it clearly and unambiguously expresses its support for the equal and meaningful participation of diverse women’s CSOs in all work carried out by UNMISS, as well as by the Government in the transitional process, including all peace and political processes, freely, without interference or violence and in line with required quotas for women’s representation. Further, the Council should:

        • Explicitly mandate that UNMISS systematically and meaningfully consult, engage, and partner with diverse women’s CSOs in carrying out its PoC activities (S/RES/2459 (2019), OPs 4, 7), efforts to prevent and end SGBV (OPs 7(a)(v), 20), facilitate confidence-building and mediation efforts (OPs 7(a)(vi), 15) in humanitarian response (OPs 7(a)(ii),(viii)), in SSR processes (OPs 7(a)(iii),(vi)) and in eradicating the spread of SALW (OP 30).
        • Call for UNMISS and regional actors to ensure efforts to monitor the transitional process include, as indicators of progress, reduction in violations of women’s human rights, including SGBV, and expansion of civil society space, including for women’s CSOs and women HRDs.
        • Call on all UN entities to ensure humanitarian assistance efforts are gender-sensitive and grounded in intersectional gender-sensitive conflict analysis.
        • Add language calling on SSR processes to not only be inclusive and gender-sensitive, but also grounded in protection and promotion of human rights and support civil society efforts to monitor and hold security institutions accountable.
        • Add a provision to UNMISS’ mandate calling on the mission to ensure its support for the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and peace process prioritizes support for mainstreaming gender throughout all discussions and ensuring the equal and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of the process.

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