Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) has been engulfed in violent armed conflict since 2013, and conflict-related insecurity has left women and girls vulnerable to forced marriage, abduction, and especially sexual and gender-based violence; according to the International Development Monitoring Centre, 68% of girls in CAR are married before the age of eighteen. Women in the CAR continue to be largely excluded from peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts and have even been subjected to violence perpetrated by UN peacekeepers. Deployed in April 2014, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)is mandated to protect women, monitor and report on violations against women, adhere to the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, ensure women’s full participation in conflict resolution and elections, and incorporate gender as a cross-cutting issue. To further this progress, based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG advocates for more thorough monitoring of UN peacekeepers in CAR to ensure that no exploitation and abuse occurs on their watch.
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) has been engulfed in violent armed conflict since 2013, and conflict-related insecurity has left women and girls vulnerable to forced marriage, abduction, and especially sexual and gender-based violence; according to the International Development Monitoring Centre, 68% of girls in CAR are married before the age of eighteen.
Women in the CAR continue to be largely excluded from peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts and have even been subjected to violence perpetrated by UN peacekeepers. Deployed in April 2014, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is mandated to protect women, monitor and report on violations against women, adhere to the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, ensure women’s full participation in conflict resolution and elections, and incorporate gender as a cross-cutting issue. To further this progress, based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG advocates for more thorough monitoring of UN peacekeepers in CAR to ensure that no exploitation and abuse occurs on their watch.
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Central African Republic (Nov 2022)
In its renewal of the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA), the Security Council should:
- Renew the mission’s strong, existing women, peace and security mandate and all related provisions (S/RES/2605 (2021), PPs 5, 8, 17, 18; OPs 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 26, 27, 34(a)(iv), 34(a)(vi), 34(b)(iii), 34(b)(iv), 34(b)(v), 34(b)(v), 34(b)(vi), 35(a)(ii), 35(d)(iv), 35(e)(i), 35(e)(ii), 35(f)(vii), 42, 43, 47), and further emphasize that all mission components must actively engage with civil society, including women’s groups, as part of planning and implementation of mandated activities.
- Reiterate the expectation that women, peace and security must be part of all information delivered to the Council, including in both reports of the Secretary-General, as well as in briefings delivered by senior UN officials, and further specify that this information must be based in gender-sensitive data collection and reporting on gender-based violence, as well as gender-sensitive conflict analysis which highlights the barriers to women’s equal participation in peace and political processes, as well as the ways in which gender-based violence is perpetrated against women in public life, as well as preventing women’s access to public services and law enforcement and justice mechanisms.
- Clarify that the mission’s existing mandate to ensure protection of civilians includes protection of human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, particularly those at risk as a result of engagement with the UN, and further emphasize that in the mission’s efforts to promote human rights, there should be particular attention paid to barriers to the full realization of women’s human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls with disabilities, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to education, and other basic services.
- Emphasize that exploitation and trafficking in arms and natural resources not only threatens peace and stability broadly but has specific gendered impacts that must be taken into account in policymaking and programming, including through the active engagement with local civil society organizations, including women’s groups.
- Reinforce the importance of both political and financial support, including from the international community, to continue to advance justice efforts, including through the Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission, including by explicitly requesting that the mission’s support for the Special Criminal Support, specifically its technical and administrative support is gender-responsive and inclusive of civil society, including women’s organizations and victims’ associations.
- Call for the mission to take active measures to reduce the impact of explosive devices and mines by strengthening its capacity to undertake demining and clearance efforts, ensuring that planning and execution of demining activities are gender-sensitive.
Relevant Resources
