Syria & Golan Heights
Syria & Golan Heights
Since 2011, Syria has been on the United Nations Security Council’s agenda, when President Assad’s aggressive actions against pro-democracy protesters during the Arab Spring became more frequent and increasingly violent, leading to civil war and terrorist violence within the country.
Insecurity is the primary concern for women, yet in spite of their limited operating environment, women activists have organized nonviolent protests, distributed and monitored humanitarian aid, documented human rights violations, created safe spaces for women and children, and worked at the local level to set up ceasefires, prisoner releases, and elections.
Based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG advocates for ensuring women’s needs— such as secure access to sanitation facilities and hygiene, and health assistance— are adequately addressed, and that Syrian women are equally and meaningfully participating in the UN-facilitated political process and in the design and implementation of ceasefire monitoring mechanisms.
Golan Heights
Golan Heights, a disputed plateau in south-western Syria, is home to an equal number of Syrians and Jewish settlers, and since 1973, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) peacekeepers have observed a contested territorial line between Israel and Golan Heights.
In the current Syrian conflict, Golan Heights has become a key strategic geopolitical position, causing an escalation in violence and increased violations of the ceasefire territorial agreements. Recent advances and attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have concerned residents of Golan Heights— particularly given ISIL’s systematic denial of women’s rights and perpetuation of violations against women.
Based on the work of NGOWG members and their partners, the NGOWG advocates for addressing the increasing gender imbalance in UNDOF by deploying a higher percentage of women, and inclusion of gender-specific language in the UNDOF mandate.
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Syria (July 2017)
In its consideration of a report on the humanitarian and political situation, the Council should call for gender-sensitive humanitarian aid strategies, as well as the full and meaningful inclusion of women in all stages of the peace process. Council members facilitating the Astana peace process must ensure women’s full and meaningful participation in the negotiations and operation of the de-escalation areas and security zones. Moreover, the Council should prioritize gender-sensitive approaches to protection of civilians in both the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the operation of de-escalation zones and security areas, in order to ensure that vulnerabilities that women and children face are not further exacerbated. The Council must call on the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria to strengthen and enhance the role of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board in the peace process, and ensure its framework for operation promotes accountability for human rights violations and effectively incorporates Syrian women’s voices in all respects of the process. The Council should further urge the Office to include Syrian gender experts in all expert meetings under the technical consultative process to ensure that a gender perspective is taken into account in discussions on constitutional and legal issues. Given the current deadlock on the issue of accountability, Council members should support the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) on international crimes committed in Syria. Additionally, the Office’s process for collecting and disseminating information must demonstrate transparency, preserve the representative nature of information sourced, and must be carried out in cooperation with civil society organizations through engagement with local sources. In addressing the humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and IDPs, Council members should increase efforts to support the development and implementation of creative educational approaches to better address the educational needs of refugee and displaced children, for both girls and boys. Finally, Council members should request further information about the issue of increasing forced displacement of civilians and demographic changes in besieged areas as part of a “local agreement” between the government and local representatives, as well as any measures undertaken to ensure the safe and voluntary return of refugees and IDPs.
Relevant Resources
