In the forthcoming discussions over mandate renewal of MINURCAT, concerns for women’s safety should be central to discussions about the possible withdrawal of the UN Mission from Chad, where there is almost total impunity for sexual violence crimes committed by Chadian and Sudanese armed opposition groups, bandits and members of the Chadian security forces. No withdrawal of the mission should be considered at this time. Withdrawal would further endanger the security and rights of women in eastern Chad. The Council should:

• Renew MINURCAT’s mandate and authorize its continued deployment as per the Council’s original plan in SCR 1861;
• Ensure the phasing out of the mission is based on meeting the benchmarks the Secretary-General outlined in his December 2008 report to the Council. In this regard, it should require MINURCAT to work with the Chadian government to set out a plan for meeting key benchmarks and phasing down its operations.
• The mandate should ensure women’s participation in all aspects of planning, implementation and programming, including location and frequency of security patrols, education and livelihood opportunities, and reproductive health services.
• Monitoring and evaluation procedures should address human rights violations, especially violence against women and girls inside and outside of refugee camps, including increased resources for services for survivors.

In the forthcoming discussions over mandate renewal of MINURCAT, concerns for women’s safety should be central to discussions about the possible withdrawal of the UN Mission from Chad, where there is almost total impunity for sexual violence crimes committed by Chadian and Sudanese armed opposition groups, bandits and members of the Chadian security forces. No withdrawal of the mission should be considered at this time. Withdrawal would further endanger the security and rights of women in eastern Chad. The Council should:

• Renew MINURCAT’s mandate and authorize its continued deployment as per the Council’s original plan in SCR 1861;
• Ensure the phasing out of the mission is based on meeting the benchmarks the Secretary-General outlined in his December 2008 report to the Council. In this regard, it should require MINURCAT to work with the Chadian government to set out a plan for meeting key benchmarks and phasing down its operations.
• The mandate should ensure women’s participation in all aspects of planning, implementation and programming, including location and frequency of security patrols, education and livelihood opportunities, and reproductive health services.
• Monitoring and evaluation procedures should address human rights violations, especially violence against women and girls inside and outside of refugee camps, including increased resources for services for survivors.