According to senior United Nations (UN) officials, over 600 million women and girls are currently impacted by conflict, a 50% increase from ten years ago, and they worry that the world has forgotten them as opposition to gender equality and women’s rights grows.
In a recent study, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that “generational gains in women’s rights hang in the balance around the world” and that women’s decades-long progress is disappearing due to record levels of armed conflict and violence.
As far away as gender equality, the UN head was evaluating the status of a Security Council resolution passed on October 31, 2000, calling for equal participation for women in peace talks.
According to Guterres, the majority of authority and decision-making on issues of peace and security are held by men, undermining “the transformative potential of women’s leadership and inclusion in the pursuit of peace.”
“Peace will remain elusive as long as gender biases and oppressive patriarchal social structures hold back half of our societies,” he said.
According to the research, the percentage of women killed in armed conflicts doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year, there were 50% more U.N.-verified cases of sexual violence related to conflicts, and 35% more girls were impacted by grave violations in conflicts.
Sima Bahous, the head of the U.N. organization that promotes gender equality, spoke at a two-day U.N. Security Council discussion on the subject that concluded Friday.
The UN Secretary-General, Amina Bahous, has highlighted the urgent need to address the plight of millions of women and girls affected by war, including those in Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti, Congo, the Sahel region, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, and elsewhere.
Bahous argues that the world needs to address these concerns with hope, but the reality is grim, with one in two women and girls in conflict-affected settings facing moderate to severe food insecurity and 61% of all maternal mortality concentrated in 35 conflict-affected countries.
Women’s participation in decision-making and politics in conflict-affected countries is stalled, with the percentage of women in peace negotiations not improving over the last decade.
The UN has launched a “Common Pledge on Women’s Participation in Peace Processes,” urging governments, regional organizations, and other mediators to join the UN in taking concrete steps towards promoting women’s participation in peace processes.
However, many U.N. ambassadors have focused on the lack of political will to promote women in the peace process, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by women in the peace process.
(Africanews)
