Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

In 2019, DPPA – including its SRSGs/Special Political Missions supported by (senior) gender advisers - continued to strengthen its gender sensitive conflict/political analysis, promote women’s participation in peacemaking and governance, engage with CSOs and women’s groups, and address conflict-related sexual violence. The GPS Unit provided substantive coordination and cooperation support between UN headquarters political affairs officers, (senior) gender advisers in special political missions, and UN Women both from headquarters and the field.

DPPA tracks and annually reports to the Security Council on its implementation of the WPS agenda and separately tracks implementation of conflict-related sexual violence commitments by DPPA field missions. For 2020, DPPA will be updating our 15 WPS Commitments in October in time for the 20th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325. DPPA also monitors progress and reports on an annual basis on WPS expected accomplishments and targets contained in the Results Framework. In 2019, DPPA also conducted a Lessons Learned Study on DPPA Liaison Presences, which integrates gender, youth and human rights considerations. 

In 2019, DPPA continued to promote women’s participation in political and electoral processes including preventing electoral violence against women through electoral policy, programming and advocacy. In 2019, DPPA’s Electoral Assistance Division trained over 90 participants (around half of them women) from 30 Member States on election observation, gender and elections, media and elections, and prevention of electoral violence.

DPPA addresses the issue of conflict-related sexual violence as part of its overall efforts to ensure that gender relevant issues and perspectives are fully integrated into the Department’s daily work to promote inclusive conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding. This includes operational support, capacity building, gender mainstreaming, and reporting and outreach across the work of DPPA. 

In 2019, DPPA continued to engage as an active member of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action), which aims to improve coordination and accountability, amplify programming and advocacy, and support national efforts to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence. DPPA also actively contributed to the UN Standing Committee on WPS, the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANGWE), as well as the Global Compact Working Group on Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Preventing and Countering Terrorism. 

In 2019, DPPA continued to provide technical assistance to improve electoral laws, processes, and institutions, including from a gender perspective; and providing good offices and support for political dialogue to enable a conducive environment for elections. 

In 2019, DPPA prepared a “Standard Operating Procedure Guidance Development” (effective 1 January 2020), which includes gender as a cross-cutting issue to be mainstreamed into draft guidance, in consultation with relevant UN entities/offices. The DPO-DPPA Policy and Best Practice Database (PPDB) includes a dedicated section on WPS, that contains policies, guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures and best practices in related to gender and WPS. DPPA has also developed a gender page on the UN Peacemaker website, which will be launched in early 2020, and which includes a dedicated section on sexual violence in conflict.

The 2015 DPA Gender Sensitive Political Analysis Framework and a guidance note on drafting gender-relevant provisions in peace agreements addresses conflict-related sexual violence as part of security arrangements. Building on this, in 2019, DPPA conducted a Lessons Learned Study on DPPA Liaison Presences, which integrates gender, youth and human rights considerations.  DPPA also prepared a “Standard Operating Procedure Guidance Development” (effective 1 January 2020), which includes gender as a cross-cutting issue to be mainstreamed into draft guidance, in consultation with relevant UN entities/offices. 

As part of efforts to further build the capacity of staff and senior mediation practitioners to implement the WPS agenda, including on issues of conflict-related sexual violence, DPPA in 2019 conducted the 10th UN High Level Seminar on Gender Inclusive Mediation Strategies, one Gender/WPS Staff Training and a pilot workshop on Gender Conflict Analysis. DPPA continues to mainstream gender and WPS into thematic trainings, including in the UN Ceasefire Mediation and Management training. DPPA also continues to disseminate the Guidance launched in 2012 on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Ceasefires and Peace Agreements. These aim to further build the capacity of staff and senior mediation practitioners to implement the WPS agenda, including addressing issues of conflict-related sexual violence.

In June 2019, Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo issued a new Women, Peace and Security policy to strengthen DPPA’s implementation on WPS issues. One of the five priorities for DPPA’s implementation of the WPS Agenda is preventing and addressing conflict-related sexual violence as a priority for peace. In 2019 DPPA also introduced a new gender marker methodology for 2020 projects to ensure that all XB-funded projects contribute to advancing DPPA’s WPS Policy and ensure a more consistent reporting across Divisions. For 2020, a 15% benchmark for WPS was set and surpassed for all of DPPA’s extra budgetary funding.