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In June 2020, DPO launched the first Handbook to support UN Field Missions in preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), building on the publication of the first UN Policy on this same topic a few months earlier. Both these documents were developed by DPO jointly with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) and in consultation with representatives from the United Nations Action Network on Sexual Violence in Conflict and partners at United Nations Headquarters. These documents provide guidance for civilian, military, and police personnel deployed in UN Field Missions on how to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence with a coordinated and survivor-centred approach. Since the release of the CRSV Policy and Handbook, DPO has been supporting their dissemination and implementation in the field.
Peacekeeping missions raise awareness on Sexual and Gender Based Violence through events/media campaigns during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.
Missions also worked to strengthen women’s participation in building a protective environment. In Central Africa Republic. 46.5% of the early warning mechanisms supported by MINUSCA compromised at least 30 per cent women; in Mali and Darfur, CRSV survivor networks were established; in Abyei UNISFA enhanced its early warning system by partnering with Abyei Women’s Association in identifying gender-specific triggers and events that have the potential to escalate the local conflict; in Darfur, Sudan, the 54 women-led protection networks established by UNAMID serve as unique examples of how women have helped prevent conflicts and contribute to building a protective environment. MINUSCA’s support included formation of 16 women’s situation rooms and a hotline to strengthen women’s protection during election. In DRC, MONUSCO supported women’s organizations to map security threats and hot spots for women and girls, which informed the interventions of security and defence forces and other protection actors.
Through public communications and reporting, peacekeeping operations contributed to raising awareness on conflict-related sexual violence and promoting prevention and the condemnation of harmful stigmatizing attitudes towards victims/survivors. For instance, in South Sudan, UNMISS and OHCHR published a joint public report on access to health for sexual violence survivors that increased attention to the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health. UNMISS and the Government subsequently launched a joint nationwide campaign against stigmatization of sexual violence survivors, which remains one of the key barriers to accessing healthcare. In Mali, for the International Day on the Elimination Against Sexual Violence in Conflict on 19 June 2020, the MINUSMA SRSG joined voices with heads of UN agencies, government representatives and diplomatic missions to publicly condemn CRSV on social media. During the 16 Days of Activism Campaign against Gender-Based Violence, the Deputy SRSG-Political Affairs took part in a live radio debate on the Mission’s efforts to eradicate CRSV.
Gender Unit: A new DPKO and DFS gender policy- Gender Responsive United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (2018.01) - developed and endorsed in February 2018. The new policy incorporates a targeted focus on ensuring accountability to SGBV prevention and response across the UN Peacekeeping functions
UNMAS: IACG-MA is currently undertaking a review and update to the United Nations Gender Guidelines for Mine Action Programmes (2010) to ensure that the different needs of girls, women, boys and men are incorporated into the full project management cycle of mine action programming.
SSR: In Mali, MINUSMA has supported the inclusion of gender in strategies developed by the SSR National Committee, as well as the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement, which includes a 30% female quota in security institutions. 2. In Somalia, UNSOM has promoted increased recruitment of women to the security sector. It has also provided advocacy and technical guidance for the Security Pact signed between the government and the international community in May 2017, which contains a specific milestone stating that all security sector institutions must adopt and implement a gender strategy.
JCS: Recognising the relevance of women representation as An important element that enables women’s access to justice and response, in coordination with OMA and PD, JCS has drafted a gender parity strategy for its uniformed corrections personnel which lays out clear measures and timelines for the achievement and sustainable maintenance of at least 30% female uniformed corrections officers deployed to UN peace operations.
Gender units invest in targeted SGBV prevention activities that include prevention against VAW across the Missions through targeted capacity strengthening training, implementing gender analysis to identify enablers of SGBV; invest in community based early warning mechanisms and inclusion of specific SGBV indicators and reporting benchmarks across all functions to identify timely identification of SGBV risks; and establish partnerships with women civil society organisations to collectively develop strategies for an enabling environment that prevents and mitigates SGBV
In March 2017 DPKO produces a range of communication materials in line with the new gender policy have been developed to provide coherence and consistent advocacy on SGBV prevention.
DDR/CVR teams across 5 peacekeeping missions (MONUSCO, MINUSCA, MINUSMA, UNAMID and MINUJUSTH ) missions have designed and implemented a series of Community Violence Reduction (CVR) projects, aimed at preventing and reducing violence at the community level in both ongoing and post-conflict scenarios. While interventions target a wide set of actors (e.g. members of armed groups, youth at-risk and community members), these initiates particularly improve security conditions for vulnerable groups, including women and children. Moreover, by ensuring their participation, CVR projects serve to mobilize and empower women within their communities and, as a result, contribute to the constitution of a protective environment.
Gender-specific mine action programming: UNMAS makes every effort to ensure that its mine action programming is tailored according to specific cultures and gender of the beneficiaries. In some settings, this means women conducting single-gender risk education sessions (e.g. in Iraq in 2017).
Recruitment of women in mine action programming: Research in Colombia and Lebanon indicates that women employed in mine action (which is traditionally male -dominated) increase their voice and influence in their communities: http://www.gmap.ch/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/final-report-ARS-2016.pdf