GAPS Newsletter: December and 2022 Wrap Up

15 December 2022

Welcome to our December and 2022 wrap-up.

It has been an eventful and busy year for the GAPS Team, and as we draw an end to 2022, GAPS is looking forward to celebrating the holidays with friends and family, and returning in January feeling refreshed and energised! We want to take this opportunity to outline some of our achievements over the year, which we could not have done without the support of our members and colleagues.

In March, GAPS engaged in advocacy with the UK Government on the conflict in Ukraine and published a briefing laying out five priorities that the UK Government and the international community must fully consider as they respond to the conflict.

Alongside the Policy Working Group, in May GAPS responded to the UK Government’s International Development Strategy, outlining concerns that the strategy does not tackle the root causes of gender inequality. The response provides recommendations on how the Government can make sure that upcoming strategies (such as the Women and Girls strategy that is due in 2023) can embed a conflict prevention approach that would reduce women and girls’ vulnerability to crisis.

GAPS wrote a statement on the UK Government’s Rwanda Plan and first deportation flight in June, calling for the Government to immediately halt the flight, consult with migrant rights, women’s rights and civil society organisations about the overall plan, and pass immigration policies that prioritise the lives and needs of asylum seekers.

In September, GAPS released the 2021 Shadow Report which assessed the progress by the UK Government in the penultimate year of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, and outlined recommendations for implementation in the final year. GAPS also engaged in advocacy with the Government around the upcoming National Action Plan.

In collaboration with academics working on women and girls’ rights in Iraq, GAPS published a piece of research in October titled Listening to Women’s Rights Organisations: The UK’s Gender and Women Peace and Security Practice in Iraq. The report followed fieldwork in Iraq and a workshop in Amman, and provides practical short and long-term recommendations on best practices to ensure that the priorities and self-identified needs of women and girls are placed at the centre of all future UK policy and programming in Iraq.

In October, GAPS wrote a statement with a call to action for Governments attending COP27 for real and transformative action towards net zero that puts people before profits. The statement highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls in the Global South, and the need for a loss and damage finance facility that would acknowledge and mitigate this. In the statement, GAPS also stood in solidarity with Egyptian activists who were detained for peaceful forms of dissent, highlighting that effective climate action is not possible without open and civic spaces.

Also in October at the UN Women, Peace and Security Week, GAPS launched the Women, Peace and Security: Pillars for Peace summary report, which highlights the common themes, barriers and recommendations drawn from case studies in a previous report published in 2021 that explored women’s participation in peacebuilding and peace processes in seven countries.

Finally, GAPS continued its work as the Secretariat for the APPG on Women, Peace and Security in 2022, and welcomed fantastic speakers over the course of the year to discuss women and girls’ rights globally at Parliamentary events

GAPS is grateful for all your support over the year, and we are looking forward to upcoming work in 2023, with the release of the next National Action Plan and Women and Girls’ Strategy.

Have a wonderful festive season!

December and 2022 Reads

Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: December 2022

For December, in which India has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel/Palestine and Syria.

Death in Slow Motion: Women and Girls under Taliban Rule

This research by Amnesty International highlights what life is like for women and girls’ in Afghanistan in one year of Taliban rule, providing recommendations to a range of authorities in Afghanistan, including the de facto authorities, donors, and the international community.

“They are the revolution”: Afghan women fighting for their future under the Taliban rule

This report highlights the achievements of 16 women human rights defenders in Afghanistan, serving as a reminder of the of how much Afghan women have achieved over the last 20 years despite political instability and conflict and the heightened risks that they now face under the present regime.

How can gender help us understand the links between climate change and conflict?

Women, men and people of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations experience the impacts of climate change differently, facing distinct risks and vulnerabilities. Conciliation Resources have integrated a climate-responsive lens into gendered conflict analysis methodology to further investigate this relationship and shape innovative programming in this area.

Resourcing change: Supporting women’s rights organisations in fragile and conflict-affected states

The ‘Resourcing Change’ project has provided 21 women’s rights organisations in Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen with flexible core funding, with relatively easier requirements and processes. The briefing paper presents the main outcomes and learning for the project, and sets our recommendations for donors. It can be read in English and Arabic.

Breaking the Binary: LGBT+ inclusive approach to the women, peace and security agenda in Nepal and Myanmar

International Alert’s research in Nepal and Myanmar sheds light on the issues faced by LGBT+ people and ways they should be involved in the peace and security agenda. The findings show that there is appetite and opportunity for collaboration between women’s rights and LGBT+ organisations on the Women Peace and Security agenda in both countries.

Leading the Way: The Nexus through a Feminist Lens

ActionAid UK’s report brings together the experiences of women’s rights and women-led organisations in Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar and Somaliland to explore how they are implementing a ‘Nexus approach’ within their communities – as first responders, but also as key actors of change in development and peace-building activities.

“No one hears our voices”

In March 2022 Women for Women International (WFWI) published “No One Hears Our Voices” a situational assessment and policy briefing on Afghan women’s priorities.   In July 2022 WFWI conducted a follow-up survey with women and Afghan women’s rights organizations.  Since publication WFWI have been leveraging this research to support Afghan women both inside and outside of Afghanistan. Read more here and here.

Girls’ Rights and the Global Hunger Crisis

This report by Plan International highlights the value of a rights-based approach to responding to food crises and ending hunger, with a particular focus on the rights of girls. The advantages include: focusing on addressing inequality, especially gender-based discrimination which exacerbates the food insecurity of girls; holding not only states but also non-state actors to account; and the providing remedies for violations. The report ends with key recommendations.

In case you missed it

GAPS is hiring a Network Assistant! This is a great entry level role for someone interested in supporting policy and advocacy on gender equality, peace and security. Find out more and apply by 23:59 on 21st December 2022.