GAPS February Newsletter

Welcome to the GAPS February wrap up. 

On the 23rd of February, GAPS attended the launch of the fifth UK National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (NAP) at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Our very own GAPS Director, Eva Tabbasam was joined by Hasina Safi, Former Minister for Women Affairs, Government of Afghanistan, Rosy Cave, British Consul General in Erbil, Iraq, Lieutenant colonel Sophie Gregory now working as a mentor to the Head of the Gender Department in the Lebanese Armed Forces in Beirut and Oksana Potapova, Ukrainian activist and PhD student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, on the panel of the fifth NAP launch to share their thoughts and reflections. 

GAPS welcomed the new changes made in the fifth NAP including; the added focus of transnational threats such as cyber-security and climate change, its highlight on the important role that civil society organisations and women’s rights organisations play as frontline responders on Women, Peace and Security issues during conflict and the new NAP’s more robust monitoring and evaluations framework. However, as highlighted by Eva on the panel of the NAP launch, a real intentional domestication of the Women Peace and Security agenda in the UK is needed, both in policy and practice, specifically in the UK’s domestic policies around asylum and migration as well as its arms exports. 

This month, GAPS are excited to welcome Peace Direct, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the locally-led efforts to stop violent conflict and build sustainable peace, to the GAPS membership network. We look forward to collaborating with Peace Direct on implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda moving forward. You can learn more about Peace Direct and the work of other GAPS member organisations here. 

Looking forward to March, GAPS are collaborating with the Centre for Gender in Politics, CCYPS, GNWP and Colombia Diversa to host a Conversation Café on queering Women Peace and Security at the upcoming CSW67 conference. Similarly, on the 8th March, GAPS will be marking International Women’s Day with a very special announcement. Follow our Twitter page and LinkedIn page to stay tuned!  

February Reads

Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: February 2023

For February, in which Malta has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.

 

 

ONE YEAR AFTER THE ESCALATION OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE. Making International Funding Work for Women’s Organisations 

This briefing by Care International provides an overview of the key and systemic funding challenges faced by WROs and WLOs in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, and Romania.  

 

 

 

 

WILPF Congress Report 2022 

WILPF’s 33rd International Congress took place online between 16-24 July 2022. Hosted by WILPF Australia, the event welcomed more than 400 members from all over the world under the theme: “Making Connections: Environment, Social Justice, and Demilitarisation for Feminist Peace.” This Congress report includes an overview of both plenary and workshop sessions, and it highlights the key decisions taken by Congress. 

 

 

 

International Alert’s approach to peacebuilding 

This practice brief outlines what International Alert mean by peace and peacebuilding, the reasons why peacebuilding is so important and how International Alert works to build peace. 

 

 

 

 

Women, Peace, and Security and Human Rights in the Digital Age: Opportunities and risks to advance women’s meaningful participation and protect their rights 

The Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), in partnership with the ICT4Peace Foundation and with support from the Directorate of International Law of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), developed this policy brief (#DigitalizingPeace), focused on women activists and peacebuilders. The brief explores how women can use ICTs to advance their work and how international organizations, governments, and private companies can support them. 

 

 

The (Dis-)Appearance of Race in the United Kingdom’s Institutionalization and Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda   

This journal article investigates in more detail how race shapes the United Kingdom’s engagement with and institutionalization of the WPS agenda, reinforcing particular domestic identities. 

In case you missed it

Find Saferworld’s and Conciliation Resources’ joint thoughts and reflections following the launch of the UK Government’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. 

Check out ActionAid’s article marking one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the start of a devastating war. 

WILPF is holding an event at the upcoming CSW67 titled Gendered Dynamics of Digital Peace Activism: Challenges and opportunities from feminist peace activists. The event will be held on Tuesday 7 March 2023 from 4:45pm – 6pm. Find out more and register here. 

Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling, Arab CSOs and Feminist Network, in partnership with WILPF are holding an event at the upcoming CSW67 titled Education and Digital Campaigning for Gender Equality in Palestine and the MENA Region: Double Jeopardy Of Patriarchy & Occupation/Conflicts. The event will be held on March 8 2023 at Church Center of the United Nation (CCUN) 10th Floor 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, United States, at 6:15 pm. 

GAPS are collaborating with the Centre for Gender in Politics, CCYPS, GNWP and Colombia Diversa to host a Conversation Café on queering Women Peace and Security at the upcoming CSW67 conference, on Monday 6 March 2023 from 3:30pm – 5:30pm in New York, United States. Find out more and register here. 

Job Board

Peace Direct  

International Programmes Manager, (London). Apply by 20 March. 

WILPF 

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Associate – English and Arabic Speaker (Remote position for someone based in the MENA region). Apply by 10 March. 

Christian Aid 

Advocacy Adviser – Country Support (Maternity Cover) – (London). Apply by 13 March. 

Project Support Officer – (Lilongwe, Malawi). Apply by 10 March. 

Oxfam 

Gender Advisor – (Syria). Apply by 9 March. 

International Alert 

Head of Climate, Natural Resource Management and Peacebuilding (Maternity Leave Cover) – (London/ The Hague). Apply by 14 March. 

LAW 

Programme Manager (Head of Programme) – (Sri Lanka). Rolling basis. 

Plan International UK 

Supporter Engagement Team Leader – (London). Apply by 8 March.