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GAPS Newsletter: January 2020

Updates

2020 – A big year for Women, Peace and Security

2020 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). The Generation Equality Forum, a civil society-led global gathering convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of Mexico and France will take place in Mexico City from 7 to 8 May, and in Paris from 7 to 10 July 2020. The themes for the Action Coalitions are as follows: gender-based violence, economic justice and rights, bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), feminist action for climate justice, technology and innovation for gender equality and feminist movements and leadership.

A five-year milestone will be also be reached towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which was adopted by all United Nations Member States. This year also marks 41 years of CEDAW: The International Bill of Rights for Women. Also happening in 2020, the sixty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is planned to take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 20 March 2020.    

 

Beyond Consultations Tool – Now Available in Arabic, French and Spanish!

In 2019, GAPS and Women for Women International UK, Saferworld, Amnesty International UK and Womankind Worldwide launched a tool support meaningful engagement with women and women’r rights organisations in fragile and conflict affected states. Beyond Consultations is now available in Arabic, French and Spanish, thanks to translation by Wolfestone. Beyond Consultations was developed through participatory research conducted with 225 women & women’s organisations from Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zimbabwe. Download the tool in four languages here.  


Research & Resources

On Solid Ground: Building Sustainable Peace and Development After Massive Human Rights Violations

This report articulates the contributions of transitional justice to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16 on peace, justice, and inclusion, and related goals on gender and inequality (SDG16+). The primary argument is that in contexts of serious and massive human rights violations, sustainable peace and development will be more attainable if societies effectively pursue justice for those violations. Transitional justice provides a framework for addressing the needs of victims and helping to reduce the “justice gap”—that is, the failure to provide justice to people and communities outside the protection of the law—in such extraordinary circumstances. Read in full here.

 

Global Gender Gap Report 2020 – World Economic Forum

Since 2006, the Global Gender Gap Index has been measuring the extent of gender-based gaps among four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment) and tracking progress towards closing these gaps over time. This year’s report benchmarks 153 countries and provides country rankings that allow for effective comparisons across and within regional peers. The methodology and quantitative analysis behind the rankings are intended to serve as a basis for designing effective measures for reducing gender gaps.

Gender Just Climate Solutions

The Women and Gender Constituency, along with other women, gender, and human rights advocates, has been actively pushing world leaders to ensure just and equitable climate policies that put respect of people’s rights and the integrity of the planet first, while responding to injustice among and within countries in relation to climate impacts and resilience. The Gender Just Climate Solutions shown in this publication are aimed at making gender equality and women’s rights central to just climate action.

 

Are INGOs ready to give up power?

This article written by Deborah Doane for openDemocracy questions if  Southern organisations need to find ways to take power, rather than wait for it to be ‘shifted’ to them. Read the full analysis of International NGO’s and the North-South power divide, issues of funding and community activism.

 

Gender Justice & Equality before the law

The ‘Gender Justice & Equality Before the Law in the Arab States Region: A Regional Analysis of Progress and Challenges’ report points to legal reforms that have positively impacted protections against violence against women and sexual harassment; full citizenship rights; guarantees of equal pay at work; entitlements to paid maternity leave; and limiting child marriage. The report examines the social and economic contexts in which laws are made and uses examples of good practice from across the region to encourage exchanges of experience and ideas to advance gender justice, building on 18 country reports produced under the joint Gender Justice Initiative.  

Humanitarian Exchange: special edition on Yemen

This edition of the ODI’s magazine, Humanitarian Exchange focuses on the crisis in Yemen. Since the war there began in 2014, thousands of civilians have been killed or injured and air strikes and ground operations have destroyed hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure. An estimated 80% of Yemenis need humanitarian assistance. Download this series to read the articles looking at various issues in relation to the Yemen crisis.

 

Gender-Based Violence and Environment Linkages: The Violence of Inequality

This report by International Union for Conservation of Nature establishes a knowledge base for understanding and accelerating action to address gender-based violence and environmental linkages. Gender-based violence and environment linkages: The violence of inequality consolidates knowledge and experiences gathered from across sectors and spheres, serving as a robust reference for policymakers and practitioners at all levels to understand issues and potential interventions to address gender-based violence as it relates to the environment. Over 1,000 sources of information, experiences and interventions from international stakeholders, national governments, civil society, environmental practitioners and policymakers, advocates and activists, and academics relating to gender-based violence across environmental contexts from around the world were reviewed.

 

Mapping of the Gender Recommendations in the Three 2015 Peace and Security Reviews

Louise Allen wrote a report into last year’s assessment of the UN’s implementation of its women, peace and security and gender commitments from 2015, which has now been published by UN Women. This report outlines her findings that the UN is progressing on 50 percent of its commitments and identifies 6 key areas the UN should prioritise ahead of the 20th anniversary of 1325. These are: 1) accountability for senior leadership; 2) strengthened women civil society consultations; 3) women’s participation in peace processes and implementation of agreements; 4) strengthened gender analysis, expertise & resourcing; 5) enhancing the Security Council Informal Expert Group; and 6) conflict prevention through promotion of gender equality & women’s rights. Read the report in full here.

Beyond Consultations: Research Summary

The Beyond Consultations tool is the culmination of a participatory research study with 225 individuals and organisations from 15 countries looking at the factors that enable and constrain the meaningful participation and ongoing engagement with women and women’s organisations in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS). The good practice framework set out in the Beyond Consultations tool was informed by the voices and insights of women in FCAS. These were gathered through an extensive, participatory research study which comprised of an online survey, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women, women’s organisations, international NGOs, academics, governments and multilateral organisations. Read the research summary here, and download the tool with the choice of four languages here.


Events

‘What is a war crime? Identifying priorities for prosecution in international law’ conference

The Centre for Law, Democracy, and Society (CLDS) will be hosting a conference at the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London. This event will discuss priorities for war crimes prosecutions. Questions to be discussed include whether the international community should be responsible for making these decisions as well as what part in the prosecution process local communities and victims should play.

When: 12.30-17.30pm, 25 February

Where: Room 313, Floor 3, School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS

For more information and to attend, click here.

When the Going Gets Tough: Women and the Future of Global Peace and Security

Drawing on over two decades of research, advocacy and practical work with the United Nations, civil society organisations across countries affected by war and violent extremism globally, the new LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security Director, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini will reflect on how and why gendered analysis is essential to understanding emerging threats, and the strategic and practical ways in which locally rooted women’s peace and security movements are harnessing the power of cultural indigenous practices and together with the promise of the global women, peace and security agenda to raise uncomfortable truths, challenge conventional wisdoms, and offer solutions that are urgently needed.

When: 18:30-20:00, 10 February 2020

Where: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building

For more information and how to attend, click here.

Beijing 25 years on: out of the shadows, into the mainstream

As part of CSW64, the ODI will have a series of three panels. The first panel will be on supporting and protecting sexual and reproductive health rights in emergencies, followed by a panel on bridging the gender and adolescent data gap in the SDGs, and lastly one on tackling harmful gender norms: lessons to address backlash.

When: 08:30-14:00, 10 March 2020 

Where: Murase Room, Japan Society, 333 E 47th St, New York, NY 10017

For more information, click here.


Opportunities

Free Professionals Training on Responding to Violence Against Migrant Women

FORWARD‘s training will enable key professionals to understand and explore the multiple forms of violence against women and girls within migrant communities, and their adverse impact. You will also explore cultural competency in responding effectively to women and girls affected by multiple forms of violence and explore the role of provision of community-based services in improving access to appropriate support and protection services for migrant women. Lastly, this training will facilitate networking with colleagues from other sectors and to enable holistic support for migrant women and girls affected by violence.

When: 09:30-17:00, 4 March 2020

Where: Ashurst Drive Baptist Church Ashurst Drive, Ilford, IG2 6QH

For more information and to book your place, click here.

Join Wilton Park’s Advisory Council 

Wilton Park is recruiting new members of the Wilton Park Advisory Council (WPAC). The Advisory Council’s task is to support Wilton Park programme development to help identify new ideas and secure the resources for their development.They aim to achieve an appropriate balance in diversity, including gender, ethnicity and age. Members are appointed for three years, with the possibility of a second three-year term. The role of a WPAC member involves attending at least two WPAC meetings per year, usually in January and June, alongside other ad hoc work as required. 

Deadline to apply: 24 February 2020

For more information and how to apply, click here.


Jobs & Volunteering

ActionAid UK

Writer/Editor (London), apply by Wednesday 5 February 

Amnesty International UK

Campaigning Communities Manager (London), apply by Wednesday 12 February

Head of Communications and Engagement (London), apply by Friday 7 February

Philanthropy Lead (London), apply by Monday 3 February 

CARE International UK

#March4Women Event – Day Volunteers (London), apply by Friday 7 February

Business Engagement Manager (London), apply by Sunday 2 February 

Conciliation Resources 

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