Welcome to the GAPS July Wrap-Up

The UK Government has elected its new cabinet: 

The UK Government has been elected and new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed his new cabinet with David Lammy as Foreign Secretary and Anneliese Dodds as a Minister in the FCDO as well as a Minister for Women and Equalities in the Department of Education. GAPS welcomes the appointment of Dodds into these two roles which brings together two important and intersecting priorities. 

Considering the incoming Government, GAPS and our members called on the UK to recommit to its Women, Peace and Security commitments. This accompanied GAPS’s 100 Days of WPS briefing which outlines clear recommendations in order to inspire swift, cost-effective and necessary action from the UK on WPS during the first 100 days of office. 

The UK Government has announced a Strategic Defence Review:

The new government has announced a detailed review of the UK Armed Forces through a Strategic Defence Review, with the PM reaffirming his “serious commitment” to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence and ensuring a NATO-first policy. The report, fed into by external reviewers, is due to be released in 2025. Civil society organisations, such as Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), have called on the Government to include civil society input, to ensure insights into the impact of military operations on civilians and the broader implications of defence policies.  

UK to restore UNRWA funding and withdraw ICC challenge: 

The UK Government has made the ‘long overdue’ decision to restore funding to UNRWA after it was suspended in January and will provide £21 million in new funds. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, has acknowledged that UNRWA provides lifesaving work to more than 5.5 million Palestinians. GAPS welcomes this decision, but humanitarian relief can only be delivered at scale and scope with an immediate ceasefire. There has been extensive pressure from civil society in the UK to ensure this important decision was made, including a 100 Day document developed by Bond and supported by 20 charities on the key steps that must be taken to address the catastrophe in Gaza. The UK has also withdrawn its challenge to the ICC over Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. Charities, such as Amnesty, have welcomed this decision as ‘the UK must support all efforts to bring all perpetrators of war crimes to justice, not obstruct them.’ 

ICJ Advisory Opinion on Israel’s occupation in the West Bank: 

On 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its Advisory Opinion in respect of the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPts). The ICJ’s broad ruling found Israel’s settlement policies and occupation of the territories were in breach of international law. A lawyer representing Palestine has said that the UK must stop arming Israel in order to comply with the third-party duty to not render aid or assistance to the occupation of the oPts. ActionAid published a statement saying “now is the time to invoke targeted sanctions, travel bans, and asset freezes on senior Israeli government officials linked to alleged violations of international humanitarian law”. The Court has mandated Israel to end its occupation, dismantle its settlements, provide full reparations to Palestinian victims and facilitate the return of displaced people. A joint statement has been subsequently issued by the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, calling for an urgent ceasefire. The Foreign Secretary has said that there is a comprehensive review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law currently underway, but no decisions have been made public on the UK suspending its arm sales to date.  

July Reads

Towards conflict transformation in global feminist cooperation

This learning paper explores the concept of ‘global feminist cooperation’ and some of the inherent conflicts within it, before looking at what conflict transformation approaches can offer. It includes learnings from GADN in this area as well as an exercise for further reflection. Read the full paper here. 

Lost in Consultation

This brief was developed by a diverse group of local and international organisations working in Afghanistan and committed to bringing the rights and voices of women inside the country to the forefront of all discussions pertaining to Afghanistan’s future. It aims to demonstrate that regular, timely and meaningful consultation is possible and the extent to which women and women-led organisations stand ready to engage. Read the full brief here. 

Women’s Inclusion and Barriers to Participation in Armed Forces in Nigeria

This study provides a desk review of existing evidence and research to inform potential ISF support to the Nigerian security sector to enhance women’s participation and inclusion. This review focuses principally on the three services of the Armed Forces in Nigeria (AFN)—the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force. It also includes review of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigerian Police Force. Read the full study here.

Key Reflecti0ns and Recommendations on WPS for the Summit of the Future

WPSHA Compact Secretariat have published key reflections and recommendations on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action for the Summit of the Future. Leading up to the Summit, a Pact for the Future will be negotiated and endorsed by member states, in order to define how intergovernmental stakeholders will meet existing international commitments and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities. Read here. 

In case you missed it

GAPS has released the latest episode of its podcast, ‘Mind the GAPS’ where Kseniya Kirichenko, United Nations Programme Manager at ILGA World and May Sabe Phyu, Director of Gender Equality Network (GEN) Myanmar speak to Gender and Multilateralism. Listen to the episode here. 

Amnesty International have called for Gender Apartheid to be recognised as a crime under international law. Read the full statement here. 

Ten UN member states have also shown willingness to codify the crime of gender apartheid in a proposed treaty. Read Just Security’s analysis here.

The UK has announced £2million in new funding for Sudanese refugees in Libya and recommitted to providing £3billion a year in military support to Ukraine until 2031.

UN Women have published a report on addressing Haitian women’s needs through their leadership role. Read the rapid gender assessment here.

The FCDO has released its Annual Reports and Accounts for 2023-2024. Bond has said it is very concerned with the likelihood that the overall UK aid budget will decline over the next year, as it is crucial to responding to humanitarian crises and addressing global poverty. Read Bond’s statement here. 

Job Board

Peace Direct
Chair of Trustees (London), 30th August.

International Alert
Senior Fundraising Officer (London- French Speaking), 31st July.

Conciliation Resources
PNG Project Manager (London), 9th August.

Mercy Corps
Seed Systems Senior Advisor (Multiple Locations), rolling.

Saferworld
Women, Peace and Security Helpdesk Project Evaluation (UK), 5 August.