GAPS Newsletter: November 2019
Updates
Analysis of the 2019 Women, Peace and Security Open Debate
On 29 October 2019 the annual open debate on Women, Peace and Security was held at the UN Security Council under the presidency of South Africa on the theme of “Towards the successful implementation of the women, peace and security agenda: moving from commitments to accomplishments in preparation for the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000)”. The NGOWG Office’s analysis covers interventions made during the debate, as well as an overview of the dynamics surrounding the adoption of Resolution 2493 (2019), the 10th resolution in the women, peace and security pantheon.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
The 25th November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The date is historically based on the 1960 assassination of the Incredible Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961). On the 20th December 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women through resolution 48/104, this was followed by resolution 54/134 which was adopted on the 7th February 2000 and officially designated the 25th November as the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign used by activists around the world as an organising strategy to call for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence. It commences on 25 November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was originated by activists and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. The UN supports this civil society-led campaign through the “United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign (UNiTE)”. The theme for this year is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape”.
Graduate Women International (GWI) released their toolkit for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. This toolkit is full of information on the 16 Days campaign, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and advocacy ideas that can be used during the 16 days and year-round.
Country Reports from the 10 Steps Consultations
The consultation country reports from GAPS’s most recent report, the The 10 Steps: Turning Women, Peace and Security Commitments to Implementation, are now up on the GAPS website. You can read the country-specific findings from consultations in Afghanistan, DRC, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and United Kingdom. Have a look at the GAPS Twitter for some findings from the country reports, shared for the 16 Days of Activism.
Research & Resources
Combating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Refugee crises
Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights and Asuda joined on a two-year programme on sexual and gender-based violence among Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in which they surveyed Syrian refugees in the governorates of Erbil, Dohuk and Suleymania in Iraqi Kurdistan. The lessons learned from this study are highlighted in Ceasefire’s report: Combating sexual and gender-based violence in refugee crises: Lessons from working in with Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Making Visible: The Lived Realities of LBTQI+ across Nepal, Uganda and Zimbabwe
This month, GAPS member Womankind Worldwide released their latest report on Making Visible: The Lived Realities of LBTQI+ across Nepal, Uganda and Zimbabwe. In this report, Womankind draws on evidence and learning from three distinct but related LBTQI+ focused projects to better understand the impact of her programmatic approach through project delivery and partnership, in line with the Womankind Theory of Change. The paper also documents how supporting more marginalised voices within national women’s movements can contribute to strengthening and sustaining such movements.
Building and Sustaining Peace from the Ground Up
To highlight the perspectives of women’s civil society on what Sustaining Peace means and how it should be operationalised, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) utilised its wide network of women activists and civil society organisations to coordinate a global research, with support from UN Women. Building and Sustaining Peace from the Ground Up: A Global Study of Civil Society and Local Women’s Perception of Sustaining Peace was produced following Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) which were conducted in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Canada, Colombia, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mexico, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria and Ukraine. A multilingual survey was also disseminated widely in these countries, and beyond – receiving nearly 1,000 responses across 48 countries. In total, over 1,600 people participated in the research through the survey, KIIs and FGDs. Read the full findings here.
Social Institutions & Gender Index
The OECD Gender Initiative examines existing barriers to gender equality in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. This website monitors the progress made by governments to promote gender equality in both OECD and non-OECD countries and provides good practices based on analytical tools and reliable data. The latest addition is the fourth edition of the SIGI which ranks 120 economies. The SIGI 2019 table is interactive and allows sorting economies by region, sub-region, alphabetically or by their level of discrimination in the SIGI.
Parliamentary Handbook on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda
This parliamentary handbook was developed as part of the Global Project on Parliaments as Partners Supporting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and supported by the Government of Norway. This handbook provides guidance to parliamentarians on their role in supporting the Women, Peace and Security agenda. It is intended to equip them and those interested in working with members of Parliament with tools to progress the Women, Peace and Security agenda with ideas for action, by showcasing real-life examples from other countries. The Handbook consolidates the lessons learned from UNDP’s Global Project on Parliaments and Civil Society as Partners Supporting the WPS Agenda and complements them with international best practice and evidence on the ways in which parliaments can support women’s participation in peace-building and security.
Iraq’s Yazidis and ISIS: the causes and consequences of sexual violence in conflict
This LSE Middle East Centre Report, written by Zeynep Kaya, looks at sexual violence in conflict and the underlying structural factors that foster this form of violence. Kaya explores how militant radical groups such as ISIS use specific gender norms in connection to perceived religious/sectarian identities in order to morally justify and organise violence. The first part of the report explains the structural gender inequalities and minority–majority relations in Iraq that facilitated the attack against the Yazidis. The second part looks at the impact of these attacks and how the Yazidi community responded to the tragedy.
Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains
The report, Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains, provides the first ever estimates of child labour and human trafficking in global supply chains. This report presents the joint research findings and conclusions on child labour, forced labour and human trafficking linked to global supply chains from the ILO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), under the aegis of Alliance 8.7. The report seeks to inform public and business policies and practices in order to prevent child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains, and to protect its victims.
Women defenders of the land and the environment: silenced voices
This article by Oxfam looks at the threats and dangers faced by women defenders of human, territorial and environmental rights. The expansion of large scale mining activities and agribusiness in Latin America has greatly increased territorial disputes and resulted in an alarming rise in violence suffered by individuals who defend water, land, forests and the rights of women, afro-descendants, indigenous and farming communities. Continue to read here and find out about what action that Oxfam are taking.
Events
Join Glitch’s Webinar on Digital Self Care for Politically Active Womxn
To mark EVAW Day, 16 Days of activism and in response to the high levels of online abuse cited by political candidates and outgoing MPs, Centenary Action Group is hosting Glitch’s digital self care webinar, via Zoom. Glitch is offering the chance to experience its esteemed Digital Resilience Training. Their training is tailored to women and girls who are currently in or considering leadership roles, public appointments or public life and activism, who wish to have a positive online presence without suffering the negative impact of online abuse.
When: Monday 2nd December 2019 – 13:00-14:00
To join, please fill in the short form here.
Challenging the humanitarian status quo: a gender equality revolution
Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute have extended invitations to their 8th Annual Lecture: Challenging the humanitarian status quo: a gender equality revolution. The lecture will be delivered by Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan. In this lecture, Princess Sarah will make a passionate plea to change the current humanitarian system and put women and girls at the centre of programmes, policies and investments.
When: Thursday 5th December – 18:30-19:30
Where: Watch online or at the Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London
To attend, please register here.
Amnesty UK’s Festive gift donation event for women’s refuges
Amnesty International UK is campaigning as part of the Step Up Migrant Women coalition – a campaigning group by and for migrant black and minority ethnic women led by the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) to ensure that migrant women affected by domestic abuse have equal access to protection and support. This event is in partnership with WARMI women, a group of migrant women activists campaigning for the rights of migrant women survivors and their families. In this event, you will have the opportunity to hear from migrant women activists campaigning for the protection of migrant women affected by domestic abuse. You will also be able to create your own gift and message for women living locally, and food and drinks will be provided.
When: Tuesday 3rd December 2019 – 18:30-21:00
Where: Amnesty International UK, Human Rights Action Centre, 23 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA
To attend, please register here.
IDS Annual Lecture – From dictatorship to democracy: the role of women in politics in The Gambia
Vice President of The Gambia and IDS alum, Isatou Touray, will explore how The Gambia dealt with the crisis of democracy that existed in the country and how women and the youth led the way in shaping progressive change. She will reflect on The Gambia’s experience and discuss its broader implications for contemporary politics in Africa and beyond.
Lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.
For more information and to register, click here.
Opportunities
Together First – Let’s work together!
Together First’s consultation is open until the 10th January 2020 and is asking for the best ideas for improving our global system. This consultation is a pragmatic exercise which aims to develop and support feasible changes that can be made to our global system to improve our ability to prevent, mitigate and manage the risks of global catastrophes. This opportunity is great for anyone who wants to run, or is already running a campaign to fix a global issue.
Once the ideas are in, there will be a launch of an online portal – an interactive listing of all the campaigns working towards a safer, fairer and more sustainable world. Each idea submitted will get its own page! For more information and how to apply, click here.
Funding Call: Education and Learning in Crises
This programme funds research exploring the challenges of education and learning in contexts of conflict and protracted crises. This programme aims to support research which addresses any of the following areas:
-Enhancing understanding of the role of education and learning in responding to and fashioning novel ways for coping and/or transforming children’s opportunities and outcomes in crisis settings, particularly those in the longer-term and including natural as well as man-made crises.
-Building the evidence base of how education and learning take place and are affected during and through crisis situations, including particular attention to the importance of local context and practice in this regard, and what implications this entails for learning, parenting, schooling and communities.
-Investigating how crises particularly affect the education and learning of children and their families of hidden populations, marginalised people including girls and women, and populations on the move.
For more information and how to apply, click here.
Overseas Development Institute Fellowship Scheme
ODI’s Fellowship Scheme gives postgraduate economists and statisticians the chance to work in developing country public sectors as local civil servants on two-year contracts. The Scheme has two objectives: to provide developing country governments with high-calibre junior economists and statisticians where there are gaps in local capacity; and to give postgraduate economists and statisticians practical work experience in a developing country.
Applications are now open, the deadline is Wednesday 11th December, 2019.
For more information and how to apply, click here.
CEDAW for Change Institute
If you looking to learn about CEDAW and enhance your skills as a women’s human rights defender, you can join the CEDAW for Change Institute in Oxford, UK. The program will run from 1st June to 6th June, 2020, with an additional online learning component.This intensive capacity-building institute focuses on feminist activist approaches to CEDAW, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, alongside complementary international and regional human rights frameworks and mechanisms to support strategic advocacy and leadership capacities amongst women’s human rights defenders. Applications for this opportunity are now open, click here for more information.
Jobs & Volunteering
CARE International UK
Senior Advocacy and Policy Advisor – Gender in Emergencies and Climate Change (London), apply by Sunday 1 December
Women’s Economic Empowerment Lead Technical Adviser (London), apply by Sunday 1 December
Shelter Research Assistant (London), apply by Friday 6 December
ActionAid UK
Senior Research and Policy Specialist (London), apply by Wednesday 4 December
Company Secretary (London), apply by Monday 9 December
Senior Acquisition Campaign Manager (London), apply by Thursday 5 December
Individual Giving Specialist (London), apply by Wednesday 11 December
Oxfam GB
Advocacy and Campaigns Manager (Bangladesh), apply by Sunday 8 December
Advocacy and Policy Lead (Thailand), apply by Sunday 15 December
Campaign Officer (Thailand), apply by Sunday 15 December
Consultant on Gender Analysis on ICDRC Project (Indonesia), apply by Friday 6 December
Equality Programme and Influencing Lead (Ghana), apply by Wednesday 4 December
Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihood Senior Officer (Yemen), apply by Wednesday 11 December
Logistics Assistant (Jordan), apply by Wednesday 4 December
Protection Advisor (Syria), apply by Friday 27 December
International Alert
Country Manager (Nigeria), apply by Saturday 30 November
Plan International
Girls’ Rights Policy Advisor (Indonesia), apply by Friday 27 December
Gender/SRHR Specialist (Jordan), apply by Sunday 1 December
Regional Safety & Security Adviser (West Africa), apply by Wednesday 11 December
Conciliation Resources
Consultancy: Evaluation for the Women Mediators in the Commonwealth Project (London), apply by Friday 13 December
Consultancy: Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant – Papua New Guinea Programme (Melbourne), apply by Friday 6 December
International Rescue Committee
Team Administrative Assistant (London) apply by Sunday 1 December
Principal Gifts Executive (London), apply by Wednesday 4 December
Saferworld
Digital Communications Coordinator (London), apply by Wednesday 4 December
Finance Officer (London), apply by Friday 13 December
UNA-UK
Outreach and Campaigns Assistant (London), apply by Monday 2 December
Administrative Assistant (London), apply by Monday 2 December
Mercy Corps
Director – Research and Learning (Washington, DC)
Senior Director, Peace and Governance (Washington, DC)
Program Advisor: Seed Systems in Emergency and Fragile Contexts (London)