GAPS Newsletter: September 2024
Welcome to the GAPS September Wrap-Up
Israel strikes on Southern Lebanon
The Lebanese health minister reported 569 people have been killed and 1,835 wounded since last Monday in Israeli strikes across Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah confirmed the death of its senior commander. Amnesty International has released a statement demanding an international investigation into the simultaneous mass explosions of electronic devices across Lebanon and Syria. The Lebanese Humanitarian INGO Forum and the Lebanon Humanitarian and Development NGO Forum urged those with influence over parties to the conflict to use that influence to work towards an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the conflict in Lebanon. Israel began their ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Monday night.
The Afghan Embassy in London closed down following the dismissal of its staff by the Taliban
Despite the UK not recognising the Taliban as the legitimate governing power in Afghanistan, the Afghan Embassy has been closed down following the dismissal of its staff by the Taliban. This will means that diplomats and consular staff must apply for asylum or return to Afghanistan. Two weeks after the Taliban banned Afghan women from speaking in public, over 100 Afghan women gathered in Tirana for a summit on women’s rights.
UN Security Council Resolution on Palestine
Following the ICJ ruling in July, the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Resolution for Israel to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories within a year. The UK abstained from voting, which GAPS and 14 UK-based NGOs published a statement in response to, acknowledging the missed opportunity of the UK to join collective action towards ending the illegal settlement expansion and settler violence.
Minister Dodds released an op-ed in the Middle East Eye
Anneliese Dodds, Minister for Women and Equalities of the United Kingdom, stated that “women and girls must be at the heart of global response to the Sudan crisis”. GAPS were pleased to hear this reaffirmation of Labour’s commitments to advancing the WPS agenda.
The 79th UN General Debate concluded on 30 September
The Palestinian delegation attended the UN General Debate, which started on 24 September, for the first time as an observer nation. The General Debate included a session on Afghanistan, “The Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan”, co-hosted by Ireland, Indonesia, Switzerland and Qatar, in partnership with the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan. During the High-Level Event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged that ‘Afghanistan Will Never Take Its Rightful Place on the Global Stage’ without Recognizing Rights of Its Women’
Lammy centred climate action in his first major speech
During his first major speech, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, has said climate action will be at the heart of all foreign policy as climate change is a more pervasive and fundamental threat than terrorism.
The UK has published its statistics on ODA spending for 2023
Over 100 NGOs, including GAPS’s secretariat and its members, signed a statement urging the UK Government to take immediate action to prevent further cuts to the UK aid budget, otherwise spending will fall to its lowest level since 2007.
September Reads
Vetoing Humanity: How a few powerful nations hijacked global peace and why reform is needed at the UN Security Council
This report aims to highlight the humanitarian consequences of the dysfunction at the UN Security Council and humanitarian finance mechanisms. A few powerful states are obstructing peace processes and undermining international laws which should be equally binding for all people. There are 23 protracted crises examined in this report, with case studies on the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria and Ukraine. The growth of humanitarian needs, gaps in humanitarian funding, and the impacts of veto and penholding power are explored. Read here.
Gender and Public Space
This collection brings together multiple theoretical approaches and foregrounds the experiences of marginalised groups, while reflecting on public activisms that strive towards inclusive and participatory public spaces based on solidarity, care, and citizenship. The articles in this collection explore urban, suburban, and rural public spaces, neighbourhoods, parks, streets, digital platforms, university campuses, plazas, sugarcane fields, and more. Read here.
Gender, Justice and Security: Structural Challenges, Feminist Innovations and Radical Futures
Gender, Justice and Security: Structural Challenges, Feminist Innovations and Radical Futures is a synthesis of Gender, Justice and Security Hub’s key findings and recommendations at the thematic, project, country and Hub-wide levels. Collectively authored by 150 Hub members, it highlights Hub-wide analysis and reflections, findings and recommendations from the streams and projects and individual Hub members’ voices. Read here.
The humanitarian system: politics cannot be avoided
The principle of apolitical humanitarianism—rooted in neutrality, impartiality, and independence—has long been a foundational concept in the humanitarian response. However, the idea of transcending political affiliation as a strength of the field was challenged in the late 20th century, particularly during the Rwandan genocide and other conflicts in which humanitarians found their aid targeted and instrumentalised.2 At the time of writing this, we witness this in Gaza, where those accused of indiscriminate attacks on civilians also control the humanitarian response,3,4 raising questions about the effectiveness of apolitical humanitarianism. Read here.
Unbundling Peacebuilding
Read GAPS member, Mercy Corp’s, research on the effects of bundled peacebuilding activities. Peacebuilding interventions have long been a focus for donors and governments in efforts to stem long-term effects of conflict. Many peacebuilding interventions tend to “bundle” or combine a diverse set of peacebuilding activities together to try to address as many different types of conflict drivers and underlying causes as possible. However, this approach makes it difficult to know which parts of the bundle of peacebuilding activities impact which outcomes. Read here.
In case you missed it
Listen to the Season 2 finale of the “Mind the GAPS podcast” here where GAPS staff shared their reflections and analysis of the last few months and looked towards a more critical application of WPS in the future.
GAPS has launched its blog, Bridging the GAPS: a platform for bold and critical thinkers across gender, peace and security! Read the first edition written by GAPS member, Amnesty UK’s, Chiara Capraro: The new UK government must examine its role in fuelling anti-gender movements at the United Nations. Email lkissick@gaps-uk.org if you would like to submit to the blog.
Read the joint NGO Briefing Note here on the Humanitarian Situation and Funding in Yemen on the Occasion of the 79th United Nations General Assembly, signed by GAPS members, including, Oxfam and CARE international.
Civil society groups, including Amnesty International, have called on the UK Government to overhaul Prevent and counter-extremism policies, as well as advocating for reparations for people abused under it. Read more here.
Less than 10 percent of all the bilateral donor civil society organisations (CSO) funding goes to those in the Global South. Find out the Best Kept Secret in International Development on #ShifthePower
Sign the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security open letter for urgent action to deliver on 25 years of the WPS agenda: sign on their open letter by 4 October, available in English, Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish.
Job Board
Mercy Corps
Assistant Program Officer, Gender and Youth Associate Award (GAYA), (London or US), rolling.
Saferworld
Programme Manager– Afghanistan, (London, Nairobi, Kampala, Bishkek or other locations), 6th October.
Care International
Humanitarian Programme Manager, (London), 20 October.
Local Leadership Learning Agenda – Consultant, (Remote), 14 October.
Plan International
Gender, Safeguarding and Participation Coordinator, (Global), 7 October.