Welcome to our November wrap-up.

November has been a busy month as COP27 in Egypt came to a close, and GAPS took part in the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) Global Conference happening in London.

Ahead of COP27, GAPS released a statement with a call to action for government’s attending the conference. It highlighted the need for transformative action on climate change that put people before profits, including through the development of a substantial loss and damage mechanism. Our statement also echoed Egyptian civil society who called for the immediate release of activists detained for peaceful dissent, and urged stakeholders to recognise that climate action will fail without safe civil spaces.

At the PSVI Conference, GAPS held a session on the cohesion between the Women, Peace and Security agenda (WPS) and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). We welcomed Leo Docherty MP who made opening remarks at the session, and we heard from five speakers from across the world about the need to embed PSVI efforts within the WPS agenda. Ahead of the conference, GAPS co-wrote an opinion piece with Amnesty International UK and Women for Refugee Women focused on the importance of consistency between domestic and international policy on CRSV, and provided a comment to The Guardian about how aid cuts have impacted programming for women and girls. GAPS tweeted about the key remarks and recommendations made by survivors at the conference.

This month, GAPS also invited colleagues to present at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women, Peace and Security on The situation facing women and girls in Afghanistan a year on from the Taliban takeover. The event was an opportunity to hear from Afghan women’s rights activists who have first-hand experience of the current civic space in Afghanistan, and put forward recommendations for the international community on funding and engagement with the de facto government. An event report will be published on the GAPS website in due course, so keep an eye out.

Finally, GAPS and it’s members have begun drafting the Annual Shadow Report which will be due for release in early 2023. You can read our previous reports here. In December, the GAPS team will be looking ahead at 2023 plans and enjoying the holidays!

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November Reads

Monthly Action Points (MAP) for the Security Council: November 2022

For November, in which the Ghana has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Central African Republic, Sudan and Yemen.

 

Women Confronting Loss and Damage: Implications for the UK’s International Climate Policy

This policy brief makes recommendations to the UK Government on international loss and damage climate policy based on findings from ActionAid UK’s report: ‘Women confronting loss and damage in Africa: Feminist climate justice research from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia’.

 

 

 

COP27: Policy and Advocacy Brief

This briefing by Plan International sets out calls to action for parties at the COP27 conference, including ensuring climate policies uphold children’s rights, and financing Loss and Damage taking into account gender equity.

 

Women’s Participation in Local Mediation: Lessons from Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen

UN Women’s report sheds light on the role women have played to resolve conflict and restore social cohesion in their communities- a role that is largely unrecognised. The report makes a series of recommendations to support women’s local mediation while stressing the importance of understanding the local contexts where women mediators operate and providing assistance in a way that ensures their safety and security.

 

 

Resourcing change: Supporting women’s rights organisations in fragile and conflict-affected states

The ‘Resourcing Change’ project has provided 21 women’s rights organisations in Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen with flexible core funding, with relatively easier requirements and processes. The briefing paper presents the main outcomes and learning for the project, and sets our recommendations for donors. It can be read in English and Arabic.

 

 

Breaking the Binary: LGBT+ inclusive approach to the women, peace and security agenda in Nepal and Myanmar

This report by International Alert presents the findings of a study into LGBT+ inclusive approaches to conflict and the women, peace and security agenda. It is based on assessments and interviews with the LGBT+ communities in Myanmar and Nepal and provides priorities and recommendations for their respective governments, international donors, and civil society.

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In case you missed it

Christian Aid has launched a series of essays focused on reimagining a new feminist, anti-racist, eco-social contract. The aim of these essays is to understand how to tranform relationships, not only between the citizen and the state, but also within communities, and between people and planet. Join the discussion alongside a panel from UNRISD, Third World Network, Inequality Alliance, and the Women’s International Peace Centre on Wednesday 7th December from 2-3:30 PM. Find out more and register here.

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Job Board

Christian Aid

Programme Officer – Ukraine Response, (London). Apply by 4 December

Programme Officer – Humanitarian Response, (Juba). Apply by 1 December

Mercy Corps

Policy Advisor – Global Policy and Advocacy, (Washington DC). Apply by 12 December

Oxfam

Gender Officer, (Myanmar). Apply by 2 December

Project Coordinator – Securing Rights, (Bangladesh). Apply by 3 December

UK Partnerships and Programme Manager, (Oxford). Apply by 19 December

Plan International

Youth Movements and Campaigns Coordinator, (Flexible). Apply by 9 December

Saferworld

Programme and Policy Officer, (London). Apply by 6 December

Womankind Worldwide

Consultant – Mid-term Review of ‘Advancing Women’s Engagement: Strengthening Opportunities to Mobilise for Equality’ (AWESOME) in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, (London). Apply by 2 January