GAPS Newsletter: September 2022

4 October 2022

Welcome to our September wrap-up.

This month, GAPS launched our 2021 Shadow Report at an event that brought together GAPS members, civil society, parliamentarians and other stakeholders to discuss the UK Government’s implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in 2021. The event heard from multiple speakers who focused on key issues for WPS implementation, including ODA cuts, Afghanistan, the need for domestication and the root causes of conflict. It was an opportunity for interested parties to the WPS agenda to ask questions and engage in a fruitful discussion about what the UK Government can do going forward as it finalises its next National Action Plan on WPS. The event report will be published shortly on the GAPS website, so do keep an eye out.

Also this month, we were pleased to announce the launch of the WPS Helpdesk Website. GAPS is a partner on the helpdesk alongside Saferworld, Conciliation Resources, Women’s International Peace Centre and the University of Durham. The website covers a wide range of publications from gender and conflict analysis for different contexts, to thematic research on WPS, literature reviews, context-based WPS stakeholder mappings and WPS training materials. You can also read the Helpdesk’s latest research on the website.

Finally this month, GAPS joined over 400 organisations across 92 countries and signed onto the NGO Working Group on WPS’s open letter that calls on the UN, Security Council and Member States to take action to defend peace, human rights and gender equality including by:

1. Urgently stepping up preventive diplomacy in all conflict situations;
2. Defending gender equality and the human rights of diverse women and girls in all conflicts and crises;
3. Ensuring women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of peace and security, including peace processes; and Ending intimidation, attacks and reprisals against all women human rights defenders, peacebuilders and civil society leaders.

We are looking forward to a busy upcoming month, and in particular will be attending and monitoring the UNSC’s Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security which is happening on Thursday 20th October. You can watch the coverage online here.

Finally, recruitment continues for a Policy Advocacy and Communications Manager on a maternity cover for one year. You can find out more about the role and how to apply on our website. Don’t miss out!

September Reads

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

For September, in which the France has the presidency of the UN Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.

Assessing UK Government Action on Women, Peace and Security in 2021

In this shadow report, GAPS assesses the 2021 Annual Report to Parliament by the UK Government and focuses on how the UK Government has used, and could have used, the penultimate year of implementation for this National Action Plan (NAP) to lay a strong foundation for the final year.

Global gendered impacts of the Ukraine crisis on energy access and food security and nutrition

The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on women and girls worldwide, widening gender gaps, and increasing rates of food insecurity, malnutrition and energy poverty. This policy paper reviews the available evidence, recommending urgent attention to its consequences for women and girls, and concludes with recommendations for essential measures to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals

Prospects and challenges for women’s roles in conflict prevention and reconciliation in Lebanon

This policy brief includes findings from analysis conducted in 2021 in Tripoli and Baalbek as part of the Creating Space for Women Peacebuilders project. It outlines lessons learned on advancing the women, peace and security agenda, dealing with the gendered impacts of the civil war and developing spaces for women-led conflict prevention in Lebanon.

Migration and Peacebuilding

This report is the culmination of research, discussions, and learning exchanges with over 100 people working tirelessly for displaced people. It explores the relationship between conflict and migration patterns, and how local peacebuilders are key to understanding and stopping the structural violence that perpetuates forced displacement around the world.

Generation Equality accountability report 2022

This report follows the 2021 Generation Equality Forum, where world leaders and partners made commitments to eliminating gender inequality, and takes stock of the implementation of their commitments over the past year.

In case you missed it

A new Prime Minister was appointed in the UK this month, Liz Truss. Liz Truss addressed the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and outlined three main issues for the UK following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. You can watch the full speech here.

The new Prime Minister appointed new Cabinet members this month, and with that came the creation of a new post: Minister for International Development, which has been filled by Vicky Ford. You can also read about the response to the appointment of James Cleverly as the new Foreign Secretary here.