In progress at UNHQ

Women and gender issues


SC/15786

The grave situation in Sudan offers fundamental lessons for drawdowns and terminations of United Nations peacekeeping missions in other transition contexts where women’s lives are at stake — such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Somalia and Haiti — the Security Council heard today, as delegates underscored the need to integrate a gender perspective into all components of peace missions.

In Sudan, over 10 million people — 20 per cent of the population — have been displaced since fighting broke out 15 months ago, the International Organization for Migration reports. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and World Food Programme continued aid delivery this week despite major challenges.

The UN Department of Peace Operations has launched its annual report on women, peace and security. The report highlights the work done by UN peacekeepers on gender equality, and it says that the rapid spread and intensity of armed conflicts and protracted crises has heavily impacted women and girls worldwide.

In Bangladesh, prior to the anticipated landfall of a cyclone in the southern parts of the country, the World Food Programme (WFP) swiftly dispatched cash assistance to 30,000 families — about 150,000 people — most at risk, as part of WFP’s flagship programme “Anticipatory Action” for climate shocks.