Programs Women, Peace & Security
The Women's Refugee Commission Action Agenda outlines our mission to ensure that displaced women and young people can live in safe surroundings without fear of exploitation and abuse, have access to health care services and make a living to support themselves and their families.
Sexual violence affects millions of people, particularly women and girls. This is exacerbated in conflicts and in situations of displacement. Sexual violence is frequently a military tactic used by armed groups to terrify opponents, demoralize individuals, destroy families and communities, and force families to flee their homes. This type of violence takes many forms, including sexual slavery, kidnapping, forced recruitment, forced prostitution and, most commonly, rape.
In situations of displacement, refugee women and girls must venture out of their camps in search of firewood and food. Every time they leave their camps they are at risk of rape, beatings, even death.
Sexual violence during conflict remains vastly under-addressed due to weak national mechanisms for the protection of women and inadequate health and social support services. Many still view sexual violence as an inevitable, if regrettable, consequence of conflict and displacement.
The Women's Refugee Commission is an active member of the Nongovernmental Organization Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGO WG), which was formed in 2000 to advocate for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on women, peace and security. Since the UN SC Resolution 1325 was adopted and passed, the group has been pressing for its full implementation.
The NGO WG believes great improvements in peace and security can be made with the full participation of women in all decision-making and the full implementation of SCR 1325 (along with SC Resolutions 1820, 1888 and 1889) and the promotion of the Beijing Platform for Action and Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The United Nations is one of our primary advocacy targets as we focus our work on systemic change in policy, funding and practice. We work primarily with the UN Security Council (SC) but also within the UN General Assembly (GA) on specific resolutions that include CEDAW and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
While women and children are increasingly the targets of war, their contributions to building peace at the community level are almost always overlooked or not understood. In an effort to improve this, the Women's Refugee Commission joined the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security on a campaign to press the UN Security Council to acknowledge and tap into the contributions of women who are building and maintaining peace within war-torn countries worldwide.
The Women's Refugee Commission is also a member of the NGO Working Group on the Security Council. This is a group comprised of approximately 30 NGO representatives that have regular off-the-record briefings with a Security Council ambassador. The group also occastionally meets with top UN officials, ministers, parliamentarians and NGO experts.
NGOs seek to share information, expertise and experience with the Security Council in order to influence its thinking on policy matters. NGOs can provide exceedingly valuable field information, helping to improve the Council's issue awareness and contributing to the Council's policy-making process.
The Women’s Refugee Commission has been working on these issues for many years through our advocacy work.
In 2000, we, as a member of the Women, Peace and Security Working Group, along with other women’s human rights defenders and peace organizations, successfully advocated for the landmark Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 on women, peace and security.
In 2008, we advocated for and welcomed the follow-up Security Council Resolution 1820, which advances efforts to prevent and respond to the use of sexual violence. SCR1820 states that sexual violence is a crime that concerns the entire international community and is a security issue that demands a security response.
UNSCR 1820 states unequivocally that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide.” It outlines the fact that the prevention of sexual violence is inseparable from the empowerment of women. Women must be consulted and closely involved in all measures taken on their behalf.
These resolutions have resulted in a greater awareness of the specific concerns of women and girls in conflict. An increasing number of authorities at the international and national levels have since demonstrated political will to address their obligations highlighted in 1325 and 1820.
We had a similar role in the follow-up Security Council Resolutions 1888 and 1889 in 2009. We advocated for both resolutions and provided input into the Secretary General report on SCR 1820.
In October, 2010 the international community will mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325, the first Security Council resolution on women, peace and security. Throughout the year leading up to this anniversary, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security is producing Monthly Action Points (MAP), a series of recommendations that show how each United Nations Security Council President can provide leadership on, and how the Security Council as a whole can systematically meet its obligations to women in conflict. These briefs are designed for Security Council Members, civil society actors, Member States, and UN entities.
The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security has released the July MAP on Women, Peace and Security for the UN Security Council.
Nigeria holds the presidency for the Security Council in July, 2010.
Read Senior Women's Refugee Commission Advocacy Officer, Ada Prince Williams' remarks presented to the NGO Committee on Migration, the NGO Committee on the Status of Women and the NGO Committee on the Family in celebration of International Immigrants Day.
The Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein hosted a panel discussion with the Women's Refugee Commission on January 27 exploring the Link between Livelihoods and Gender-based Violence in Displacement Settings. Read the report.
Read more on the Women's Refugee Commission's work on Gender issues.
