Civil society representatives spoke to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, arguing that gender perspectives must be integrated into all components of peace missions. The speakers emphasized that the “critical situation in Sudan provides fundamental lessons for the United Nations to draw down or terminate peacekeeping missions in other transitional countries where women’s lives are at stake.” Recent departures of peace operations from critical hotspots have led to security lapses that exposed women and girls to armed attacks.

Founding Director of Confluence Advisory Kholood Khair stated that the United Nations African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), which was established nearly 20 years ago in the wake of genocide, has played an essential role in bringing a measure of stability to Darfur. However, she regarded the withdrawal in 2020, before any alternative national force had been established, as “a huge miscalculation” because the minimum conditions to mitigate harm to women and girls had not been established. Hence, a “huge protection vacuum” ensued, leading to a dramatic increase in violence in Darfur.

Similarly, the hasty termination of the United Nations Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) in December 2023 was another example of the Council’s failure to consider the perspectives and needs of Sudanese women. Khair claimed that the situation was desperate since the UN did not adequately monitor sexual violence in the country after UNITAMS withdrew, coupled with the outbreak of full-scale war across Sudan. In response, she proposed a single-focused diplomatic track to address violence against civilians, including women and girls, separate from the ceasefire negotiations and underlined the need to identify standards of protection and incorporate norms into the legal framework before the withdrawal. “Above all, the Council must ensure that there is no protection gap between a hasty exit and a new mandate or between termination and handover to Government authorities,” she said.

According to Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), gender equality is central to United Nations peace and security institutions and peacekeeping operations. However, after the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, the armed groups filmed sexual violence and posted it on social media. In 2023, 5,000 cases of rape were reported in Haiti. She noted that “gang rape is becoming a political weapon, a premeditated and obvious defiance of law enforcement.” In addition, women and gender issues are often underrepresented or absent in negotiations with host governments for mission drawdown or withdrawal.

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, also argued that the transition process should not be rushed, especially in the context of political tensions and ongoing security threats. In light of the violence against women, Pobee emphasized the critical role of the Peacebuilding Fund in providing flexible and targeted funding to address gaps. In Liberia, for example, the Fund supported the increased participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution before and after the withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in 2018.

Meanwhile, many representatives stressed the need to ensure that the drawdown of peacekeeping operations did not lead to a regression in women’s rights and gender equality. The representative of the United States asserted that the international community must support communities during the turbulent times of mission transitions, incorporating gender-sensitive policies and “putting the needs of women and girls at the top of the list of priorities.” The representative of China underlined that the Council “should focus on promoting women’s empowerment based on development.”

Francess Piagie Alghali, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone and Council President for the month, stressed that the inclusion of women in peace processes is not merely a matter of equity but also a necessity for sustainable peace, as peace agreements are more durable when women are involved in their negotiation and implementation.