Gender equality at risk: UN officials highlight danger of pulling peacekeepers out

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, which champions gender equality worldwide, told ambassadors in the Security Council that cuts are being made by some governments despite an uptick in conflict and insecurity. 

“It is counter-intuitive that, in the face of unprecedented levels of conflict and violence, the number of deployed peacekeeping personnel has dropped by almost half from 121,000 in 2016 to approximately 71,000 in 2024.”

She highlighted growing misogyny and violence against women and girls, adding that wars are being fought with clear disregard for their lives, rights, welfare or autonomy.

Rushed transitions amid volatility

Also briefing, Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa at the department of peacebuilding affairs, warned of the implications of rushing through a transition process in a tense political climate, persisting security threats, protection concerns and unprepared national stakeholders.  

“Unless transitions are well-structured, adequately resourced and gender-responsive, women and girls will be at risk of setbacks,” she said.

These could include losing access to essential services, being excluded from decision-making and becoming vulnerable to further violence.

Alarm goes off in Haiti

UN Women’s Ms. Bahous cited the case of Haiti, where calls were made protect gender equality gains shortly after the departure of the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSTAH. Alarms were sounded over increased kidnappings, rape and other violence against women and girls by criminal groups.

“That was April of 2019. Ten months later the peacekeepers had left…four and a half years ago,” she said.

“Almost 5,000 cases of rape were reported to case managers and service providers in Haiti in 2023, with homicides, kidnappings, and sexual violence rising every year with no sign of slowing down,” she added.

Gains rolled back in Mali

Ms. Pobee noted the situation in Mali, where the UN peacekeeping MINUSMA closed in December 2023 at the insistence of transitional military authorities.

Prior to its accelerated departure, the country had witnessed “transformative” progress that enhanced women’s political participation.  

“The drawdown of MINUSMA has however negatively impacted peacebuilding programmes focusing on women and girls and sustaining the gains made in the political sphere,” Ms. Pobee.

Fears for DR Congo, Sudan  

She also voiced concerns over the recent departures of missions from key hotspots in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that have led to security vacuums and greater vulnerability for women and girls.

The drawdowns have diminished the UN’s capacity to support national partners in addressing conflict-related sexual violence altogether in areas including investigation, reporting and assistance to survivors.

Other challenges relate to limited funding, and the ability to implement existing national action plans relating to women, peace and security.

Close the gaps

Ms. Bahous urged key steps to help address the gaps left by the accelerated drawdown of UN missions.

The Security Council should ensure that transitions protect gender equality and women’s participation through routine decisions and interactions with host governments and organizations, she said.

Alongside that, there should be regular engagement with women from civil society to chart the impact on the ground, while also facilitating oversight by the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security.  

It should also prioritize financing for women’s peace and security work, collaborate with financial institutions and ensure sufficient resources are allocated when missions are being wound down.  

“We fear a future of increasing atrocities against women, their ever-greater marginalization from decision-making and ultimately a failure of the international community,” she said,

“That prospect should be, and I am confident is, unacceptable for all of us.”