Welcome to Our Secure Future’s monthly Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Digest, “the done for you” newsletter on WPS. Every month we curate the latest articles and reports on intersectional, cross-cutting issues focused on women’s rights, and international peace and security matters. This September, we searched the web for you, and here’s what we found…
2024 United Nations General Assembly
United Nations adopts ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance (UN)
“New York, 22 September 2024 – World leaders today adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations... The most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, covering entirely new areas as well as issues on which agreement has not been possible in decades, the Pact aims above all to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created.
The (Few) Women Leaders to Watch at This Year’s UN General Assembly (Forbes)
“As global instability mounts, the stakes are high for the 79th United Nations General Assembly high-level debate, which begins Tuesday in New York City... This year, once again, the U.N. General Assembly high-level debate will be dominated by men speaking at the rostrum.”
Women, Peace, and Leadership Symposium on Connecting the International and the Local: WPS on the Ground (International Peace Institute)
“On Wednesday, September 25th, IPI together with the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, in partnership with Our Secure Future and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, cohosted the Annual “Women, Peace, and Leadership Symposium on Connecting the International and the Local: WPS on the Ground.” Now in its seventh year, the symposium aims to ensure that WPS is not only discussed within the UN Security Council during WPS week in October, but that it is also integrated into broader high-level discussions at the UN.”
Fixing Trust, Pacts for the Future, and Who’s Missing: A Humanitarian Lens on UNGA (The New Humanitarian)
“On 22 September, countries adopted the so-called Pact for the Future – a broad agreement to revamp the multilateral system, which weighs in on everything from peace and security to artificial intelligence and global governance... Here are a few issues we’re eyeing through a humanitarian lens – from a look at what the pact has to say about the future of crisis response, to who’s missing from UNGA.”
Climate Change
Women hold the solutions to tackling climate change and hunger. Just ask them (World Economic Forum)
“In Diffa, one of the poorest regions of Niger, climate change has led to more frequent droughts and floods that have created severe food insecurity and malnutrition. But despite entrenched gender inequality, communities in Diffa are seeing what happens when women lead and power resilient climate adaptation.”
The Price of Victory in the Gaza War: Women, Climate, and Peace (Wilson Center)
“Amira Saber, member of the Egyptian Parliament, looks at the environmental damage caused by the war in Gaza. She underscores the compounding ill effects of conflict and climate change on Gaza’s future inhabitability and the surviving generation’s health—in particular, women and children.”
How Empowering Women Can Help Southern Africa Combat Climate Change (Care International)
“In nations like Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, crops have failed, livestock and wildlife are dying, and food insecurity is placing over 20 million people at risk. Despite the scale and scope of this crisis, the international community can come together to help. Urgent and strategic actions – actions that help empower women-led organizations in particular – are necessary to address these dire challenges, save lives, and build more resilient communities capable of facing future emergencies.”
Technology
Violence against women: Latin America and UK react to evolving online and tech-enabled harms (International Bar Association)
“Evolving online harms and tech-enabled violence against women and girls (VAWG) have been highlighted by a UK National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) report as a ‘high harm and high-volume threat area’. The report – published in July – identifies online and tech-enabled VAWG as one of five areas the NPCC will focus on in 2025. Criminal offences falling within the scope of ‘online and tech-enabled’ VAWG include stalking, harassment, cyberflashing and the sharing of ‘deepfakes’ – explicit images or videos digitally altered to look like someone else.”
Rapid Online Support for Women in Politics (National Democratic Institute)
“Political women don’t have a centralized place to report the abuse they face, making technology companies aware of harms, or receiving the support necessary to keep them safe and able to continue their work. NDI is launching a new effort to change that. This week at the UN General Assembly and at the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa, NDI leaders kicked off the development of the Rapid Online Support and Assistance Mechanism (ROSA), a first-of-its-kind rapid response tool.”
Decoding tech-facilitated gender-based violence: a reality check from seven countries (Rutgers International)
“Drawing on literature and key informant interviews, we studied technology facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) in Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. The study pinpoints efforts to prevent and mitigate TFGBV, and offers recommendations for how nations, organisations and communities can take action.”
Women in tech groups ‘can’t run on inspiration alone’ (BBC)
“Groups supporting women in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) fields are struggling to survive as corporations’ shrinking budgets, and cultural changes, see diversity strategies take a back seat.”
General WPS
Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2024 (UN Women)
“This publication is the latest edition in an annual series produced by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Covering all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report highlights new data and evidence on gender equality trends and gaps. It finds that the world is still falling short on its commitments to women and girls.”
Celebrating 33 Years of Ukraine’s Independence (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
“Today, Ukraine’s women are on the frontlines, bravely defending their country and its future. Women fighters like Olena Bilozerska, Tetyana Chubar, and Liubov Plaksiuk are among more than 40,000 women fighting on the front lines for Ukraine, standing shoulder to shoulder with men. Thousands more are serving in public service roles to keep the government functioning amidst the war. Many others are starting new businesses to bolster the wartime economy, while countless women take on various roles, all while bearing the primary responsibility of caring for their families.”
Woman, Life, Freedom: The Second Anniversary (Wilson Center)
“On the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death and the beginning of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, Haleh Esfandiari reflects on the recent history of the protest movement and the new presidency's reaction.”
US, Botswana Hold Women, Peace and Security Exchange (National Guard)
“As part of the Southern Accord 2024 exercise, service members from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, and the Botswana Defence Force took part in a Women, Peace and Security workshop Aug. 13-14 focused on best practices for integrating women more fully into military service.”
Back to basics: Fighting for women’s rights under the Taliban (UN Women)
“I was in Kabul on 15 August 2021 – the day the city was captured by the Taliban – acting as the representative for UN Women, a position to which I would later be formally appointed. The day started like any other but by midday, the dread that had been building for some days materialised with the news that the Taliban had entered Kabul’s city gates – their final stop in a takeover that happened so quickly, it felt both inevitable and impossible at the same time.”
“Cotonou, Benin – Special Operations Command Africa and the U.S. Embassy in Benin co-hosted the Women in Security - Africa Conference in Cotonou, Benin, Sept. 3-4, 2024. This milestone event focused on enhancing the role of women in peace and security efforts throughout West Africa, serving as a vital platform for dialogue and collaboration among diverse stakeholders.”
Upcoming Notable Events
October 1, 2024 - Celebrating Women’s Courageous Leadership (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
“Honoring Palestinian and Israeli partner organizations building pro-peace movements: Women of the Sun & Women Wage Peace. Hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, in partnership with the Elevate Prize Foundation.”
November 11, 2024 - Military Women’s Memorial 27th Annual Veterans Day Program
“Mark your calendar to join us on November 11 for the Military Women’s Memorial 27th Annual Veterans Day Program. This observance is one of the major events in the National Capital Region. Free and open to the public, the event includes formal military honors, remarks from current and former servicewomen from each of the military services, and a keynote address.”
November 15, 2024 - Celebrating Women Leaders Benefit (Women's Foreign Policy Group)
“This event is held annually in Washington, DC, to highlight the achievements of some of the most prominent policymakers and thought leaders shaping the world today. The audience of 350 guests comes from various professional, diplomatic, and foreign policy backgrounds, among them leaders from government, think tanks, business, diplomacy, and academia, as well as young professionals. Honorees are recognized for their extraordinary leadership in foreign affairs and national security, as well as their position as trailblazers and role models for aspiring women leaders.”
Opportunities
Safe, Transformative and Inclusive Programming Global Practice Lead (International Rescue Committee)
“IRC’s Crisis Response, Recovery, and Development Department (CRRD) leads the IRC’s programing in crisis-impacted contexts worldwide. Within CRRD, the Technical Excellence (TechEx) pillar seeks to provide focused technical expertise in support of country-based colleagues and partner organizations in different regions. IRC’s Strategy 100 (S100) calls for a critical unpacking, acknowledgment of power dynamics and how they are reflected, addressed in programming, partnership and advocacy.”
Intern, Women's Protection and Safe Programming (Care International)
“CARE is seeking a dedicated intern to support the Humanitarian Affairs Gender in Emergencies team for a 6-week period, working 12-20 hours (1.5 -2.5 days) per week. The intern will play a crucial role in internal reporting and evidence generation, focusing on tracking progress towards an internal indicator related to humanitarian protection and GBV risk mitigation in CARE humanitarian surge proposals.”
Director of Policy and Programs, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security - Walsh School of Foreign Service (Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security)
“The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS) is seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Director of Policy and Programs to advance its mission of centering women in all global policy and debates on peace and security. The Director of Policy and Programs will supervise the GIWPS Policy Team and lead the strategic development and execution of the Institute’s policy advocacy strategy, which will involve using strategic outreach to shape the policy of governments and multilateral institutions, collaborating with frontline peacebuilders and connecting them with global decision-makers, and hosting high-level convenings to shift the conversation.”