OVERVIEW

This September 2014 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for South Sudan follows the previous analysis conducted in May 2014. The process began in late August with a series of two-day workshops in most states, followed by a 12-day national-level analysis workshop in Yei from 27 August to 6 September. From 7 to 9 September, the IPC Technical Working Group validated and finalized the analysis at technical level. The workshop was open to any organization that wished to contribute, and was attended by more than 70 participants from over a dozen state and central government ministries, UN agencies, and NGOs.

Upon returning to Juba, the IPC Technical Working Group briefed the Deputy Minister of Agriculture on the results of the analysis. On 23 September, two weeks after concluding the analysis, the Minster of Agriculture publicly endorsed the IPC results in a press release and press conference in Juba. Later the same week, on 26 September, the IPC results were presented to the Council of Ministers and officially validated at cabinet level.

KEY MESSAGES

Food security across the country has begun improving in August and September and is expected to continue on a positive trend through December 2014 according to seasonal patterns, particularly in areas not affected by conflict. Normal rainfall, good crop planting and performance, and the start of the green harvest in late August have had a positive effect on the seasonal availability of crops, livestock products, fish, and wild foods. However, due to displacement, planting in Greater Upper Nile has been reduced, which will impact overall cereal production and lead to faster stock depletion.

While there are significant improvements since the May IPC, the situation is much worse compared to a typical year at harvest time. 1.5 million people are projected to remain in Phase 3 (Crisis) and Phase 4 (Emergency) through December 2014, including one-third of the population of Greater Upper Nile. These populations have made it through conflict, displacement, and a harsh lean season in 2014 by relying on coping mechanisms, including traditional kinship sharing and distress asset depletion. As a result, their resilience into 2015 is expected to be very weak, particularly if new shocks occur.

The outlook for 2015 is of great concern, with 2.5 million people projected to be in Crisis or Emergency from January to March 2015, including nearly half of the population of Greater Upper Nile. Severe challenges include early depletion of household food stocks, dysfunctional markets, loss of livelihoods, and displacement – all resulting from protracted conflict. In the absence of funded and planned humanitarian interventions for 2015, phase classifications for January to March were unable to factor in assistance as a mitigating factor.

The overall nutrition situation remains dire for September to December. The prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) is likely to remain above emergency thresholds (GAM >15%), as defined by the World Health Organization, especially in conflict-affected states. High levels of acute malnutrition are attributed to inadequate food consumption as well as other factors including morbidity, dietary and feeding habits, and constrained health and nutrition service delivery. The availability of nutrition information, including mortality data, has improved but remains a challenge.

In the areas it has reached, humanitarian assistance has reduced the number of people in Crisis and Emergency phases. However, deliveries remain inconsistent due to logistical constraints during the rainy season, continued insecurity, and insufficient funding.

There is a short window of opportunity to take action before the end of the year when nearly half of households in Greater Upper Nile will have depleted their food stocks, and when new shocks may occur. In order to prevent a dramatic deterioration of food insecurity and malnutrition in 2015, immediate actions should include scaling up humanitarian assistance, including nutrition and livelihood interventions, ensuring safe movement of large volumes of food stocks, and most importantly, securing a peaceful solution to the ongoing political crisis.

METHODS

The IPC is a set of standardized international protocols that provide a global ‘common currency’ for classifying food insecurity, allowing for comparison across countries and over time. The IPC is a multi-stakeholder process based on broad technical consensus, offering decision makers an objective and rigorous analysis of food insecurity.

The conclusions of this IPC analysis were reached using the protocols of IPC 2.0. The units of analysis were counties and livelihoods zones. The data that fed into the IPC analysis came from a wide range of sources, including reports from state government officials, state coordinators from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the latest Food Security Monitoring System (FSMS) surveys, crop planting assessment reports, nutrition SMART surveys, and other sources.

For the first time, this IPC incorporated nutrition information into the analysis and classification. Low availability of nutrition information, particularly mortality data, presented a significant challenge, but overall the quantity and quality of nutrition information in this IPC was significantly improved compared to previous IPC analysis.

The analysis is divided into three timeframes, each with a corresponding map and population figures: the current situation in September 2014, the projected situation for October to December 2014, and the projected situation for January to March 2015.1 In the scenario planning for January to March, two factors were considered: Insecurity was assumed at the same levels as January to March 2014, and at the time of the analysis, no agency had secured funding or planning for interventions in 2015.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are included in the tallies for the population tables and maps. South Sudanese who fled the country as refugees were deducted from population totals. Humanitarian aid delivered inside protection of civilian (POC) sites is not factored into the projection for January to March because at the time of the analysis, no agency had secured funding or planning for interventions in 2015.

The IPC in South Sudan is produced by the IPC Technical Working Group. For more information, please contact the chair of the Technical Working Group, John Pangech (jo.pangech@yahoo.co.uk) or the Policy and Communication Junior Officer from the FAO office in South Sudan, Kevin Merkelz (kevin.merkelz@fao.org).

With only 1 in 3 school age children across the country currently enrolled in school, leadership from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Save the Children and UNICEF came together today to affirm their commitment to providing quality education opportunities for all, even during crisis.

And in a new survey undertaken by Save the Children, children, parents and community leaders affected by the violence say education is a number one priority.

Education is key to helping children establish a sense of structure and normalcy during crises. It lowers their risk of being exposed to violence and exploitation as well as to early marriage, and allows them to develop healthy coping strategies.

The survey shows the respondents agree.

Education, they say, can protect children and save and transform their present and future. An 11-year-old girl highlighted how, “Teachers teach us how to protect ourselves.”

While, a parent said: “I am not educated and this makes me vulnerable. The only thing we want is for our children to learn so they are not vulnerable like us.”

Their message is clear: education must be placed front and centre in the humanitarian response. 62% of children and 33% of adults consulted prioritised education over other needs, such as food, water, and shelter.

These consultations also come at a critical time, as both UN and NGO partners are developing their response plans for 2015. The commitments to ensure a strong emergency education response are the first step to ensuring access to tens of thousands of crisis-affected students who are currently out of school.

“The right to a quality and relevant education is fundamental to the holistic wellbeing of children, their futures and the future of their communities,” says Jonathan Veitch, Country Representative of UNICEF. “Education must be made a priority in the humanitarian response, and this is what people in South Sudan want.”

“Again and again, we find that children and families prioritise education, even in crisis situations,” says Save the Children CEO Jasmine Whitbread. “They say that without education, there is no future and as humanitarian actors we must listen and respond to the priorities of affected populations.”

Following today’s joint stakeholder discussion, the Undersecretary of Education Michael Lopuke confirmed that education is a priority for the current administration: “Despite the present challenges, South Sudanese must look to the future, and to our children, who represent the potential of this great nation. It is crucial that we work with our international partners to ensure we are creating a peaceful and prosperous South Sudan - and that road begins with quality educational opportunities for all. Education cannot wait.”

Marthe van der Wolf

GAMBELLA, SOUTH WESTERN ETHIOPIA— Young South Sudanese refugees in camps in Ethiopia speak their minds about the South Sudan government, the rebels and their failure to end 10 months of fighting.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir met his former vice-president Riek Machar last week in Arusha, Tanzania in another attempt to reach a peace deal.

The fighting has displaced nearly 2 million people. And over 200,000 have fled to neighboring countries such as Ethiopia.

Gatwech Sok fled the fighting in Upper Nile State and came to Ethiopia in July. The 22-year-old student believes the fighting will stop soon. He says peace can be reached if the people of South Sudan unite and stand together.

Another head of state meeting is planned in the coming days in Addis Ababa, where peace talks have been taking place for months. One major issue is establishing a transitional government of national unity. Several agreements were signed earlier this year, including a much violated cease-fire deal.

Reath Bum is 25 years old and was a soldier in the opposition forces. He came to Ethiopia in July to bring his family in to safety. He wants to go back again to fight, but doesn’t have the funds for transport back to South Sudan. He believes fighting is the better option now.

He says they are fighting for their rights and only if the president steps up, can the war stop.

Most refugee camps in the northern part of Gambella province are hosting South Sudanese who came from Upper Nile State and all are ethnic Nuers.

Everyone in these camps believes no lasting peace agreement can be reached if the ethnically Dinka president Kiir remains in office. The Dinka are the largest ethnic group in South Sudan.

Kiir’s opponent, former vice-president Machar belongs to the second largest ethnic group, the Nuer, and so do many of Machar’s soldiers. The contested coup, that Kiir accuses his former deputy of, quickly turned violent and ethnic.

Wang Diew, 27, a Nuer himself, says people were being killed just for belonging to a certain ethnic group. He says the main reason why fighting broke out in South Sudan is tribalism.

Rebecca Nyakuel is a 30-year-old mother of three. The fighting made her decide to cross the border into Ethiopia last July to keep her children safe from the war. She used to cultivate her own crops in Upper Nile State but now depends on food distributions. She believes the country needs a new president. She says that if there is a good president, the war can stop. But the war will not end with Salva Kiir as president.

Current discussions between the two warring factions are focusing on sharing power between Kiir and former vice president Machar. The East African bloc IGAD has led the peace talks and has the delegations discussing the framework for a transitional government of unity.

The two sides admitted last week that both factions are responsible for the violence in South Sudan and again pledged to work towards peace and stability as the conflict has killed over ten thousand people so far.

GA/SPD/567
Sixty-ninth session,
15th Meeting (AM)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
MEETINGS COVERAGE

The “remarkable” scale of United Nations peacekeeping operations, where personnel often operated in remote areas, across massive distances and in increasingly hostile environments, came alive today in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) during briefings by senior Secretariat officials, as that body began its annual comprehensive review of the subject.

Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told Member States that the “scale of peacekeeping is matched by its complexity; missions support sensitive political processes and work to shore up weak State institutions. They reach out to local communities caught in violence and conflict, and do so with commitment and courage.”

Some two thirds of peacekeeping personnel today were deployed in the midst of ongoing conflict, he said, where peace agreements or elements were shaky or absent. Conflicts today were also increasingly intensive, involving determined armed groups with access to sophisticated armaments and techniques, as well as transnational criminal networks and terrorist organizations, he added.

There were three interlinked challenges that must be addressed through the world’s collective efforts: safety and security of personnel; willingness and ability to effectively protect civilians across missions; and the imperative to help advance political dialogue and create the condition for reconciliation. Ultimately, peacekeeping was a political instrument, Mr. Ladsous said, which depended upon the political support of the international community.

Each year, for the past six years, more than 100 peacekeepers had died while serving war-torn countries, he said, expressing his condolences to the families and deepest gratitude for those who had given their lives to bring a better future to the 175 million men, women and children living where peacekeepers served.

Also briefing, Ameerah Haq, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, recalled that, 15 years ago, mission support was a simple derivative of the substantive components of a mission; few questions were asked about how to make it timelier or improve its quality. Since then, she said, the Department of Field Support had initiated a new process through the Global Field Support Strategy aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness.

All must ask themselves how fit peacekeeping operations were, given the changes in mandate, deployment and environment, she said, adding that through regular reviews of staffing, her Department was able to contain civilian personnel costs and had eliminated more than 3,000 support jobs. As a result, spending per deployed peacekeeper dropped 16 per cent in five years. Her Department remained fully committed to addressing misconduct by those deployed in field operations, bearing in mind the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.

In sum, she said the Department must focus on immediate priorities, including improving safety and security, enabling faster deployment, encouraging the use of appropriate technology and strengthening internal processes.

The Committee then began its general debate, during which speakers, representing the major groups, underscored various aspects of peacekeeping, such as adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter, respect for national sovereignty, establishment of achievable mandates, greater consultations with countries contributing personnel, a proper reimbursement mechanism, and gender mainstreaming.

Also speaking today were representatives of Morocco (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), Thailand (on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Costa Rica (on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and Australia (also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand). A representative of the European Union Delegation also spoke.

The Committee will meet at 10 a.m., Wednesday, 29 October, to continue its comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations.

Briefings

HERVÉ LADSOUS, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said his Department, together with that of Field Service, had introduced new technologies, established periodic reviews of missions, worked to broaden the contributors’ base, and created a new Office for Peacekeeping Strategic Partnership.

The scale of United Nations peacekeeping operations was remarkable, and those often operated in remote areas, across massive distances and in increasingly hostile environments. The scale of peacekeeping was matched by its complexity; missions supported sensitive political processes and worked to shore up weak State institutions. They reached out to local communities caught in violence and conflict, and did so with commitment and courage.

Today’s conflicts, while fewer in number, were deeply rooted, Mr. Ladsous said. Some, such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur and South Sudan, were in a second or third wave of conflict. Many were complicated by regional dimensions that hindered their resolution. In fact, some two thirds of peacekeeping personnel today were deployed in the midst of ongoing conflict, where peace agreements or elements were shaky or absent. Conflicts today were also increasingly intensive, involving determined armed groups with access to sophisticated armaments and techniques, as well as transnational criminal networks and terrorist organizations.

In the past year, the world saw the outbreak of the devastating Ebola virus, which might have enduring security, economic and social impacts, he said. It was critical that all stakeholders worked together to fight Ebola and preserve the hard-won peace in West Africa.

The Security Council, he said, had continued to turn to United Nations peacekeeping, approving comprehensive and, at times, robust mandates. The Council had also mandated re-hatting of African Union forces in Mali and the Central African Republic, which indicated a shift in how peacekeeping generated forces and capabilities. Work had been done to provide enhanced capabilities to meet those challenges. The 117,000 military, police and civilian personnel serving in 16 missions faced constantly evolving challenges. It was essential that the diverse Member States who contributed personnel, authorized and financed the operations came together to find creative solutions.

In that respect, the Secretary General’s review of peace operations was timely, he said, noting that the Secretary-General would soon appoint his high-level panel. By necessity, that body must work closely with troop- and police-contributing countries and other key stakeholders to shape “impactful” recommendations. The United Nations would also work to ensure synergies with the review of the peacebuilding architecture and the high-level review on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. Once the panel issued its report, the Secretary-General would then prepare one for consideration by the General Assembly and the Security Council before the 2015 Assembly session. The review would examine all United Nations peace operations, including special political missions.

He said there were three interlinked challenges that must be addressed by the panel, but also through the world’s collective efforts, in the year ahead. The first was safety and security. In Mali, terrorist groups targeted peacekeepers; they had driven vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti checkpoints and laid mines on the way to water points and airstrips. In the past year, there were carjackings in Darfur, kidnappings in the Golan Heights, and a recent fatal ambush in the capital city of the Central African Republic. In the first two weeks of October alone, 15 peacekeeping personnel had been lost to hostile attacks. He strongly condemned all such attacks, and called on host authorities to fully investigate and bring to justice those responsible. He meanwhile acknowledged missions’ efforts to respond swiftly to increasingly dangerous situations, and noted that solutions had been found in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force to secure the release of all detained peacekeepers. Additionally, the Force’s posture had been adjusted in response to the new threats.

Safety and security were a shared responsibility of host Governments, the United Nations and Member States, he said, urging the United Nations to update its policies, tactics, techniques and procedures to address new types of threats, including improvised explosive devices and challenges in asymmetric environments. Vehicles must be hardened and compounds must be reinforced, which had resource implications. The United Nations would work with troop- and police-contributing countries to adapt predeployment training to those new environments.

The second challenge was having the willingness and ability to effectively protect civilians across missions, which must be understood as the most important obligation. The international community must come with the determination, capability and resources required. However, protection by presence alone could not be the default approach to addressing threats against civilians. In South Sudan, for example, flexibility and timely decision-making saved countless lives.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he went on, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo had demonstrated its resolve to not back down when confronted by those who would threaten the most vulnerable. The Mission’s posture had also opened new opportunities to extend State authority into areas previously controlled by lawless armed groups. In the Central African Republic, the Bangui Task Force was an innovative cooperation arrangement aimed at stabilizing the capital. There should be a change in expectations of the civilian protection mandate and a proactive posture focused on anticipating, to the degree possible, threats to civilians. Despite best efforts, it was not possible for peacekeepers to protect everyone. To implement mandates, including civilian protection, missions must receive all necessary funds and means, including mobility, monitoring and surveillance tools.

His third point was the imperative to help advance political dialogue and create the condition for reconciliation. Historically, peacekeeping operations had been able to assist and even accelerate peace processes and stability, and early peacebuilding efforts. Yet, when there was no viable road map, the challenge was tremendous. In Darfur, the Security Council deployed a peacekeeping operation to address tremendous human suffering; however, the political conditions to permit genuine reconciliation had not been found. As the crisis in South Sudan showed, the delay of a host Government or the lack of political will to advance the peace process remained an important obstacle for effective mandate implementation. Reconciliation was the enduring path towards both the protection of civilians and safety and security for peacekeepers, he added.

Given the current challenges, Mr. Ladsous set out several critical priorities. Among them were strengthened capabilities of peacekeepers. The two Departments had recently developed a strategic agenda for uniformed capability development over the medium-term, with a focus on, among others, rapid deployment; standing capabilities; increased mobility of all units in-theatre, including aviation support; enhanced medical support; improvised explosive devices-survivability measures; improved information and analysis; expertise to address transnational threats such as organized crime; and planning and implementation.

The uniformed capability development agenda complemented the ongoing work on United Nations standards for military units, he said, noting that, in an innovative and transparent way, more than 45 Member States had supported the effort. Once approved, an implementation plan should begin early in 2015. The Office for the Peacekeeping Strategic Partnership was now fully operational, helping to identify gaps in achieving mandates, recommending ways to enhance the safety, security and welfare of uniformed personnel, and incorporating lessons learned.

He said that the ongoing implementation of revisions to the troop reimbursement frameworks would also help ensure that peacekeepers were properly equipped. Among other measures, there was a new premium for quick deployment of enabling capabilities, involving the provision of critical force multipliers such as helicopters, medical units, and engineering support. A new provision for the rotation of ageing contingent-owned equipment was also in play, as was a new premium for exceptional performance in situations of risk. Technology was another critical tool. By introducing unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations had shown its ability to modernize and use the latest technologies to monitor movements of armed groups and thus better protect vulnerable populations. The two Departments had set up a high-level Panel on Technology and Innovation, which should be ready to share its findings soon.

To ensure appropriate capabilities, the base of major contributors to peacekeeping must be expanded, while deepening the engagement of existing contributors. A related priority was rapid deployment of specialized expertise through Standing Police Capacity, Justice and Corrections Standing Capacity and Mine Action Rapid Response. However, with regard to peacekeepers, enabling capacities such as engineering, air and ground transport and medical support remained “choke points”. Work was under way to improve internal processes. It would be helpful for Member States to prepare troops for peacekeeping missions in advance of a Security Council resolution. A related priority was cooperation with regional organizations and parallel missions in crisis response.

The focus was also on improved intelligence and situational awareness, he said, adding that collection and analysis of a range of intelligence sources needed to be enhanced and informed decisions taken at the tactical operation and strategic levels. In that regard, technology was a powerful enabler. In Mali, when the All Sources Intelligence Fusion Unit was fully online, there would be unprecedented ability to gather and analyse information relating to threats to peacekeeping personnel and the local population. Performance was also critical, he said, noting that the Organization was held to an increasingly high standard by the international community and citizens where it was deployed. The Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy on misconduct and sexual abuse by civilian, military and police peacekeepers continued to be implemented. In addition, policies had been introduced that set clear and non-negotiable thresholds for personal conduct. The Human Rights Due Diligence Policy and the Policy on Human Rights Screening of United Nations Personnel were distinct yet complementary, and full implementation of both required continued engagement and cooperation with Member States.

Finally, he said, it was vital to help to extend State authority in the form of police, courts, prisons and local authorities so that countries could build and sustain peace themselves, for which common funding pools could be useful. Ultimately, he added, lasting peace in any country required functioning and legitimate local State institutions, which could protect their own citizens and provide basic services. In that connection, notable progress had been made through the Global Focal Point for Police, Justice and Corrections. In the Central African Republic, for example, joint teams were being established within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic structure to support a single rule of law framework. In Liberia, to support the rule of law aspects of Ebola, the Global Focal Point was funding a joint project covering police justice and corrections.

In pursuing innovation, strong and effective stewardship must be demonstrated regarding the resources entrusted to peacekeeping. The Organization was working to improve effectiveness and a process had been put in place for periodic reviews of all missions, to align their civilian components to their evolving mandates.

Ultimately, he said, peacekeeping was a political instrument, which depended upon the political support of the international community. With such a diverse set of stakeholders, however, systemic change was a challenge. Meanwhile, the demands on the ground do not heed the pace of multilateral institutions. Each year, for the past six years, more than 100 peacekeepers had died while serving war-torn countries. The scale of human suffering in the countries where the United Nations operated was immense and demanded a collective response from all.

In closing, he said when the Organization spoke in one voice, peacekeeping was renewed and strengthened for the advancement of world peace and security in an increasingly complex and challenging world. He recognized all the brave men and women who served peacekeeping every day, and recalled with sorrow all those — too many — who had paid the ultimate price. The United Nations honoured their memory and would continue to work towards the cause for which they sacrificed.

AMEERAH HAQ, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, said that peacekeeping relied on the professionalism of all men and women who served, and its success depended on the support of all Member States. She paid tribute to the peacekeepers in the field, serving far from home, in extreme circumstances, to guard fragile peace processes. Already 104 lives had been lost this year. She recognized the commitments made at the Summit on Strengthening International Peace Operations and the trilateral cooperation efforts involving troop contributors, the United Nations and the providers of equipment and training.

Offering a brief review of the Secretary General’s review of peace operations, she recalled that, 15 years ago, mission support was a simple derivative of the substantive components of a mission; few questions were asked about how to make it timelier or improve its quality. Since then, the Department of Field Support had initiated a new process through the Global Field Support Strategy aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness. During the review, all must ask themselves how fit peacekeeping operations were, given the changes in mandate, deployment and environment. Her Department supported both the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Political Affairs. It also led a number of missions or otherwise supported them, including the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-United Nations joint mission and the United Nations Mission for Emergency Ebola Response (UNMEER).

As outlined by Under-Secretary-General Ladsous, the conditions for peacekeeping had grown more complex and difficult with increasingly demanding tasks. Peacekeepers were now at the forefront of action taken to prevent human rights violations, but all too often, the United Nations itself was seen as a target. Such dangerous operating environments posed new challenges. Presently, peacekeeping operations deployed 2.5 times more uniformed personnel than at the time of the Brahimi report; her Department supported some 127,000 deployed personnel in more than 30 countries. In 2014, the Department of Safety and Security assessed that more than 40 per cent of operations were “highly dangerous”. The threats had grown more diverse and included terrorism, transnational crime, natural disaster, and epidemics.

This past month, she went on, had been one of the most difficult in terms of peacekeepers lost. That high-risk environment increased the need for fast and flexible support. Reconciling the need for speed with that of procedural compliance would take determination and creative thinking, she added. The Department’s focus on innovation and improvement had enabled significant progress in field support. Through regular reviews of mission staffing, the Department was able to contain civilian personnel costs and had eliminated more than 3,000 support jobs. As a result, spending per deployed peacekeeper dropped 16 per cent in five years.

Regarding personnel and institutional accountability, her Department remained fully committed to addressing misconduct by those deployed in field operations, bearing in mind the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. She and Mr. Ladsous had issued joint statements to uniformed and non-uniformed personnel to reiterate the zero-tolerance policy.

Looking ahead, the Department must focus on immediate priorities, including improving safety and security, enabling faster deployment, encouraging the use of appropriate technology and strengthening internal processes, she added. Both Departments were working together to ensure the safety of peacekeepers, whose capabilities must match the challenges they faced. Additionally, the two Departments had embarked on a capability development agenda, for peacekeepers to be trained and equipped for improvised explosive devices and terrorist threats, as well as for natural disasters and epidemics. Too often, the imperative to deploy took priority without due regard for equipment and other capabilities needed to catalyse troops’ effective functioning. The Department had learned from experiences in Mali and the Central African Republic, among others, which had been useful in planning for UNMEER. Regional organizations also played an important role in ensuring rapid deployment. While re-hatting regional forces as Blue Helmets could become a more regular feature of missions, much had to be done to ensure a smooth process, she said.

She welcomed Member States’ support to troop- and police-contributing countries and encouraged triangular partnerships between the United Nations and Member States able to provide troops or training. Noting the need to better use technology, she said that applied appropriately, that could help peacekeepers do their jobs more effectively, in what she called “smarter” peacekeeping. She was also committed to explore with Mr. Ladsous technologies that could improve safety for peacekeepers and civilians.

Key decisions by the General Assembly had come into effect, reflecting an ongoing evolution of the framework for troop and police reimbursement. All members should be aware of the importance of the agreement on the new rate of reimbursement for personnel, she said, noting that the membership had agreed on several measures to allow a better response by the Department to peacekeeping challenges. She was confident that the new regime agreed upon by the General Assembly to meet costs of the transport of United Nations contingent-owned equipment system to replace aging items, which would help with the challenge in the field of maintaining capabilities in the face of harsh conditions.

Also concerning reforms, she drew attention to the Enterprise Resource Planning System, or Umoja, which helped to improve mission planning and management. She also stressed the importance of delegated authority, which empowered mission leadership. The degree to which authorities, accountabilities and responsibilities were aligned impacted the Organization’s ability to deliver its political and operational commitments, and she hoped that the Peace Operations Review Panel would look at that challenge.

She thanked the delegates for their strong support throughout her decade-long affiliation with United Nations peacekeeping, and extended her gratitude to Mr. Ladsous. In closing, she repeated her strong belief that, “when our peacekeeping partnership has the necessary resources to deliver in the field, when it is empowered by its Member States to be flexible and responsive and when it is energized by political will, United Nations peacekeeping has proven to be and will continue to be a powerful tool for conflict management and peace consolidations”.

Statements

OMAR HILALE (Morocco), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, thanked the United Nations officials for their presentations, and said peacekeeping was passing a crucial juncture as a result of the increased demand, and the expansion and complexity of its tasks and mandates. It was dealing with responsibilities beyond the nature of its political and military roles, and implementation, therefore, was challenging. Peacekeeping operations should neither be used as an alternative to addressing the root causes of conflict nor managing them. Rather, they should be based on a comprehensive and coherent vision to be implemented through political, social and developmental tools, aimed at achieving and securing smooth transition to lasting peace.

He emphasized that the establishment of a peacekeeping operation or extension of a mandate should strictly observe the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. They should be based on consensus among Member States, and policy development should ensure that only those ideas and approaches that had been adopted by Member States collectively would be implemented. Missions should receive all necessary support including financial, human resource and military and civilian capabilities. The Security Council should provide a strong commitment to drafting clear and achievable mandates, based on an objective assessment. Troop-contributing countries should have full participation in policy formulation and decision-making, he said, stressing the need for further consultations with Member States on ways to protect missions from breaches of personnel safety.

ORGROB AMARACHGUL (Thailand), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and associating with the Non-Aligned Movement, said peacekeeping operations demonstrated the collective effort of the Member States in securing peace in the most difficult parts of the world. ASEAN was satisfied with the report in addressing the new challenges. From the spread of Ebola to the targeted attacks by extremist groups, peacekeepers’ safety was a pressing issue. All must ensure that field missions remained effective and adequately supported with access to modern technology. ASEAN also welcomed the overdue agreement on increased reimbursements. Consultations between the Security Council, the Secretariat and troop-contributing countries were crucial for the success of peacekeeping operations, he said, noting that almost 4,000 ASEAN peacekeepers were taking part in various peacekeeping missions.

Speaking in his national capacity, he said that Thailand had sent peacekeepers to serve in more than 20 missions. The country’s approach to peacekeeping was based on its view that peace, security, human rights, and development were interlinked. In light of past experience, Thailand firmly believed that women were instrumental to the success of peacekeeping in post-conflict resolution. ASEAN reiterated its commitment to support the operations.

JUAN CARLOS MENDOZA-GARCÍA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said a thorough and systematic analysis was required to improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and to maintain the credibility of the Organization. When establishing any peacekeeping operation or extending the mandate of existing ones, the purposes and principles of the Charter should be strictly observed, especially respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and non-interference in internal affairs of States, as well as the guiding principles of those operations.

Stressing the importance of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations as the unique and irreplaceable intergovernmental body, he called for increased participation by troop- and police-contributing countries in the process of policy drafting and decision-making. CELAC believed it was essential to assure the highest level of ethical conduct of peacekeeping personnel, he said, stressing the need to promote women’s full participation in the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. There could be no sustainable peace without efforts to fight poverty, hunger and inequality. For that reason, coordination was essential between peacekeeping operations and the Organization’s peacebuilding architecture.

ALAN GRIFFIN (Australia), also speaking on behalf of Canada and New Zealand, called for consistent standards and adequate guidance in order to generate properly prepared forces. The group strongly supported the development of United Nations Military Units Manuals, and urged that effective oversight mechanisms be in place. The evolution of modern peacekeeping had led to an increased demand for United Nations police, and he proposed the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution focused on practical steps to increase the effectiveness of police components. Training peacekeepers in line with the Organization’s standards, particularly at the predeployment phase, was also critical.

Touching on other points of importance to the Group, he said recent crises in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan had demonstrated that sexual violence in conflict remained a “dreadful” reality, but he noted some progress had been made in connection with the Security Council’s resolve to combat it. He welcomed the reimbursement rate for troop contributors and the Assembly’s consensus decision on the 2014-2015 peacekeeping budget. Protecting civilians remained central to the credibility and effectiveness of multidimensional peacekeeping missions. The expectations of a Chapter VII mission was clear: intervene without hesitation when civilians were under attack, using force when necessary. Civilian protection mandates must have proactive and preventative strategies and a common understanding of obligations, both for prevention and for intervention.

Finally, he encouraged further analysis on flexible mission-wide early-warning capabilities and on support to host Governments in exercising their responsibilities. Additionally, he called for more innovative approaches to contemporary operational challenges. As the safety of United Nations field personnel was, more than ever, threatened by insurrection, insurgency, and terrorists, weapons proliferation affected the peacekeepers’ ability to provide security for themselves and for civilians. He thus encouraged further support to assist peacekeepers in tracking and managing illicit weapons flows and in implementing arms embargoes.

IOANNIS VRAILAS, representative of the European Union Delegation, recognized the demanding conditions in which peacekeepers carried out their work, and paid tribute to those who had lost their lives. From the traditional military models to ceasefire observation, operations were more proactive and multidimensional involving civilian and political aspects. Reiterating his appreciation for the Secretary General’s Rights up Front initiative — a key element to prevent atrocities against civilians — he said that in cases where atrocities were committed, accountability was crucial. He encouraged the integration of a gender perspective in military training, and welcomed United Nations resolve in preventing sexual exploitation and abuse. Regarding the assessment of peacekeeping operations, resources must be used effectively, in an accountable and transparent manner. The use of modern technology must be encouraged and additional efforts should be undertaken to ensure peacekeepers’ security. The European Union remained a loyal partner of the Organization’s peacekeeping operations in its framework Common Security and Defence Policy.

SC/11617
7289th Meeting (AM & PM)
SECURITY COUNCIL
MEETINGS COVERAGE

During Day-Long Debate, Over 70 Speakers Take Stock of Progress, Recommending Targeted Solutions to Stem Threats from Violent Extremism

The Security Council today urged States, other parties to conflicts and the United Nations system to step up measures to protect and empower displaced women and girls and those facing threats of violent extremism, ahead of a day-long debate on women, peace and security.

Through a statement presented by María Cristina Perceval of Argentina, which holds the October Council presidency, the body reaffirmed its commitment to the full implementation of its resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions that call for protection of women in conflict situations as well as their empowerment to participate at all levels of peacekeeping and the formulation of peace processes.

The statement was presented following the introduction of the Secretary-General’s latest report on the issue (document S/2014/693)by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Head of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women). The report stated that “remarkable achievements” had been made at the normative level in 2013, but implementation was being challenged in the context of armed conflict that had displaced hundreds of thousands as well as targeted violence against women and girls linked to terrorism, extremism and transnational organized crime.

Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally-displaced Persons Chaloka Beyani also briefed the Council, along with Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General of Peacekeeping Operations, and Suaad Allami, representing the Non-Governmental Organization Working Group on Women, Peace and Security.

In today’s presidential statement, the Council recognized that refugee and internally displaced women and girls were at heightened risk of abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination. In addition to protection, it urged strengthening their access to justice, humanitarian assistance and basic services, including those for sexual and reproductive health. It also urged their meaningful inclusion in policy development and implementation that affected them.

Also through the statement, the Council expressed deep concern at violent extremism that often resulted in increased displacement and led to serious human rights abuses against women and girls, including murder, abduction, hostage taking, enslavement, trafficking, forced marriage and rape. The Council urged States to counter such extremism with full respect to international law and to empower women in such efforts, which it said could in itself stem radicalism.

Finally, the Council welcomed the Secretary-General’s commissioning of a global study on implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) ahead of a high-level review of the issue in 2015 and encouraged all stakeholders to contribute.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka noted that the number of displaced worldwide had reached a post-Second World War peak of 51 million and said that it was partly due to a shift in the nature of conflict itself, seen from Somalia to Syria, where violent extremists were taking over territory and enforcing their extreme practices. She urged all not to forget the nightmares women and girls were going through in such situations. “We must urgently stand against abuses,” she said on behalf of the Secretary-General, adding, “I call for immediate action to end impunity in such cases.”

She said that the Secretary-General called on all countries to participate in upcoming high-level reviews and the global study he had commissioned, which would be consulting with all stakeholders. She stressed that the fifteenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000) presented an important opportunity to move forward the women’s empowerment agenda.

Mr. Mulet, in his briefing, said “we must recognize that the best way to protect and support [internally displaced] women is to help women help themselves,” providing examples of ways in which women had been given a voice in decision-making and control of socioeconomic resources, as well as outlining progress in women's empowerment in peacekeeping. Ms. Beyani and Ms. Allami stressed the role of fear of sexual violence among the soaring displacement populations; Ms. Allami, telling the story of two Yazidi girls who had escaped to a camp after serial forced “marriages”, called for more support for traumatized displaced persons and greater investment in civil society human rights defenders.

Nearly 70 speakers took the floor following those briefings, most of them welcoming the normative progress that had recently taken place regarding women’s rights issues, but expressing deep concerns over systematic gender violence that they said had become characteristic of recent conflicts. Condemning the use of women both as “spoils of war”, as the United States representative put it, and as part of strategies that instilled fear, many speakers underlined a need to end impunity for such practices, with some representatives calling on the Council to refer mass gender-based violence to the International Criminal Court.

Speakers also called for acceleration of the empowerment of women at all levels of peace processes; adequate services for displaced women and refugees; rehabilitation of victims of gender-based violence; and zero tolerance of sexual abuse by peacekeepers. Chad's representative and others said that it was also important to address traditional practices that became exacerbated in conflict environments.

For concrete progress on the ground, many speakers expressed high expectations for next year, given the global study, multiple international events on women's rights and the start of a new development framework. "Let 2015 be the year in which we move the dial forward in a significant way," the representative of the United Arab Emirates said.

Also speaking were ministers, senior officials and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Russian Federation, Nigeria, China, Lithuania, Australia, Rwanda, Chile, Republic of Korea, Jordan, Argentina, Estonia (on behalf of Latvia), Sweden (on behalf of the Nordic countries), Colombia, Mexico, Egypt, Jamaica, Thailand, Liechtenstein, Italy, Malaysia, Burundi, Qatar, Brazil, Guatemala, Pakistan, Canada, Spain, Slovakia, Portugal, Japan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Vietnam, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria (on behalf of the Human Security Network), New Zealand, India, Belgium, Uruguay, Croatia, Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Syria, Morocco, Afghanistan, Iraq, Poland, Zimbabwe (on behalf of the Southern African Development Community), Cyprus, Ukraine, Algeria, Indonesia, Sudan, Israel, Switzerland and Fiji.

The representative of the Russian Federation took the floor for a second time.

Representatives of the European Union Delegation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also spoke.

The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 6:45 p.m.

Presidential Statement

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/21 reads as follows:

“The Security Council reaffirms its commitments to the full and effective implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013) and recalls all statements of its President on Women and Peace and Security as reiterating the Council’s commitments.

“The Security Council takes note with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on Women and Peace and Security (S/2014/693) for the purpose of implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), and particularly welcomes its focus on implementation, sustaining progress and the need to translate commitments into improved outcomes.

“The Security Council reaffirms that women’s and girls’ empowerment and gender equality are critical to efforts to maintain international peace and security, and emphasizes that persistent barriers to full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) will only be dismantled through dedicated commitment to women’s empowerment, participation and human rights, and through concerted leadership, consistent information flows and action, and support, to ensure women’s full and equal participation at all levels of decision-making.

“The Security Council welcomes the efforts of Member States to implement resolution 1325 (2000) at the national, regional and local levels, including the development of national action plans and other national, sub-regional and regional-level strategies and implementation frameworks, and encourages Member States to continue to pursue such implementation. The Council further stresses that United Nations entities should continue to support and supplement, as appropriate, efforts of Member States in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). The Council recognizes the critical contributions of civil society, including women’s organizations to conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding and in this regard the importance of sustained consultation and dialogue between women and national and international decision makers. The Council encourages the involvement of men in promoting gender equality and ending sexual and gender-based violence.

“The Security Council welcomes the additional steps taken to implement Security Council resolutions 2106 (2013) and 2122 (2013), and notes the importance of sustained efforts by the United Nations to improve the quality of information and analysis on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls, the role of women in all areas of conflict prevention and resolution, peacemaking and peacebuilding and the gender dimensions of these areas, and to systematically include information and related recommendations on issues of relevance to women, peace and security in their reports and briefings to the Council. The Council reiterates its intention to increase its attention to women, peace and security as a cross-cutting subject in all relevant thematic areas of work on its agenda, including on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

“The Security Council recognizes that refugee and internally displaced women and girls are at heightened risk of being subject to various forms of human rights violations and abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, and discrimination, which can occur during the various stages of the displacement cycle. The Security Council reaffirms the primary responsibility of Member States in the protection of their populations, including refugee and internally displaced women and girls. The Council stresses the importance of the Secretary-General and relevant United Nations agencies, inter alia, through consultation with women and women-led organizations as appropriate, supporting the development and strengthening of effective mechanisms for preventing and providing protection from violence, including in particular sexual and gender based violence, to refugee and internally displaced women and girls.

“The Council urges Member States to take measures to prevent refugee and internally displaced women and girls from being subject to violence, and to strengthen access to justice for women in such circumstances, including through the prompt investigation, prosecution and punishment of perpetrators of sexual and gender based violence, as well as reparations for victims as appropriate. The Council stresses that the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern committed against women and girls has been strengthened through the work of the International Criminal Court, ad hoc and mixed tribunals, as well as specialized chambers in national tribunals.

“The Security Council reiterates with grave concern that the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuel armed conflicts and have a disproportionate impact on violence perpetrated against women and girls, and exacerbate sexual and gender-based violence.

“The Security Council urges all parties involved in an armed conflict to allow full and unhindered access by refugee and internally displaced women to humanitarian assistance and protection, as well as basic services, such as education, health, housing and productive livelihoods, including assets such as land and property, in particular for those refugee and internally displaced women and girls at increased risk of marginalization. The Council recognizes the importance of Member States and United Nations entities seeking to ensure humanitarian aid and funding includes provision for the full range of medical, legal, psychosocial and livelihood services, and noting the need for access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health services, including regarding pregnancies resulting from rape, without discrimination. The Security Council further recognizes that refugee and internally displaced women and girls are at increased risk of becoming stateless as a result of discriminatory nationality laws, obstacles to registering and the lack of access to identity documents, and urges States to ensure prompt and equitable provision of all necessary identity documents to such women and girls.

“The Security Council urges Member States, the Secretary-General and relevant United Nations agencies, to ensure meaningful participation of refugee and internally displaced women, as well as adolescent girls as appropriate, in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes for refugee and internally displaced women and girls at all stages of the displacement cycle. The Council further calls for the systematic collection, analysis and utilization of sex and age-disaggregated data that is required to assess the specific needs and capacities of women, and to meaningfully measure to what extent recovery programmes are benefiting women, men, girls and boys, by all relevant actors.

“The Security Council expresses with deep concern that violent extremism, which can be conducive to terrorism, often results in increased displacement, and is frequently targeted at women and girls, leading to serious human rights violations and abuses committed against them including murder, abduction, hostage-taking, kidnapping, enslavement, their sale and forced marriage, human trafficking, rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence. The Council urges all Member States to protect their population in particular women and girls, affected by violent extremism which can be conducive to terrorism, whilst respecting all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and international humanitarian law. The Council encourages Member States to engage the participation and leadership of women and women’s organizations, including refugee and internally displaced women, in developing strategies to counter violent extremism, and further to address, including by the empowerment of women, the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism.

“The Security Council reiterates its intention to convene a High-level Review in 2015 to assess progress at the global, regional and national levels in implementing resolution 1325 (2000), renew commitments and address obstacles and constraints that have emerged in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). The Security Council encourages those Member States, regional organizations as appropriate and United Nations entities who have developed frameworks and plans to support the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) to start reviewing existing implementation plans and targets, and to accelerate progress and prepare to formulate new targets, in time for the 2015 High-level Review.

“The Council welcomes the commissioning by the Secretary-General, in preparation for the High-level Review, of a global study on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), highlighting good practice examples, implementation gaps and challenges, as well as emerging trends and priorities for action. The Security Council encourages Member States, regional and subregional organizations as appropriate, and United Nations entities to contribute to the study. The Security Council invites the Secretary-General within his next annual report on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) to submit on the results of the global study and to make this available to all Member States of the United Nations.”

Opening Remarks

PHUMZILE MLAMBO-NGCUKA, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), speaking on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said that unprecedented levels of displacement were testing the ability to protect women and girls and engage them in peacemaking. “We must urgently stand against abuses,” she quoted the Secretary-General, who added “I call for immediate action to end impunity in such cases.” Speaking also against discrimination, she said the Secretary-General called on all countries to participate in upcoming high-level reviews and the global study he had commissioned, which would entail consulting with all stakeholders.

Speaking on her own behalf and introducing the latest report on women, peace and security, she said that the total displaced population now exceeded 51 million globally, greater than at any time since the Second World War due to long-term and current conflicts, such as the situations in Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. She had travelled to many camps and was inspired by the humanitarian staff working in such difficult positions. There had been a shift in the nature of conflict itself, from Somalia to Syria, where violent extremists were taking over territory and enforcing extreme practices, including abduction, rape, forced marriage and silencing of all criticism. It was important not to forget the nightmares women and girls were going through in such situations.

Through regional and national action plans, however, progress had been made in efforts to protect and empower women. Women’s participation in peace negotiations had improved. Nearly half of peace agreements still said nothing about women's rights and needs, however, and 97 per cent of peacekeepers were still men. Peacebuilding also failed to fully address women’s roles. She stressed that empowered women and girls were the best hope for stability, development and countering the radicalization of youth. Upcoming high-level meetings presented the best opportunity to push forward the women’s empowerment agenda.

EDMOND MULET, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said women often bore the brunt of protracted conflicts. Displaced women were subject to heinous violations — acts that destroyed community identity and tore apart traditional ways of life. Women were most at risk of facing sexual and gender-based violence, especially in overcrowded sites with little privacy and security. They struggled to access support networks and health services. “We know that the most effective and appropriate way of preventing violence towards internally displaced women and girls is to intensify protection mechanisms,” he said, while at the same time increasing support for women’s participation in political processes and governance, issues for which peacekeeping missions had advocated.

By way of example, he said the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) emphasized consultation with women on political participation issues, while advocacy by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had increased the representation and election of women as traditional leaders in eastern and equatorial States. “We must recognize that the best way to protect and support [internally displaced] women is to help women help themselves,” he said, by giving them a voice in decision-making and socioeconomic resources. States must be supported in creating gender-sensitive policies in the justice and security sectors. More broadly, it was critical to remove obstacles that impeded women’s full participation in peace and security, he stressed.

CHALOKA BEYANI, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, said that this year, he had visited Azerbaijan, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Kenya and Ukraine, missions that provided an early warning on the causes, conditions and situations of displacement. “We started 2014 with an unprecedented peak of persons forcibly displaced within their own countries due to armed conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations,” he said, stressing that the 33.3 million internally displaced persons was the highest figure ever recorded. Women and girls accounted for half of that population.

Despite positive developments, such as the landmark Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), responses to internal displacement had not adequately addressed the concerns of women and girls, he said. During conflicts, women fled to escape arbitrary killings, rape and torture, among other abuses. “Women and girls are targeted as a means of armed conflict,” he said, at times to destroy communities or manipulate the demographic composition of them. Displaced women faced double discrimination due to their status and sex, often assuming new roles, such as breadwinners, that in turn only exposed them to gender-based violence. Their husbands would be killed while fetching water, for example, whereas women would be raped but spared death.

Other challenges for those women included inequitable access to assistance and psychological support, poor reproductive health care and exclusion from decision-making, he said. Many displaced women and girls were at risk of statelessness. Pre-existing discrimination in many such contexts was exacerbated during conflict. If left unaddressed, protracted displacement generated further marginalization, inequality and vulnerability. It could overwhelm the institutional capacities of States, many of which had no policy frameworks to respond to internal displacement. Data collection disaggregated by sex, age and location was critical, as were efforts to collect, update, analyse and disseminate such information. Gender sensitive training should be provided more systematically to police and military forces, while a stronger focus on prevention was required within internally displaced communities.

SUAAD ALLAMI, of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, said she was speaking on behalf of activists who had been killed and whose lives were at risk as they protected women’s rights. Many women were now fleeing because their daughters were at risk of being raped or sold into slavery. There had not been significant progress in helping such women, she said, calling on the Council to act to push forward the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). Supporting women’s rights defenders was key as was long-term investment in civil society organization. Displaced women must have full access to services.

In Iraq, there were serious gaps in humanitarian services to deal with long-term effects of abuse, she said. She conveyed the experiences of two Yazidi women who came to a displaced camp after serial trafficking and rape and had no services to address their trauma. Conflict prevention, including disarmament and ending arms trafficking, were an important part of stemming violence. Iraq’s national security strategy must reflect the important role of women in all such areas and social norms must be addressed. The legal framework must protect women and girls and end discrimination and practices such as marriages outside the court. “All human beings had the right to be safe and live in dignity,” she said.

Statements

MARK LYALL GRANT (United Kingdom) welcomed progress in women’s participation in peacemaking and other critical activities. “But this progress is incremental,” he added, saying that continued abuse and the relative rarity of women’s participation meant real change had yet to occur. He urged all stakeholders to act to make it happen. Unfortunately, the world situation, with its mass displacement, presented a great challenge to progress. Noting his country’s extensive humanitarian aid for displaced persons, he said that it targeted women displaced from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Gender services must be further increased for such women, and women must be placed at the forefront of the fight against extremism represented by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS). “We must redouble all our efforts in the important year that lies ahead,” he said.

FRANÇOIS DELATTRE (France) said that the presence of many French officials today showed the priority of that issue to his country. Women were key players in the maintenance of peace and security, he stressed. He welcomed the United Nations peacekeeping gender strategy, but the attention to women’s issues must be felt on the ground. Violence against women could not be considered collateral damage or otherwise minimized, particularly given the spike of sexual violence in such places as Syria and Iraq and the crimes of ISIL. He regretted that the call for referral of sexual crimes to the International Criminal Court had been rejected and called for greater integration of women’s concerns into peacekeeping documents. He also called for the full implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, including its provisions on women. Noting his country’s support for psychological and other services for displaced women, he called for greater access to such services as well as recourse to justice. His country would continue to promote accountability. “You can count on France to stay in the frontlines of this combat,” he said.

SYLVIE LUCAS (Luxembourg), associating with the European Union, said 2015 would mark the fifteenth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000), which allowed for reviewing progress. “Conflicts do not create new discrimination,” she said, but rather, exacerbated that which already existed. The situations in Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and South Sudan testified to the “sad state of affairs” for displaced women, who were among the most vulnerable. Their rights to security, sexual and reproductive health and education were systematically violated. A holistic approach among States, the United Nations and civil society was needed. Impunity for the perpetrators of violence against women and girls must end, requiring support for State capacity-building. Also, victims must receive compensation, she said, welcoming the guidelines published in June on access to reparations for conflict-related sexual violence victims. Women’s participation in discussions on their rights and needs must be prioritized, while the Council’s field visits must include meetings with women’s groups.

Ms. JONES (United States) said ISIL had taken credit for rape, forced marriage and other abuses against Yazidi women and girls, claiming that such acts were sanctioned by religion. Last week, a Syrian woman had been stoned to death. Condemning the abuse of women as “spoils of war”, she recalled that last year, 51.2 million people had been forcibly displaced — a crisis that could not be solved without integrating the four pillars of the women peace security agenda: protection, participation, conflict prevention, and relief and recovery. More women leaders were needed at national and local levels. Citing examples in Iraq and Egypt, she voiced concern over election-related violence against women. In the Horn of Africa, deadly attacks against parliamentarians, including women, must stop. Maternal mortality in conflict and post-conflict countries was 60 per cent higher than the global rate. States must strive to break multigenerational poverty, which required equipping women and girls with tools to “escape need”. Equal legal protection was also essential, as was more investment in women’s empowerment projects.

EVGENY T. ZAGAYNOV (Russian Federation) expressed serious concern over the killing of women as a result of indiscriminate or excessive use of force against civilians during armed conflict. It was inadmissible to ignore or justify such crimes. He took issue with the inclusion in the report of information about women who had no direct ties to the agenda on women, peace and security, saying that national action plans should be prepared on a voluntary basis, notably by States in situations of armed conflict or in a process of rebuilding. The approach should take into account the specificities of each country. The Russian Federation was hosting 830,000 Ukrainian citizens, 450,000 of whom had requested official status, including refugee status. The majority of them were women and children, given the shelling of residential areas in southern Ukraine. Refugees were being held in Russian regions and Russian personnel had provided medical and psychological aid, free meals and one-time allowances, while space had been made for children in schools. He hoped the global study would galvanize State efforts to identify priorities for ensuring women’s full participation in settling armed conflicts, urging that the views of all States be taken during its preparation.

KAYODE LARO (Nigeria) welcomed the Council’s commitment to build on resolution 1325 (2000) and to place greater focus on displaced women and girls. A holistic approach was needed to address their plight, with gender perspectives integrated into all related policies and efforts. Noting his country’s signing of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, known as the Kampala Convention, as well as the passing into law of key principles of international treaties on refugees and displaced persons, he said he looked forward to work on the global study commissioned by the Secretary-General.

LIU JIEYI (China) said that progress had been made on the participation of women in peacemaking processes, but at the same time women on the ground were facing increased threats. While efforts to strengthen the protection of women in conflict must be intensified, both the symptoms and root causes must be addressed. National efforts to protect and empower women must be supported and all international and regional efforts for such support must work in synergy. Increased development assistance was also critical, with a focus on national capacity-building. Resolution 1325 (2000) must become an integral part of international efforts against terrorism and extremism, as those scourges had both increased women’s suffering and displacement. He pledged his country’s support for the global study and for strengthening efforts on women, peace and security.

RAIMONDA MURMOKAITĖ (Lithuania) said numerous documents, such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, provided a framework that applied international human rights and humanitarian law to the problem of displacement. Yet the gap between existing legislation and conditions on the ground needed to be closed. Considerable work was being done to improve gender mainstreaming through a range of efforts that included providing gender awareness training to peacekeepers, field staff and humanitarian actors, appointing gender advisers and developing concrete indicators to assess policy implementation. In addition, it was extremely important to bring the perpetrators of sexual crimes against displaced women and girls to account under national and international law. A systematic collection of accurate, reliable and objective information of crimes committed against displaced women and girls was key to pursing justice. She said that actions that would help tackle impunity for such crimes included greater interactions between the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and sanctions committees as well as the regular inclusion of violence against displaced women and girls as a sanctions designation criteria.

NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA (Australia) said that her country had provided $3 million since 2013 to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support delivery of its action strategy against sexual and gender-based violence and $4 million to strengthen the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) response to sexual violence. Exposure to sexual violence also exposed women and girls to dire health risks. Services that enabled the safe termination of pregnancies from conflict-related rape and access to HIV testing and counselling services were fundamental to helping survivors of sexual violence restore their lives. In 2007, Australia supported with $10.2 million a sexual and reproductive health programme in crisis and post-crisis-settings, known as “SPRINT”. Displaced women and girls were not merely victims and their leadership and participation had to be used in preventing and resolving conflict and reconstructing post-conflict societies. That included in refugee camps and displacement settings where women had to play a central role in the design and delivery of gender-sensitive programmes.

OLIVIER NDUHUNGIREHE (Rwanda) expressed hope that the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) would ensure the safe return of hostages being held by the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR). Noting that the Kampala Convention contained provisions for women and girls, including protection against sexual and gender-based violence and access to sexual and reproductive health, he cited an implementation gap in such frameworks. The protection of women and girls in forced displacement situations required attention. He urged increased deployment of female peacekeepers and more commitments from States to nominate them for such work. Another step was to prevent women from venturing outside camps to collect firewood. No measure would succeed without collective resolve to hold to account mass atrocity perpetrators. The best protection for women and children was to ensure they did not become refugees and internally displaced persons. He pressed the Council to shift its focus to prevention work.

CRISTIÁN BARROS MELET (Chile), associating with the Human Security Network, cited successes, such as the development of national action plans and the appointment of the first African Union Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security. Yet, a gap persisted between legislation and implementation, while women were still under-represented in peacebuilding, among other efforts. Mechanisms must be devised to prevent sexual violence in conflict and ensure women’s participation in peacebuilding and decision-making. Further, peacekeeping missions, sanctions committees, commissions of inquiry and other bodies should foster a gender approach to their work by training and including advisors. Barriers to implementing resolution 1325 (2000) would only be dismantled through duly financed multisectoral measures and initiatives to combat impunity. Urging more access to health and justice services, he said displaced women must be protagonists in early warning efforts and participate in work to tackle the root causes of conflict.

BANTE MANGARAL (Chad) said Africa was a primary theatre for internal displacement, with situations in Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan having forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. There were 2.7 million internally displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2.2 million in Sudan and about 3 million in other countries. Chad hosted 50,000 refugees from Sudan, Central African Republic and Nigeria, more than half of whom were women and children. Sexist traditions against women and children had barred their access to education, employment, sexual and reproductive health and decision-making. As such, they faced additional challenges. Without protection, girls had become victims of sexual and gender-based violence, forced marriage and human trafficking, among other abuses. Citing a study, he said Chad’s response to such abuse between January and June had been immediate, including medical and psychological aid that had been provided to 95 per cent of victims. While an “insignificant” number of cases had been brought before tribunals, there had been an increase over previous years. The culture of silence around sexual violence hindered prosecutions, as did a lack of judiciary capacity to punish perpetrators.

PAIK JI-AH (Republic of Korea) welcomed continued efforts to implement resolution 1325 (2000), but added that much greater efforts were needed, especially given the heinous crimes of the past year. Heightened security measures, zero tolerance of abuses by any armed forces, including peacekeepers, and the economic and political empowerment of women were all needed, including the participation of displaced women in all efforts that affected their lives. Her country was supporting Afghan women refugees as well as multidimensional support to asylum seekers on Korean territory. She affirmed the country’s continued support for all efforts to protect and empower women in situations of armed conflict.

MAHMOUD DAIFALLAH MAHMOUD HMOUD (Jordan) also noted increased violence against women in conflict situations despite progress. The involvement of non-State actors in conflicts had greatly increased those challenges. All parties must be held accountable and the Security Council should step up its referrals to the International Criminal Court in all instances of violence against women. Zero tolerance of crimes by United Nations personnel should also be achieved. He noted the asylum and services provided by his country to refugees from Syria, including education for 120,000 students, 94 per cent of them girls. Much work had been done with United Nations agencies and their partners, including health and psychological services for girls. In addition, he said, women had been systematically promoted in the Jordanian military and health services. He supported targeted resources for the protection and empowerment of women, as well as upcoming reviews and studies of progress with a view towards creating a better future.

Council President MARÍA CRISTINA PERCEVAL (Argentina), speaking in her national capacity, described progress in the participation of women in her country in the military and peacekeeping operations and recalled the women who had spoken out against disappearances in Argentina. The impact of conflict on women and girls was now known to be deep and complex, built on cultural patterns of discrimination and violence that occurred during peace time. Sexual violence had now become a regular component of conflict although it was a war crime. Extensively describing the abuses women suffered due to displacement and terrorism, she ascribed particular importance to the upcoming reviews of 2015, in which she looked for women to make strides in their own freedom and in their roles as creators of peace.

URMAS PAET, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Estonia, speaking also for Latvia, said forced displacement of women and girls was not only a humanitarian issue, but also a long-term development issue, a human rights issue, a peace and security issue and a key challenge for the women, peace and security agenda. Unfortunately, a military conflict arose in Europe this year, causing suffering to the people of Ukraine. About 66 per cent of the registered internally displaced persons in that country were women and 31 per cent children. It was a duty of the international community and the Security Council to work towards solving the conflicts and to lessen human suffering. Estonia had included the protection of women in national strategies on conflict prevention and had adopted a national action plan to implement resolution 1325 (2000). Latvia had been focusing on the implementation of that resolution primarily through its development cooperation policy, he said.

PER THÖRESSON (Sweden), speaking also on behalf of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, encouraged States to develop national action plans on women, peace and security, as well as implement existing plans. “Gender inequalities lie at the heart of the issue,” he said, urging attention to its root causes by changing social norms that denied women and girls their human rights. It also meant pursuing policies that ensured women’s political and economic empowerment, secured sexual and reproductive health and rights, improved women’s security, and guaranteed their right to education. The fight against impunity for sexual and gender-based violence was also crucial, as was the participation of both women and men in formal and informal mediation, peace and humanitarian processes. Supporting women’s participation in displacement situations, he welcomed the good practices of camp management committees in eastern Nepal, saying that all mandates of United Nations missions should be based on a gender-sensitive conflict analysis.

MARÍA EMMA MEJÍA VÉLEZ (Colombia) highlighted the importance of the cultural, economic and social autonomy of women, who should enjoy a life free of violence. Their participation in democratic society was vital. Council resolution 1325 (2000) was reflected in her country’s public policy and the Secretary-General’s report highlighted specific measures undertaken in her country that other States might want to adopt as well. One such measure was the participation of women in conflict resolution. A number of women were represented on both the Government’s and insurgents’ sides, she said, noting that a peace process was unthinkable without the participation of women. In 2011, her country had passed a law on reparations for victims. With a mass outreach, the programme had reached 49 per cent of victims. Under a new law against sexual violence, the burden of proof would not fall on victims, she concluded.

YANERIT MORGAN (Mexico), welcoming the Council’s attention to the new five-year gender-based strategy and action plan, recognized the trend towards greater representation for women. Yet, the reality was not on par with the intentions of the international community. One of the most alarming consequences of the increased conflicts was the growing number of refugees, including women and girls, who were at greater risk of becoming victims of sexual violence. The international community needed to strive for integrated strategies in the field. Using sexual violence as a weapon of war was deplorable. She voiced support for the use of selective sanctions in that area. Impunity had to be ended and the cases had to be remitted to international courts. Prevention of conflict was a key tool. She urged the international community to use women in early warning mechanisms to help prevent conflict.

OSAMA ABDELKHALEK MAHMOUD (Egypt) expressed deep concern over the increased displacement of women and girls and violence against them. The gap between norms and the implementation of protection and empowerment of women was evident in the working methods of the Security Council; more systematic information gathering, implementation and monitoring of the situation was needed. He praised United Nations investigations on abuses committed by peacekeeping personnel, but commented that they were slow and inconclusive. In addition, he regretted that this year's report on women, peace and security did not have references to what he called atrocities committed against Palestinian women in the occupied territories. He called for information on their situation to be included in upcoming reports.

SHEILA SEALY MONTEITH (Jamaica) said that resolution 1325 (2000) held much significance for her country as it was adopted during its tenure on the Council from 2000 to 2001. Her country felt that the empowerment of women and their increased participation in decision-making processes were effective strategies that complemented other mechanisms in the maintenance of peace and security. At the national and international levels, adequate funding was needed for the sustainability of programmes to effectively enhance the participation of women in peace and security initiatives, in keeping with the objectives of resolution.

THOMAS MAYR-HARTING, Head of the European Union Delegation, shared the Secretary-General’s emphasis on the need for enhanced engagement with civil society, human rights defenders and women peacebuilders. He strongly condemned the continuing attacks and threats again women political leaders, media personnel and human rights defenders. He also welcomed clear, global, regional and national commitments to fight the continued use of sexual violence as a method in war. Impunity for crimes of sexual violence had to end and those crimes had to be properly investigated and prosecuted.

The European Union welcomed the increased use of human rights and sexual violence-related criteria in the Council’s sanctions regimes as well as the Secretary-General’s guidance note on reparations for sexual violence, which was published in June 2014. The protection of women and girls should receive the attention of senior management in missions and other conflict resolution and peacebuilding mechanisms. A total of 70 per cent of the European Union’s own missions deployed in 2013, including all military operations, had at least one gender adviser/trainer.

MARRIET SCHUURMAN, Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said time and again, it had been proven that women were “key assets” in preventing conflict, as well as in responding and finding lasting solutions to them. Yet, they were too often an untapped resource. Increasing awareness was essential. NATO’s integration of a gender perspective in crisis management exercises, through scenarios that included possible indicators of sexual violence, for example, had bolstered understanding and preparedness. In the coming months, it aimed to develop military guidelines to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict.

CHAYAPAN BAMRUNGPHONG (Thailand) said that women disproportionately bore the brunt of conflict. Addressing the women, peace and security agenda required a comprehensive strategy entailing human rights, humanitarian, development and other perspectives. For a country that had hosted hundreds of displaced persons from neighbouring countries, Thailand could offer valuable lessons learned, including the importance of ensuring the rights and safety of displaced women and girls. It was important to mainstream gender perspective into peacekeeping operations, as their presence in peacekeeping missions and humanitarian activities could enhance security. Thailand dispatched many female peacekeepers to United Nations missions. In a prolonged displacement, it was essential to provide women with equal access to education and health services. His country had offered income-generating projects and vocational training for displaced persons, particularly for women.

CHRISTIAN WENAWESER (Liechtenstein) said displacement was a peace and security issue requiring adequate attention by the Council. Displacement had also shown to exacerbate existing gender inequality, putting women in a particularly vulnerable position. Internal displacement was unfortunately a long-term experience, lasting more than 17 years on average. The assistance must be complemented by the protection from further harm and trauma. States must also invest in prevention. Furthermore, displacement was a development issue. The rapid provision of identification documents, and equal access to asylum and education were key. The World Food Programme’s (WFP) “Safe Access to Firewood and Alternative Energy” initiative in Sudan, which provided fuel-efficient stoves, reduced expenses for cooking fuel and allowed women to buy other food items and improve nutrition and diet diversity of their families. Three years after the launch of the initiative, beneficiaries no longer needed food assistance from WFP.

SEBASTIANO CARDI (Italy) said that his country had become the first to call for the women, peace and security agenda to be introduced into the framework of the universal periodic review mechanism. Italy’s new national action plan hinged on two main concepts: enhancing coordination and integration between the various administrations dealing with women, peace and security; and mainstreaming gender-related issues into all socioeconomic initiatives. While national plans were pivotal instruments, they were no longer enough 15 years after the adoption of Council resolution 1325 (2000). “We need an international plan that connects all the national ones,” he said. In a globalized world, where international issues became domestic and domestic problems became international, displacement was a challenge for many countries. A new target was needed to treat women not only as victims but also as protagonists in the women, peace and security agenda.

HUSSEIN HANIFF (Malaysia) said ending the culture of impunity and replacing it with one that promoted the rule of law, justice and accountability was crucial to ensure the protection and prevention of violence against women. The lack of financial resources and poverty faced by women and their families in situations of displacement often led to negative coping strategies. Providing stable and sustainable economic opportunities for displaced women was necessary in preventing that. The burden shouldered by host communities that provided assistance to refugees and displaced persons could not be ignored. Developing countries hosted 86 per cent of the world’s refugees and the top three recipient countries of refugees were located in Asia. The influxes of displaced persons strained the coping mechanisms of local communities and affected the quality of humanitarian assistance that could be provided to them, particularly women and girls. The high-level review of resolution 1325 (2000) next year would provide the platform for a comprehensive assessment of the gains and challenges in implementing the women, peace and security agenda.

Mr. NIYONZIMA (Burundi) said that since decolonization there had been 80 coup d’états and 40 civil wars in Africa and just as many civil conflicts. Violent conflict had serious consequences for women and girls. The role of women was essential in helping to settle conflicts. Fourteen years after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), it was obvious that conflicts could not be settled without taking into account the participation of women, who made up half of humanity. Yet women were often the target of violence and kept away from peace negotiations. In addition, women found it more difficult to find access to basic social services during conflicts. The abuse that women and girls experienced during armed conflict took many forms. He expressed gratitude that the international law provided some support for women and girls, including the participation of women in rebuilding societies after conflicts. Women’s role in peacebuilding and post-conflict was essential. They needed to be regarded as partners.

MIROSLAVA BEHAM, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said enhancing ties between the OSCE and the United Nations was very important in order to share lessons learned, avoid overlapping and cooperate in many areas, thus boosting the impact of both organizations. In collaboration with UNCHR and in close coordination with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, the OSCE had developed a handbook on the collaborative approach of addressing deployment and protection of displaced populations and affected communities in the conflict cycle. That so-called protection checklist had been fully gender-mainstreamed and included separate references to sexual and gender-based violence against displaced persons, particularly women and children.

ALYA AHMED SAIF AL-THANI (Qatar) said that the Council's and the international community's attention to women, peace and security through the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) had shed light on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls. Her delegation looked forward to a high-level review on the instrument in 2015, which would provide an opportunity to share good practices and highlight existing challenges. She called on States to strictly enforce international law to protect women and girls from human rights violations. She also welcomed emergency responses to achieve accountability and justice as the Arab world was increasingly plagued with displacement due to conflict and terrorism. With 51 million people displaced in 2013, an increase of 6 million from 2012, Qatar had provided assistance to women and children. Furthermore, humanitarian workers must be given safe access to those in need.

GUILHERME DE AGUIAR PATRIOTA (Brazil) said prevention always was the best solution and diplomatic measures should not be discarded even after hostilities had begun. Women should be empowered as key actors in all activities that influenced their future: from humanitarian assistance to decisions on displacement and repatriation; from the planning of economic recovery to the pursuit of accountability for serious crimes; from peace processes to peacebuilding initiatives. As Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, Brazil had convened in September an event on “Women, Everyday Peacebuilders”. It stressed the crucial role played by women in reconciling former combatants and mending community divisions. The Secretary-General’s Seven-Point Action Plan on Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding was a central reference. Brazil had a long tradition of offering shelter and safety to victims of distant wars. Since last year, it had granted visas of a humanitarian nature to more than 5,000 asylum seekers, including hundreds of women and girls who would otherwise be subject to a situation of extreme danger.

MÓNICA BOLAÑOS PÉREZ (Guatemala) said the full use of Council resolutions played a key role in ending conflicts. Women and girls suffered the most devastating effects of conflict and were then stigmatized in their own communities. The solutions had to take account of the trauma that women and girls suffered; counselling was necessary on a massive scale to help them rebuild their lives. A child going into school, even in a bombed-out building, provided some sense of normalcy. The work of international agencies was important, in particular the work of UN-Women. Human rights violations could occur in different phases of the displacement cycle. It was the responsibility of Member States to protect the rights of the displaced. It was also important to increase the capacity-building of public institutions. The empowerment of women should be a central part of the post-2015 development agenda.

SAHEBZADA AHMED KHAN (Pakistan), voicing support for the agenda of women, peace and security, said the Council’s mandate pertained to the prevention of sexual violence in armed conflict, as well as promoting women participation in post-conflict peace processes. Focus should therefore remain on resolving armed conflicts and preventing relapse to conflict. Perpetrators should be brought to justice and they should be removed from positions of authority and peace tables. The Inter-Agency Network on Action against Sexual Violence was a useful platform. The inclusion of women protection advisers in peacekeeping operations was making a difference on the ground, he said, pointing out that Pakistani women had served as police officers, doctors and nurses in various multidimensional peacekeeping missions in Asia, Africa and the Balkans.

GUILLERMO RISHCHYNSKI (Canada) said his country was committed to improving maternal, newborn and child health worldwide as well as bringing an end within a generation to the destructive practice of child, early and forced marriage. Eliminating all forms of violence against women, including sexual violence, was integral to the future security and development of communities and countries. ISIL had taken sexual violence in conflict to a horrifying new level of depravity. Women and girls from ethnic and religious minorities were being raped, forced into marriage and openly sold as slaves. His country was at the forefront of international efforts addressing the situation in Iraq and would collaborate with like-minded partners. His Government had committed more than $62 million in humanitarian, stabilization and security programming, including up to $10 million to support not only survivors of sexual violence in ISIL-held areas but also investigations into those abuses.

MARIA VICTORIA GONZÁLEZ ROMÁN (Spain), associating her delegation with the European Union, said displacement exacerbated the vulnerability of women and girls vis-à-vis trafficking, armed groups, forced marriage, prostitution and sexual violence. While the Council had been increasingly proactive in addressing the situations of women during conflict, States still bore the main responsibility for protecting people. Women’s role must be bolstered in peacekeeping mandates and their rights guaranteed in post-conflict situations, especially in accessing health care. As for progress, women had been able to place their concerns on the table in the context of the post-2015 agenda. In addition, political and civilian staff were being trained to integrate a gender perspective into peacekeeping missions. Among the challenges, she noted that since 1992 less than 10 per cent of peacekeepers had been women. More women must be involved in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. “Women must be recognized as agents of peace,” she said.

FRANTIŠEK RUŽIČKA (Slovakia), associating his delegation with the European Union, said resolution 1325 (2000) underlined the importance of women’s equal and full participation in efforts to promote peace and security. Yet, not all aspects of the text had been fully implemented. Violence against women was a growing security issue. While women’s role in peace and security was indispensable, the peace process remained mostly the domain of men. Indeed, women’s participation in security forces increased legitimacy and credibility of those institutions. Security sector reform, especially the investigation of and punishment for sexual violence in armed conflict, was a priority and she voiced support for the 2012 Integrated Technical Guidance Notes. Ending impunity for crimes against displaced peoples was another priority and reform efforts were needed, including specialized judicial training. Women-led social groups played an important role in combating violent extremism and they should be included in national, regional and international counter-terrorism initiatives. “No women, no peace”, he cautioned.

ÁLVARO MENDONÇA E MOURA (Portugal) commended several organizations, such as the African Union and NATO, for nominating special envoys for women, peace and security, as well as the increasing number of countries that had developed national action plans to implement Council resolution 1325 (2000) and its successors. It was now necessary to sustain and expand the progress achieved and the Council, as well as the entire United Nations system, had to maintain their commitment to that agenda. Welcoming the expanding focus on sexual violence in conflict, she said that 2015 would provide a unique political opportunity for the advancement of women, peace and security with the high-level review of Council resolution 1325 (2000), the global study requested in Council resolution 2122 (2013), as well as the celebration of Beijing+20 and the discussions for the post-2015 development agenda.

HIROSHI MINAMI (Japan) said that his country had hosted a symposium, “World Assembly for Women: Tokyo 2014 — Toward a Society Where Women Shine”. A set of 12 proposals as a summary had been issued, which included the need to document the role of women in peace and security and to create mechanisms to ensure the empowerment of women. For the protection of displaced women and girls, Japan provided camps with solar lanterns, which converted sunlight into lamplight at night. A lit tent deterred sexual violence and enabled those in the camps to work and study late into the evening. His Government also supported economic empowerment of female refugees and internally displaced persons, particularly in Arab countries. It also donated kimonos for use in dressmaking training for Palestinian refugees in Jordan and offered marketing courses on tailoring businesses. His Government, in partnership with civil society, had been developing a national action plan on women, peace and security to be launched by year end.

KAIRAT ABDRAKHMANOV (Kazakhstan), pointing out that at least 3 of 10 United Nations peace agreements included provisions on women’s political participation and protection, stressed that such mechanisms must be included in every peacekeeping mission so women could serve as equal partners in field missions. More women had been appointed as heads of missions, while over 90 per cent of directives for police components in those peace operations addressed women’s security. Women must be engaged at every stage to reassert the rule of law and rebuild society. As such, the Council must consider the full range of violations of women’s rights during conflict, while peacekeeping mandates should support national prosecution for serious international crimes against women. Specifically, the Council’s mandates on women, peace and security should be a focus during at least one field visit in the coming years, and UN-Women must regularly brief the 15-member body.

LANA ZAKI NUSSEIBEH (United Arab Emirates) said consistent leadership opportunities were needed within the United Nations system and other organizations that dealt with displaced persons. She welcomed greater attention on prevention of gender violence and more inclusion of gender issues in Security Council texts. Many challenges remained, however. Impunity continued to be widespread and the rise of extremism, which her country condemned, had exacerbated the situation. The collection of data should be a priority, as should efforts to ensure justice prevailed. Her country had built family-specific facilities in camps for Syrian refugees and had worked at the international policy level on empowering women. A holistic approach on forced displacement that focused on everyday needs and allowed women to work against extremism in their own societies was needed. "Let 2015 be the year in which we move the dial forward in a significant way," she said.

Y. HALIT ÇEVIK (Turkey) said that to tackle the challenges of gender violence it was important to eliminate root causes and increase women's participation and leadership in all aspects of decision-making. His country had taken important measures to ensure assistance, protection and durable solutions for the women and girls who were taking shelter there from the "tragedies in Syria and Iraq unfolding right across its border", including providing gender-balanced education, safely-lit environments, safe houses for refuge from domestic violence and other psycho-social services. Women's participation in camp administration was encouraged.

Ms. NGUYEN PHUONG (Viet Nam), speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said more conflicts were raging, and more women and girls were fleeing their homes. Sexual violence and organized crime targeting women and girls was a serious concern in several regions. Voicing deep concern over the growing number of refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless people, she emphasized that “When basic institutions are in tatters, one cannot hope for better basic services for women and girls.” She urged a focus on the conditions that gave rise to conflict. Conflict prevention mechanisms should be promoted, and gender equality bodies strengthened. Furthermore, women’s participation in peace and security matters must be enhanced, as their participation was vital for promoting reconciliation. Finally, normative standards on women, peace and security should be further integrated into relevant regional and national mechanisms, she said, welcoming the upcoming review of resolution 1325 (2000).

HARALD BRAUN (Germany), aligning his delegation with the European Union, said that over the past years, targeted violence against women and girls, frequently committed in front of family members, was used as a tactic of war to terrorize local populations and break down community structures. The international community needed to ensure that women and girls, as well as men and boys, who also suffered from violence, received adequate psychological counselling and all necessary health-care services. That would help them move from being a “victim” to becoming a “survivor”. The refugees who spent decades away from their homes could not be forgotten and the international community needed to consider the long-term task of helping them lead lives of dignity. Education was a key factor for children growing up in situations of displacement; only quality education could lead to change and enable those future adults to have a self-determined life.

JIRI ELLINGER (Czech Republic), expressing concern over the increase in displacement and violence against women and affirming support to the goals of resolution 1325 (2000), said that more support and attention must be given to "courageous" women human rights defenders who were running high risks by engaging publicly. Displacement meant that the international community had failed to prevent conflict; he welcomed more attention to prevention and civil society in that regard. He conveyed reports of lawlessness in Crimea and eastern Ukraine that had caused many human rights activists and other women to flee their homes, along with hundreds of thousands of other displaced persons in Ukraine. That situation deserved continued attention of the Security Council in the context of the current debate.

ANDREAS RIECKEN (Austria), speaking on behalf of the Human Security Network, welcomed the presidential statement and expressed deep concern over the use of systematic sexual violence as a tool of intimidation, retribution, social control and forced displacement of populations. The protection and empowerment of women and girls must be transformed from an exception to a norm through systematic incorporation into all relevant efforts. Specific services for displaced women and gender-sensitive data disaggregation must be undertaken, along with progress in linking relief, rehabilitation and development. Strengthening civil society was critical, as was women's participation in all stages of conflict resolution. He placed importance as well on the global study and on upcoming reviews of progress, including one to take place in Vienna in November of this year.

CAROLYN SCHWALGER (New Zealand) cited the challenge of implementing normative frameworks around the women, peace and security agenda, urging a focus on the needs of displaced women and girls. Women and girls were uniquely exposed to the erosion of protection standards as traditional community-based frameworks for stability disappeared. Incorporating gender indicators into early warning frameworks would be a practical step to identify vulnerabilities as quickly as possible. Women and girls had an important role to play in preventing and resolving conflict. As such, they must be consulted at every stage of peacebuilding and their leadership potential must be fully realized. Furthermore, women must be recruited, trained and promoted, both in affected communities and in headquarters.

BHAGWANT SINGH BISHNOI (India) said women’s equal participation in power structures and involvement in the prevention and resolution of conflicts was essential, stressing that “women should occupy positions of influence”. In 2013, 32,000 people had been displaced each day by violent conflict, three quarters of whom were women and girls. However, he said she did not subscribe to the view that women should take part in the military component of peacekeeping operations. They could play an important role in police functions, as they performed better than men in those duties. As such, India would contribute an all-female unit to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). In sum, there were no “off the shelf” remedies to mitigate the impacts of conflict on women. Durable solutions were needed.

PASCAL BUFFIN (Belgium), aligning with the European Union, said atrocities by groups such as Boko Haram and ISIL testified to the deliberate targeting of women and girls. “This is a revolting development,” he said, stressing the importance of anticipating women’s specific needs in order to ensure their security. States must take into account the requirements of women and girls in humanitarian assistance, as well as in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and security sector reform processes. In addition, humanitarian organizations should prioritize their needs in the management of refugee camps, and support should be given to female heads of family.

CRISTINA CARRION (Uruguay) said that given the magnitude of displacement, her country had agreed to take in more refugees. As a peacekeeping contributor her country had also seen first hand that violence against women had continued. Prevention of sexual violence in conflict and other civilian protection was a priority for Uruguay's peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also important was the rehabilitation of victims, accountability for perpetrators and zero tolerance for abuse by United Nations peacekeepers. More participation of women in all areas of peacekeeping and negotiation was needed, particularly in the context of displaced persons situations and security sectors. She noted the increased enrolment of women in her country's security forces. Better coordination and clear roles for all actors on the ground was essential in protecting and empowering women.

VLADIMIR DROBNJAK (Croatia), aligning his delegation with the European Union, expressed concern over rising displacement and violent extremism. His country had experienced war and a long refugee crisis, and knew well how severely war and displacement affected women. Provision of adequate services and legal services was essential, but it was equally important that women participate in peace processes and efforts to guarantee the protection of their own rights. Post-conflict societies, while presenting many challenges, also presented opportunities to transform societies for the benefit of gender equality. The post-2015 development framework was another opportunity to do so. In all areas, existing commitments must be translated into concrete action. He affirmed his country's full support for the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).

KAREL JAN GUSTAAF VAN OOSTEROM (Netherlands) said women must play an important role in addressing the root causes of conflict, as well as in decision-making on humanitarian issues, such as the provision of emergency assistance. Urging that the work of women’s human rights defenders be recognized, he also supported the Secretary-General’s call for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights services in conflict-affected settings. For its part, the Netherlands had prioritized the implementation of resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2122 (2013) and had invested in gender expertise at strategic positions to allow for more effective work on the women, peace and security agenda. Further, the “National Action Plan 1325” empowered women in six focus countries with an annual 4 million euro budget. Going forward, the challenges included incorporating the women, peace and security agenda into responses to violent extremism.

MIRSADA ČOLAKOVIĆ (Bosnia and Herzegovina), associating herself with the European Union, expressed deep concern over the heavy civilian casualties, massive displacements of people, serious human rights violations and worsening humanitarian situations around the world. In 2013, 2.5 million people from Syria had become refugees and 6.5 million had been internally displaced. She called on the international community, the United Nations and major stakeholders for a comprehensive response to the crisis. Her country was committed to the Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, adopted by the Group of Eight in 2013, as the prosecution of such crimes and national ownership in addressing their root causes were central to prevention efforts. “Sexual violence in conflict cannot be accepted as cultural phenomena,” she stressed, noting that the policy of her country, a police and troop contributor, outlined that one third of the candidates for peacekeeping missions must be women.

DAVID DONOGHUE (Ireland), associating with the European Union and the Human Security Network, said Syria had seen the largest one-year refugee exodus since the Rwandan genocide, with almost one third of the country involuntarily “on the move”. In South Sudan, more than 1 million displaced people were surviving in dire conditions. The challenge lay in translating political commitments into positive improvements in the lives of women and girls affected by armed conflict. Women and girls also needed improved protection during humanitarian emergencies. In Ireland, the national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000) was being updated and it prioritized access to services for refugee and asylum-seeking women. More broadly, he supported the increased use of sex- and age-disaggregated data in programme design and implementation, underlining the need to ensure gender criteria and related commitments were given full attention in implementing the Arms Trade Treaty.

HUSNIYYA MAMMADOVA (Azerbaijan) said that in situations of mass displacement, ensuring physical security and protection of women’s rights should not be seen as an “add-on element”, but rather as an essential part of the protection agenda. Greater and timely efforts to support gender equality were also important. Urging special attention to the women and girls in protracted displacement, she said more must be done to strengthen State capacities and complement efforts of “hosting societies” to ensure social reintegration and rehabilitation of displaced persons. She welcomed the creation of designation criteria for human rights and sexual violence within the sanctions regime as an important step towards making prevention and enforcement tools available, adding that peacekeeping missions’ capacity to identify early risks should be strengthened through regular training for gender advisers.

BASHAR JA’AFARI (Syria) said his country had been trying to draw the international community's attention to the terrible impact of terrorism on Syrian women, including murders, rapes and abductions, calling on States that were arming such terrorists to stop. Unfortunately, the main focus was on demonizing Syria in order to attack its sovereignty and create the kind of chaos that now dominated Libya. Today's report and statements recognized the danger of terrorism, but it was too late. The price was the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syrian citizens and the suffering of millions. States that had spoken in the Council of their aid for refugees did not mention that they had supported the forces that had created the crisis. He called for a sincere and international effort to put an end to the activities of criminal groups and to hold accountable those who supported them.

OMAR HILALE (Morocco) condemned the barbaric abuse of women in recent conflict, which he called a grave violation of international law. It was up to all parties in conflict to protect civilians. Non-State groups presented the greatest challenge in that light and were now committing some of the worst abuses. As the protection of refugees was fundamental for human rights, adequate services should be available for them, protection should be ensured and their right to return should be guaranteed. Displaced women must be able to participate in decision-making processes.

ZAHIR TANIN (Afghanistan) said 40 years of violence in his country had shattered lives, interrupted educations, threatened livelihoods and destroyed communities. “Afghanistan remains the largest protracted refugee situation in the world,” he stated. The past year had seen a rise in violence by the Taliban, terrorists and other armed opposition, as well as the greatest increase in civilian deaths of the last 13 years. Yet, an important turning point had arrived, with last month’s election of a new President including millions of women as voters, and hundreds as candidates and campaigners. Their involvement had set the tone for women’s equal contribution to the country’s future. Just days ago, Afghanistan signed a women, peace and security national action plan, which aimed to advance participation, protection, conflict prevention and relief and recovery goals.

Mr. SINJAREE (Iraq), detailing his Government’s efforts to support women’s rights, drew attention to the Iraqi Council of Ministers’ two strategies to support women and the creation of a women’s commission. In addition, a national action plan for 2014-2018 had been elaborated to implement resolution 1325 (2000). Indeed, Iraq was among the countries with the most advanced rights for women in the Middle East. Citing the Constitution’s article 49, which outlined that women must occupy 25 per cent of parliamentary seats, he said 80 of the 325 seats were occupied by women. Iraq would continue to promote women’s role in society, despite challenges stemming from terrorist attacks that had eroded social cohesion. Forced marriage, displacement and other practices were being combated, he said. Underscoring how ISIL aggression had forced people to flee their homes, he urged support for medical care, especially vaccinations for pregnant women, pressing States to help combat terrorism, prosecute perpetrators and help victims.

PAWEŁ RADOMSKI (Poland), associating his delegation with the European Union Delegation, expressed deep concern over the situation of women and girls who were displaced or threatened by violence extremism. Concurring with the Secretary-General's recommendations in that regard, he added that it was also critical to recognize the importance of women's economic empowerment in post-conflict situations. His country had been supporting projects in many countries for that purpose, and had introduced improved asylum procedures, with special health services for the benefit of female asylum seekers. Welcoming the launch of the global study, he hoped that by mid-2015 there would be guidance not only on how to make good practices standard, but also on how to utilize synergies between all agenda related to women, peace and security. He called on the Council to ensure accountability for sexual exploitation and abuse.

FREDERICK MUSIIWA MAKAMURE SHAVA (Zimbabwe), speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said that displacement in Africa, already widespread, had worsened with recent conflicts in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Mali and Somalia. Women were extremely vulnerable in those situations. State responsibility for women's protection and women's economic empowerment was a critical element in improving their situation. In that context, he summarized the SADC protocol on gender and development, which sought to harmonize commitments for achieving gender equality, and enumerated other programmes on the continental level to which SADC fully subscribed. He urged the international community to collectively enact a holistic approach to the problems of displaced women that included addressing the root causes of conflict and held perpetrators of violence against women accountable.

MENELAOS MENELAOU (Cyprus) said he deplored the fact that in current conflicts, sexual and gender-based violence was deliberately employed as a war strategy. Three quarters of the refugee and internally displaced population today were women. It was important that peacekeeping operations advance gender balance among mission staff, including senior management. Putting women in peacekeeping operations empowered women in the host community, enabled women to train female cadets, provided a greater sense of security for women and children, improved local women’s access and support, and facilitated attention to the needs of female ex-combatants during demobilization. Five women currently led peace operations, including Lisa Buttenheim in Cyprus. His country had been under foreign occupation for 40 years and was familiar with the disproportionate effects of conflict on women. For that reason Cypriot women had been particularly active in international humanitarian organizations and had made important contributions in aid campaigns.

Mr. VITRENKO (Ukraine), associating his delegation with the European Union, stated that his country was developing a national action plan in accordance with resolution 1325 (2000) that would promote women's greater participation in all sectors and would address the current challenges faced by women and girls in the context of what he called the ongoing foreign aggression against his country. Ukraine was strongly committed to building on the momentum inspired by its "European choice" to ensure access to crucial services for those women and girls who were currently displaced, and to ultimately establish women as leaders and coordinators in the promotion of their own rights. He expressed concern over deaths and abuse of women in the conflict-affected Donetsk region as well as abductions. Disputing the credibility of Russian figures on Ukrainian refugees in the Russian Federation, he maintained that, in any case, the latter country had been the cause of the state of affairs. Ukraine, he said, had been credited with proper management of the humanitarian situation caused by the crisis and had just adopted new legislation ensuring the rights and freedoms of displaced persons, including women.

SABRI BOUKADOUM (Algeria) encouraged more State support for female victims of violence, especially in ensuring their access to the justice system, regardless of their status. He underlined the particular vulnerability of women and children among refugees and displaced persons, especially to discrimination, sexual violence and exploitation, stressing the need to prevent and respond to such abuse. For its part, the United Nations should advance the deployment of women protection advisers and gender advisers in peacekeeping and political missions, as well as in humanitarian operations. States had the primary responsibility to protect and assist refugees and displaced persons within their jurisdiction. With that in mind, his Government had made “great efforts” to place women’s rights at the centre of national policy objectives.

YUSRA KHAN (Indonesia), associating himself with ASEAN, said that United Nations missions could deliver on their mandate for internally displaced women and girls through prevention, specific assistance, and protection. Gender mainstreaming should be continued among peacekeeping officers, and sensitization to humanitarian and gender issues should be an inseparable part of pre-deployment training. There should be equal access to humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, basic services, such as protection from gender-based violence, should be provided. To effectively ensure that women and girls could thrive as leaders in emergency situations, they had to be empowered. That could be achieved through enabling access to education services, as well as supporting improvement in their livelihoods.

MOHAMED IBRAHIM MOHAMED ELBAHI (Sudan) said Sudan’s office to combat violence against women and its independent commission for human rights were both headed by women. His Government attached importance to combating violence against women in refugee camps, especially in Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Sudanese women had been guaranteed the right to vote and run for election since the 1950s. They held 28 per cent of parliamentary seats and they chaired some of most important parliamentary commissions. To combat human trafficking of women and children, Sudan — a transit country — had enacted legislation, and on 13 October, hosted a regional conference on combating trafficking in the Horn of Africa. Sudan also had signed border security agreements with its neighbours. As for economic measures, he cited projects for women in rural areas and others to ensure microfinancing, adding that inheritance rights for women were guaranteed. There were more girls than boys in school, and both infant and maternal mortality had dropped significantly.

DAVID ROET (Israel), relating the abuse of a Yazidi woman who was sold into sexual slavery after her husband was executed by ISIS, said that ISIS was just one of the radical extremist groups that subjugated women and sought to control all aspects of a woman's life. In that context, he listed Boko Haram, Al-Qaida, certain militias in Libya, Al-Shabaab in East Africa and Hamas in Gaza. He expressed disappointment that the issue had been politicized by some in this Council today. He affirmed that supporting women's empowerment and development advanced security and prosperity for everyone. Pointing to the many female leaders over Jewish history, he said that Israeli women were agents of change, drivers of progress and makers of peace. There was work to do before that was true for all the world's women. He called on all who wished to see a more peaceful planet to persist in efforts to advance gender equality and invest in women until all women could dress as they liked, be educated as they chose and be part of the decision-making process.

PAUL SEGER (Switzerland) stressed the importance of developing sound and context-specific policies that prevented exploitation and abuses of refugees and displaced women and girls. More had to be done to prevent sexual violence in displacement settings. It was vital to foster common action and coordination, and strive for a gender-sensitive one-system response. That was why his Government would host the next United Nations Action Donor Conference on 12 November in Geneva. More had to be done to ensure the access of refugees and displaced women to political decision-making, including peace processes.

PETER THOMSON (Fiji), affirming the importance of women's participation in conflict prevention, mitigation and recovery, and expressing concern over displacement and abuse of women, called for redoubled efforts to reinforce the rule of law to help ensure accountability for gender violence. He also urged provision of support services for victims. His country was committed to gender sensitization of its peacekeepers and was using the Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security for further guidance. He outlined national initiatives in that regard. He urged the impact of climate change on women and girls be taken into account in the Council's consideration of climate as a security issue. He called on the United Nations system to provide more support to the formulation and implementation of data plans.

Taking the floor a second time, the representative of the Russian Federation said it was not “mythical Russian aggression” that had led to displacement and large numbers of refugees. Rather, he blamed large-scale punitive measures by a country that were characterized by an excessive use of force. He recalled that the last report had noted disappearances, murders, vandalism and detentions had been carried both by the Kyiv forces and the battalions under their command, notably Kyiv 1 and Kyiv 2. Moreover, civilians had been the victims of the indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and use of banned ammunition. As for the protection of journalists, Ukraine had abetted the killing of two Russian journalists. The Council had noted at various meetings that the lack of accountability for such crimes was unacceptable.

By Afrhill Rances, IFRC

Six months since the outset of a cholera outbreak in Torit County, the South Sudan Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) continue efforts to curb the disease. The Red Cross response is following a dual-pronged approach with three main fronts; ensuring access to safe drinking water, organizing disease prevention education sessions, and promoting hygiene awareness in affected communities with the view of instilling behaviour change.

Although much remains to be done, response efforts to date are bearing fruit as cholera cases have started to subside as families begin to adopt new preventative measures they have learned through health and hygiene promotion sessions.

Regina Sabino Anya, 52, is glad that no member of her family has contracted the disease despite their dire living conditions. The family of ten, including four grandchildren, live in a single-room mud and thatch house, of not more than 10-square meters in area. There is no latrine and the nearest water source is a one-hour walk away. The family was forced to flee Juba, the capital of South Sudan and their home for 20 years, when conflict broke out in December 2013.

“We ran away from the conflict only to be confronted by a different, new, enemy. We cannot run away again, so we will fight cholera and defeat it with the support and knowledge that has been passed on to us by the Red Cross,” says Regina..

Over the past four months, she has been collecting safe water for drinking and other household use from tap stands installed by a water and sanitation emergency response unit (ERU) deployed by the IFRC in the village of Iligum. The ERU, with state-of-the-art water purification and production equipment, is run by specialists from the Austrian Red Cross and Swedish Red Cross.

“Since its deployment in early June, the ERU run by our partners has produced and distributed more than 5.6 million litres of safe water to 7,500 people in Torit, including Regina and her family,” says John Lobor, deputy Secretary General, South Sudan Red Cross. “Our teams have also supported local communities to undertake the maintenance of water supply systems and to rehabilitate damaged boreholes.”

With the ERU now preparing to demobilize, volunteers and staff with the South Sudan Red Cross have intensified their dissemination of messages on proper hygiene practices and creating awareness of basic disease prevention measures. This is a continuation of activities initiated in May, soon after cholera cases were reported in Torit.

According to Phillip Marcello, the director of the National Society branch in Torit, the immediate response contributed to reducing the further spread of the disease, including in Regina’s village.

“Through our dedicated volunteers on the ground, people in affected communities were informed about the good habits they needed to practice, such as boiling or putting purification tablets in water before drinking it. In the evenings, we organized film shows in communities to relay cholera prevention messages, including educating people to put to end the practice of open defecation,” he says.

Despite her struggle to make ends meet, Regina remains committed to maintaining the good hygiene practices her family has adopted.

“I continue to use purification tablets to treat the water we collect from the river. However, the stocks provided by the Red Cross will soon run out and I do not have income to buy the tablets in the market,” she says. “I can’t take for granted the well-being of my grandchildren because their health, like safety, comes first. I now know how important it is to make sure that the water they drink is safe.”

The Red Cross is calling on partners to support the revised emergency appeal so they can continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to families like Regina’s. “The appeal we launched with IFRC support is seeking 4.8 million Swiss francs, but to date only 1.6 million Swiss francs has been obtained. We ask our partners to provide more contributions to enable us do more and reach further,” explains Lobor. “Until all households at risk have access to safe drinking water, are making proper use of sanitation facilities, and have adopted good hygiene practices, the threat of cholera and other water-borne diseases will linger, especially to vulnerable families affected by the complex emergency.”

Red Cross Red Crescent strictly operates in a neutral, independent and impartial manner to respond to humanitarian needs and to provide support to anyone affected in compliance with international humanitarian law. The International Committee of the Red Cross is leading Red Cross Red Crescent operations in South Sudan with the support of the Movement.

“I take the opportunity to inform the public and those who are concerned about the misuse of children. Children are future assets that have to be safeguarded, developed so that they become leaders of their own country.

Our laws stipulate that recruitment and use of children is a crime. Any soldier who recruits or uses children will be severely punished.”

These days, listeners of the United Nations Radio Miraya in South Sudan can hear the country’s Defense Minister, Kuol Manyang Juuk, talking about the importance of protecting children from the impact of war.

(Audio)

The messages are part of a campaign to sensitize the general public, but also the country’s soldiers and opposition groups, that recruiting and using children is illegal and that they should do all they can to protect them from conflict.

Other messages recorded by 2 military officials explain that orders have been issued to ban the recruitment of children and the military use of schools, and detail sanctions for those who do not respect the law. Additional messages are expected to be produced in the coming days.

“Recruitment of children is punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years,” says the Sudan People’s Liberation Army’s legal advisor in one of the messages.

South Sudan is one of seven countries involved in the campaign “Children Not Soldiers” – a global campaign to end the recruitment and use of children in government security forces in conflict by the end of 2016.

South Sudan first signed an action plan with the United Nations to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in 2009. After the country’s independence, a new action plan was signed, but most of the progress accomplished was erased by the conflict that started in December 2013.

During a June 2014 visit by the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, the Government of South Sudan formally renewed its commitment to the Action Plan.

The June agreement recalls the measures of the 2012 Action Plan and includes: releasing all children associated with government security forces, providing services for their family reunification and reintegration; investigating grave violations against children and holding perpetrators accountable. The Government also committed to ending all grave violations committed against children.

Waakhe Simon Wudu

JUBA — One person was killed and eight others were wounded when machete-wielding youths clashed inside the United Nations camp in Malakal, where thousands of displaced South Sudanese have sought shelter, a U.N. official said Tuesday.

“Fighting broke out between groups of youth in our protection of civilians site at the Mission's compound in Malakal in the late afternoon of Monday," Joe Contreras, the acting spokesman for the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said.

"There was one fatality involving an IDP and at least another four IDPs were injured. Four of our U.N. peacekeepers suffered minor injuries as they tried to separate the two fighting groups,” Contreras said.

Upper Nile state Information Minister Peter Hoth confirmed in a telephone conversation with South Sudan in Focus that there had been clashes at the camp, but he described the incident as minor.

Contreras said the youths involved in the fighting attacked each other with machetes and sticks. UNMISS peacekeepers and police officers had to use teargas to break up the fighting.

Contreras said the clashes appeared to involve "one group of mainly Nuer youths against one group of mainly Shiluk youths." He said the camp was still tense but there had been no further fighting.

Clashes at the same IDP camp in March claimed the lives of 10 people, Contreras said.

The UNMISS camp in Malakal houses close to 20,000 IDPs. Many of them fled to the camp after fighting that erupted in Juba in December last year spread to other parts of South Sudan, including Upper Nile state.

Contreras said the abduction from Malakal this month of two South Sudanese who worked for the United Nations had ratcheted up tensions in the camp. The U.N. workers are still missing.

A separate outbreak of violence at one of the U.N. camps in Juba at the weekend left at least 60 people injured, Contreras said. That camp houses some 11,000 IDPs.

Around 100,000 people are sheltering at U.N. camps around South Sudan.

A combination of climate change vulnerability and food insecurity is amplifying the risks of conflict and civil unrest in 32 countries, including the emerging markets of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and the Philippines, according to the seventh annual Climate Change and Environmental Risk Atlas (CCERA) released by global risk analytics company Maplecroft.

The Atlas, which provides comparable risk data for 198 countries across 26 separate issues, including climate change vulnerability and food security, echoes the findings of recent reports released by the Pentagon that identified climate change as a ‘threat multiplier,’ which escalates the risk of conflicts and unrest.

Bangladesh, Nigeria, India, Myanmar, Philippines among most vulnerable to climate change

Maplecroft identifies 32 ’extreme risk’ countries in its Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), which evaluates the sensitivity of populations, the physical exposure of countries, and governmental capacity to adapt to climate change over the next 30 years. Bangladesh (1st and most at risk), Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Nigeria, Chad, Haiti, Ethiopia, Philippines, Central African Republic and Eritrea are the ten countries facing the highest levels of risk, while the growth economies of Cambodia (12), India (13), Myanmar (19), Pakistan (24) and Mozambique (27) also feature in the ‘extreme risk’ category.

One of the unifying characteristics of these economies identified by the CCERA is that they depend heavily on agriculture, with 65% of their combined working population employed in the sector, while 28% of their overall economic output relies on agricultural revenues. Maplecroft states that changing weather patterns are already impacting food production, poverty, migration and social stability – factors that significantly increase the risk of conflicts and instability in fragile and emerging states alike.

UN IPCC figures estimate declines of up to 50% for staples such as rice, wheat and maize in some locations over the next 35 years due to the impacts of climate change. This scenario is particularly significant for the 32 most vulnerable countries in the CCVI. Eleven of these are also classified at ‘extreme risk’ Maplecroft’s Food Security Risk Index, including: South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, DR Congo, Sudan, Burundi and Afghanistan – countries where high levels of poverty, displacement, political violence and conflict already exist. Food security in the remaining 21 is rated ‘high risk,’ however, given the likely increase in extreme weather events such as drought, it is a situation Maplecroft says could worsen

Conflation of risks impact economic growth, business continuity and military capabilities

According to Maplecroft, the conflation and worsening of these risks in a country have the potential to destabilise regional security, hurt national economies and impact the operations and supply chains of business. In addition, military resources, which have traditionally focused on security based missions, are increasingly being drawn into disaster relief efforts. Subsequent outcomes also include increased poverty and migration and reduced levels of education, which in turn can lead to disenfranchisement and drive support for radical groups.

Nigeria, ranked 4th most at risk in the CCVI, is cited as a prime example of a country where this has occurred. Widespread drought and food insecurity helped create the socio-economic conditions that led to the emergence of Boko Haram and the violent insurgency in the North East of the country. Food insecurity and food price volatility have also been identified as triggers to the Arab Spring – particularly in Egypt and the current Syrian conflict. With one in four people still undernourished in sub-Saharan Africa, climate change impacts make it even more difficult for governments across the region to improve food security and help reduce tensions.

“Unlike policy makers who often ignore or politicise the science in seeking short-term objectives, global business and the military now view climate change as an important risk management imperative,” states Dr James Allan, Head of Environment at Maplecroft. “Identifying future flashpoints will help proactive organisations and governments make strategic decisions.”

Adaptation holds key to mitigating risks but substantial investment still required

An improved understanding of the science and consequences of climate change highlighted by the recent IPCC Fifth Assessment Report offers hope that adaptation strategies can be developed to avoid the worst impacts. These include drought resistant crops, more resilient infrastructure, economic diversification and poverty reduction.

The benefits of programmes such as these are already being felt across India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Philippines, all of which have improved in Maplecroft’s Adaptive Capacity Index in recent years.

However, in 2010 global leaders promised US$100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate impacts, yet only a fraction has been delivered. How well countries that are extreme and high risk on Maplecroft’s CCVI deal with climate impacts and their subsequent outcomes will largely be determined by the amount of financial and technical support they receive.

ENDS

Maplecroft’s Climate Change and Environmental Risk Atlas 2015 (CCERA) features 26 risk indices to provide comprehensive quantitative analysis of the key risks to business in the areas of climate change, resource security, ecosystem services, emissions and waste, and the regulatory environment. The CCERA helps organisations understanding the risks and opportunities associated with climate change and the environment, placing them in the context of wider legal and regulatory, political, human rights and societal risks. In addition, due to the localised nature of many of the risks assessed in the CCERA, high-resolution sub-national maps are provided to aid in the visualisation and comprehension of risks down to 22km² worldwide.

For more information contact:

Jason McGeown Head of Communications Maplecroft, 1 Henry Street, Bath, BA1 1JS, United Kingdom +44 (0)1225 420000 jason.mcgeown@maplecroft.comwww.maplecroft.com

The Government of South Sudan, with the support of the United Nations, today launched the “Children, not Soldiers” campaign nationally, marking the country’s renewed commitment to end the recruitment and use of children by its army.

The campaign is led jointly by Ms. Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the UN Mission in South Sudan and UNICEF with the support of other partners and aims to end the recruitment and use of children by the Government security forces in armed conflict by the end of 2016.

“The Government of South Sudan will no longer allow children to join the military,” said the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Kuol Manyang Juuk. “Children should be learning how to read and write, not carry weapons – we know education will make us better as a nation.”

In June, the Government formally signed its Recommitment to the Action Plan – first signed in 2009 by the SPLA - which outlines 18 measures the Sudan People’s Liberation Army needs to put in place to make its army free of child soldiers and to end grave violations against children in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.

In preparation for today’s launch, the government has taken some steps, including issuing punitive orders for all SPLA commanders to stop deploying children; disseminating radio messages by the Ministry of Defence; and submitting legislative amendments to the Ministry of Justice to apply sanctions to the recruitment of children by army commanders.

“It’s encouraging to see that the Government is taking steps to protect the country’s children and the United Nations will continue to support them,” said Ms. Zerrougui. “We now need to see children released from the ranks of the SPLA and those who have recruited them must be held accountable.”

As part of the Recommitment, the United Nations, the National Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Commission and partners will support and assist in the identification, verification and release of children associated with the SPLA. Children will be given psycho-social services, educational and vocational training and other services aimed at allowing them to resume life in their communities.

“Now the real work begins, the commitments have to translate into action,” said Ellen Margrethe Loej, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for South Sudan. “The United Nations stands with the Government of South Sudan to work towards building a child soldier-free army, and most importantly, we look forward to assisting children as they return to their families, their friends and to their education.”

The United Nations, in support of the Government, is putting into place detailed plans and activities for these children. Decades of experience have shown that the process of reintegrating children is a complex one, requiring technical expertise, coordination and political commitment, monitoring and verification of progress – and massive resource mobilization.

Note to Editors:

The other six countries that are part of the Children Not Soldiers campaign, listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict are: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Six of them have expressed their commitment to child-free security forces by signing Action Plans with the United Nations. Dialogue to develop an Action Plan with Sudan is ongoing.

South Sudan: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification - Full Report, September 2014

By Faith Kasina

Pass by any tea kiosk or shopping outlet strewn along the roadsides, or a fleet of commuter bikes commonly known as bodaboda in South Sudan and you will notice one commonality: radio.

Whether housed in a mobile phone or public address system, radios are simply a way of life here and quite clearly a living need for people to stay informed.

“Most of us have no televisions,” says Asunta Akol, a resident from South Sudan’s Lakes State. “We have little access to newspapers or the internet so it is easier to get information from radios. They are basically our lifeline.”

Yet what citizens need to know most about - their rights and entitlements from their leaders, their country’s affairs and other important national issues, and how they can participate in the making of decisions affecting them –is still deafeningly off-air.

Years of political oppression have severely infringed on the citizen’s right to know, resulting in an innate fear not only to express opinions or needs but also a reluctance to seek vital information on their entitlements from those appointed through the ballot box. The fear is even more apparent in the current climate.

“Fear of being targeted means it is not easy for citizens, including some government officials, to talk openly about certain issues particularly on security or intercommunal conflict- the core issues here in Lakes State” says Luca Lueth, a Program Manager with Radio Good News, that airs a Trócaire-supported current affairs program.

“Last June we were closed down because of discussing those issues. This has limited our capacity on what we, as a broadcaster, can report. If we cannot report, the public will not know.”

‘A voice of the people’

According to an audience survey by Internews, radio emerged as the second most important information source on critical matters such as the constitution and roles of government officials. Additionally, 37% of the population own a functional radio at home.

Despite this, many media outlets including newspapers and radio stations are often unfairly gagged, which locals like Asunta disagree with.

“I can listen to our leaders and interact with them through phone calls or text on radio,” she says. “Like now, I am able to follow what is going on in Addis Ababa (ongoing mediation talks to resolve the South Sudan’s current political crisis) so I feel part of the process.”

Three key media draft laws were recently (September 2014) passed by parliament, closing in the legal vacuum that journalists in South Sudan have been working in for years. Yet, local media professionals remain sceptical of change to their ever-souring relationship with the government.

“Authorities should see us as one of their arms, wanting to develop the same country. We are just the people’s voice,” says Luca.

Bridging the Gap

There are four main radio networks with broad coverage in South Sudan. Trócaire partners with one of these, the Catholic Radio Network (CRN) established in 2006, to air civic education programs touching on current affairs with clear messages on conflict resolution and peace-building, particularly after the December 2013 conflict.

In addition, Trócaire directly supports two radio stations- Radio Good News (Lakes State) and Voice of Hope (Western Bhar Al Ghazal State)in producing and airing weekly civic education programmes, to help people know and understand their basic rights and be able to better participate in governance processes.

The programmes are based on interviews from relevant experts on the topics being discussed. Listeners then get a chance to call in during the shows and contribute to the discussions.

“From our listeners, it is clear that people are more aware (of their rights) and are willing to express issues that they think government should be addressing,” Luca attests. “People want to talk about these issues and radio is the main outlet.”

Peter Mayor, one of the listeners, whilst contributing to a discussion on the state’s economy said “reducing taxes on everyday items as charcoal and vegetables or selling fruits or timber” can reduce people’s over-reliance on oil as a source of livelihood.

For Trócaire, a population that is aware of their rights is more capable of determining who governs them and how they are governed.

“People should be aware of their rights and entitlements so they know how they should be treated,” reiterates Niall O’Keeffe, Trócaire Governance and Human Rights Program Lead.

“It is a fundamental human right that people have a say in how they are governed and the radio provides an excellent forum for people to have these discussions.”

As one community member from Baggari area in South Sudan rightly put it, “If they (government) don’t come to us and understand our needs, there will be no solution” - radios could well be that first turn on the ignition!

• Another week of poorly distributed rains across the Greater Horn has led to strengthening deficits in southern Somalia.

• In southern Africa, a delayed start of monsoonal rains observed in parts of Angola and South Africa.

1) As the rainfall season ends across Senegal and harvesting begins, impacts from poorly distributed rains during the summer months and a delayed onset to the rainfall season in July which resulted in deteriorated conditions could impact crop yields.

2) Consistent, above-average rains across parts of eastern Ethiopia have led to downstream flooding along the Jubba and Shabelle River basins in southern Somalia. Continued shower activity is expected to worsen hydrological conditions.

Greetings to Ministers and protocol observed.

Greetings to all of you:

I want to especially welcome the few children I see here today sitting over in this corner here and pass a message to them.

Everyone knows that children are South Sudan’s greatest hope for the future. Every country depends on the Good Will of its young people – your Health, your Intelligence, your Generosity of Spirit. You have rights, they are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which this year celebrates its 25th year, and is the most widely ratified convention in history and which South Sudan is in the process of ratifying, as well. And these rights are enshrined in the constitutional laws of the Republic of South Sudan as well, including the right to an education, the right to play and the right to protection, among many other rights.

Today, we can be full of hope. Your government is here at the Garang Mausoleum, a shrine to your nation’s freedom and commitment to its people, to say to the world that by 2016, the national army will be child-free.

I welcome and I celebrate this renewed commitment and we stand with the Government and the SPLA as they carry out the necessary measures to make this promise a reality.

Nearly twenty years ago, the world united to condemn and take action against the use of children in armed conflict. Since then, thousands of children have been released - they were released because their governments and armed groups set out action plans and those plans were followed.
And that is why we are here today, to witness the promise and to work together, as partners, in fulfilling this commitment.

The current conflict has been devastating for children.

Prior to the 15 December 2013 crisis, we were starting to see good progress in so many areas, including in the release of children from armed forces, children going to school, children carrying on with their childhoods.

On the issue of release of children, the UN worked closely with the Government including improving policy, legal framework, training, and reintegration programming.

The SPLA’s Child Protection Unit under the leadership of the Deputy Chief of General Staff made good strides in regard to the implementation of the Revised Action Plan with goal of halting the recruitment and use of children by the SPLA – there was light at the end of very long tunnel, at the end of a very long history of war.

But the fighting over the last ten months has erased much of the progress made by the Government. And we have heard reports and we have proof, that children have been recruited both by the national army as well as by other armed groups, and the opposition.

This has to stop, and we fully commend the commitment of His Honorable Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs to stopping the recruitment, and the release of these children over the next months War and conflict is not children’s play.

Using children in conflict has a devastating impact on their lives. Some children are stuck in a tragic cycle: recruited and re-recruited while others have joined the armed forces and groups out of necessity. These young boys, and sometimes girls, see things that no child should ever see, they are forced to do things that no child should ever do.

And these children – the nation’s richest resource, essential to the well-being of their nation – are wounded not only physically, but psychologically. It does not have to be so, it must not be so. It is heartening that the government agrees that this practice must stop.

The Recommitment made by the Government in June to implement the action plan in full - and there are 18 points in the action - and their commitment to hold to account any commanders who keep children in their barracks is critically important. And the message given by the minister this morning is very important, and we will be supporting and monitoring of this recommitment.

But remember, it is not only about the recruitment and use of children, it is about the occupation of schools, it’s about attacks on health facilities, and other grave violations against children. The Government must use all its powers to stop grave violations against children in South Sudan.
The young people of the youngest nation in the world deserve no less.

I want to commend the SPLA Child Protection Unit for keeping the issue of children in armed forces on the SPLA agenda through its day to day operations at field and headquarters level.
I want to thank especially the Minster of Defense and Veteran Affairs for his strong commitment.
And let me say that UNICEF and UNMISS will continue working with the Government and will remain a key partner to the SPLA on issues related to the protection of civilians, especially the most vulnerable among them -children.

The Government can count on United Nations’ support. And the UN is ready to support the government’s efforts to make the national army child free.

Thank you very much.

Humanitarian response

As of October, 92 per cent (3.5 million people) of the 3.8 million**** people targeted for assistance had been reached with some form of assistance as indicated in the chart. Resources are however required to sustain the highly prioritized aid operation until the end of the year. The $1.8 billion Crisis Response Plan (Jan-Dec 2014) is 61 per cent funded, leaving a gap of $697 million.

**** The people targeted includes people internally displaced or impacted by the conflict, refugees

Following the outbreak of insecurity that broke out in South Sudan on December 15th 2013, more than 150,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) crossed the Nile from Jonglei State to find security in neighbouring Awerial County, Lakes State. The communities originally come from Bor South, Twic East, Duk and Pibor counties in Jonglei State.

This population is not expected to return to Jonglei any time soon due to continued unrest and flooding. On the contrary they have remained in the settlement and once in a while some of them go back to Jonglei state across the Nile to check their properties, returning to Awerial County where their families remain.

IDPs in Awerial are under the responsibility of the Awerial County Commissioner, Awerial and Yirol West County Health Department and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Lakes State collaborating with Jonglei State MOH in the provision of health care and supported by humanitarian partners. The population is currently dispersed throughout the county. The main site for IDPs in Awerial County is Mingkaman, site 0, with roughly 90,000 IDPs. The massive influx has seriously affected the provision of health services and other health-determining living conditions, despite the efforts of the State MOH and humanitarian organizations.

Aerial view of Mingkamen

In order to make available accurate data and help the MOH authorities and the humanitarian agencies to allocate more efficiently their scarce resources in this area, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), which has worked in South Sudan since 2009, received a grant from the Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) to use Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) methodology to conduct a household survey in Awerial IDP settlements.

LSTM, in conjunction with the MOH planned and implemented the household survey, which aimed to achieve the following objectives: 1) to investigate the use of the LQAS methodology for providing valuable data about the health status, knowledge, health seeking behaviour and coverage of health services in IDP settlements, 2) to estimate coverage proportions for key indicators at the IDP settlement in Awerial that can be used for refining programme strategies, strengthen reporting and allocation of resources by the MOH, State MOH and Implementing Partners, 3) to detect the variability among key indicators in Supervision areas; and 4) to build local technical capacity in the MOH, State MOH, County Health Department staff to plan, implement and use LQAS Household Survey data in IDP settlements.

LSTM in collaboration with the MOH developed an important set of core indicators, which were revised with stakeholders. In line with those indicators, survey questionnaires were developed for each of the following six target groups: Household Heads, Mothers of Children 0-11 Months, Mothers of Children 12-23 Months, Mothers of Children 0-59 Months with Fever in the last Two weeks, Mothers of Children 0-59 Months with Diarrhoea in the last Two weeks and Mothers of Children 0-59 Months Suspected of Pneumonia in the last Two weeks. Survey respondents had to be IDPs who have lived in Awerial IDP Settlement since December 15th 2013.

Data collection in process

LSTM conducted a five-day-LQAS Training Workshop to equip all data collectors and supervisors with the required skills to conduct the survey. LSTM, MOH and SMOH staff supervised and provided technical support during the survey implementation to ensure an adequate random selection of households and respondents, and a correct administration of survey questionnaires.

LQAS survey teams accompanied by local field guides visited randomly selected households as per survey protocol. Nineteen respondents from each target group were interviewed in each SA. The data collection process took place from 11th to 16th August 2014.

LSTM has been able to investigate some key essential steps in the use of the LQAS methodology for ensuring valuable data about the health status, knowledge, health seeking behaviour and coverage of health services in IDP settlements.

The project is now conducting data analysis, which will be followed by reporting, survey finding dissemination and subsequent investigation of how the survey findings can be used to improve programme implementation in the IDP settlement.

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

A deadly and destructive conflict between the South Sudan government and the rebels in the newly emerging South Sudan country broke out on 15 December 2013. The conflict resulted in the death of over 10,000 people, displaced over 1.1 million persons internally and caused over 460,700 persons to flee to the neighboring countries including Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya according to OCHA South Sudan situation report number 44 of 10 July 2014.

According to a UNHCR report issued in the first week of July 2014, Gambela region of Ethiopia was hosting over 166,889 people entering through different entry points mainly Pagak (83,049), Burubiey (38,100), Akobo (37,324) and others.

These refugees were sheltered in different camps of Gambela region since January 2014.These included 51,476 persons in Kule 149,003 persons in Kule 2 (currently called Tirkidi), 47,485 persons in Leitchuor and 1,683 persons in Pugnido. The refugees have been receiving different assistances provided by the Ethiopian Government, UN agencies, Red Cross Movement members and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) through the overall coordination of ARRA and UNHCR.

In order to support the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) in delivering assistance to some 30,000 South Sudanese refugees living in Leitchour camp site, Gambela region in Ethiopia for an initial 3 months, CHF 125,220 was allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) in January 2014. On 28 April 2014, an operations update n° 1 was issued to provide an update on the progress of the operation as well as to extend the operation timeframe by an additional 2 months (to end of June). Subsequent to this extension, through operations update n° 2 issued on 13 June, 2014 a revised budget and operational plan were issued and the changes as well as the rationale for the changes provided. The overall total of the initial budget however remained unchanged with these reallocations on the budget lines.

This DREF operation was designed to help ERCS in providing hygiene, sanitation and emergency health interventions for up to 30,000 conflict affected South Sudanese asylum seekers/refugees in Gambela region. The ERCS led joint operation complemented the provision of water supply and health services by the UNHCR, the Ethiopian Government Administration of Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA) and other UN agencies and INGOs working in Leitchour camp.

By the end of the operation, over 27,376 members of the refugee community received hygiene, nutrition and sanitation messages using the 100 trained Health Community Workers (HCOWs) and Community workers (COWs) through cascading the lessons from trained groups to refugee heads of households and then to family members.

Marthe van der Wolf
October 29, 2014 9:40 AM

GAMBELLA, ETHIOPIA — The Ethiopian government wants to relocate at least 60,000 refugees, mostly from flooded camps in the country’s southwestern Gambella region, to safer accommodations farther south near the town of Dima.

As the country braces for another influx from South Sudan once the rainy season ends – and that could be any day – the move is getting urgent. But the refugees refuse to go out of fears of ethnic violence.

Most refugees in the region’s northern part are ethnic Nuers who fled the South Sudan fighting that began in December. Those already in Dima are ethnic Dinka, from just across the Ethiopian border.

Solomon Atsbeha works for the Ethiopian Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs in Leitchuor camp in the region’s north. Flooding has destroyed much of the camp’s infrastructure, he said, and its 48,000 Nuer refugees need to be relocated to Dima.

The Nuers are suffering and “will die by this flood” unless they’re moved, Atsbeha said. “We cannot get a Nuer zone without flood place.”

Dima has space, but it's feared

Dima has many facilities, he said. It’s home to the older camp of Okugo, where many South Sudanese sought refuge during the war of independence from Sudan. It can host up to 70,000 people.

It also would have room for the 10,000 to 15,000 refugees waiting near the Matar border crossing and another 2,700 at Pagak.

The refugee administration said that, unlike at Leitchuor, the Okugo camp has available tents, steady electricity, a working telecommunications network and better roads.

But James Gach, an elderly Nuer, is afraid to move to Dima from the refugee camp where he has lived since May. He said he doesn’t understand why he needs to go to a place where he and his family will risk being killed by Dinkas.

Others share Gach’s fear. Most Nuer refugees living in camps, or waiting by border points to be moved into a camp, say they will not go to Dima.

A survey conducted by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, showed that only five families were willing to go, according to Angele Djohossou, who heads the U.N. mission in Gambella.

The Nuers have a range of concerns. Some have complained Dima is too far from their native homes, making it difficult to visit with relatives, Djohossou said. "Some of them raise security issues. The government is saying that they shouldn’t worry. But you know we have to do it on a voluntary basis; we can’t forcibly relocate refugees."

Awareness sessions

The Ethiopian refugee administration is in talks with refugee leaders and conducting awareness training, hoping to convince people that relocation is in their best interest.

The government and UNHCR see the approaching dry season as an opportunity to safely relocate refugees, as flooding is likely to occur again next year.

Key messages

• Since the outbreak of civil war in December 2013 , around 1.9 million people have fled their homes, including 469 000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries. At the same time, South Sudan hosts around a quarter of a million refugees, mainly from Sudan.

• Principal humanitarian needs include food, clean water, health care, sanitation, shelter and protection.

• South Sudan continues to face a food security crisis though humanitarian assistance helped to avoid famine of the most vulnerable. Despite the onset of the harvest season, 1.5 million people are predicted to remain in crisis or emergency level food in security. The outlook for 2015 is bleak particularly for the conflict - affected areas where displacement is high and cultivation of land and harvesting hardly possible.

• 3.5 million people in South Sudan have been reached with some humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the crisis. The EU, Member States and the Commission, has so far provided assistance worth over € 254 million in 2014 – more than one third (34.4%) of all humanitarian funding , accor ding to the UN. The Commission has provided €20 million for the urgent needs of South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries.

• The United Nations has declared South Sudan a level -emergency – the worst level of humanitarian crisis. The country ranks second in ECHO's Global Vulnerability and Crisis Assessment index (after the Central African Republic). South Sudan is the world's most fragile State (see Fragile States index).

ECHO Factsheet: South Sudan crisis