Press Statement of the 951st open session meeting of the PSC, held on 5 October 2020 on the theme: “Implementation and Commemoration of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security”
Source: African Union Peace and Security Department
The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), dedicated its 951st meeting, held on 5 October 2020, to a virtual open session on the theme: “Implementation and Commemoration of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security”. The Open Session was held to mark, both, the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1325 and coincided with the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Read the full statement here.
Q&A: Women in Mali Play Critical Role in Preventing and Resolving Conflicts
Source: Inter Press
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the safety and sense of community for many women in Mali given the travel restrictions and lockdowns in place, Bassirou Gaye, an assistant researcher for a 2019 report on the role of Mali women in peacekeeping, told IPS this weekend.
“This pandemic has undermined peace building initiatives such as training sessions, exchange meetings, trips to share ideas and good practices among women,” Gaye said. “Barrier measures meant that women could no longer meet in large numbers.”
Gaye spoke with IPS following a roundtable meeting last week where the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres discussed, with women leaders from the Central African Republic, Cyprus, Darfur and Mali, the role of women’s leadership in taking forward the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda for the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative. He highlighted how the issue of women and peacekeeping has been especially crucial during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
Read more here.
Founders of Somalia’s First Rape Crisis Center Recognized for Helping Conflict Victims
Source: VOA
As the United Nations on Sunday marks International Day of the Girl Child, a Somali mother and daughter who have dedicated their lives to rehabilitating victims of conflict are gaining international acclaim.
Fartuun Adan and her daughter Ilwad Elman operate Elman Peace, an organization that helps victims of sexual violence and works to rehabilitate and provide job training to child soldiers in Somalia. They have been honored with a $1 million prize.
They are the 2020 recipients of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, given each year to a person or group risking their lives to protect people in conflict. The award is given on behalf of victims of the Armenian genocide. They are the fifth recipients since the award was created and will take part in a virtual ceremony on Oct. 19.
Read more here.
Pandemic Worsens Challenges Faced by Girls Globally
Source: VOA
The world marks the International Day of the Girl Child on Sunday, during a year in which a global pandemic and subsequent economic downturn has created further challenges for girls.
The United Nations, which created the day in 2011 to promote girls’ rights, says difficulties already faced by girls have been exacerbated by the coronavirus health crisis, including in the areas of education, child marriage, domestic violence and economic opportunity.
A U.N. website for the observance says by next year, an estimated 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day – including 47 million “pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19.” It notes that the loss of economic prosperity and education for girls fueled by the crisis is also linked to increased levels of violence.
Read more here.
