Senior United Nations officials are warning of the consequences of not protecting women and their rights in conflict zones, amid recent decisions to close or shrink peacekeeping and special political missions.
Sima Bahous, executive director of U.N. Women, which champions gender equality worldwide, told ambassadors at an August 2024 Security Council meeting that some governments are cutting defense despite an uptick in conflict and insecurity.
“It is counterintuitive that, in the face of unprecedented levels of conflict and violence, the number of deployed peacekeeping personnel has dropped by almost half from 121,000 in 2016 to approximately 71,000 in 2024,” Bahous said. She highlighted growing violence against women and girls, adding that wars are being fought with clear disregard for their lives and rights.
U.N. officials noted Mali, where the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSMA closed in December 2023 at the insistence of transitional military authorities. Before its accelerated departure, the country had witnessed “transformative” progress that enhanced women’s political participation, officials said.
Officials also voiced concerns over the recent departures of missions from key hot spots that have led to security vacuums and increased vulnerability for women and girls. The drawdowns have diminished the U.N.’s capacity to support national partners in addressing conflict-related sexual violence in areas such as investigation, reporting and assistance to survivors.
“We fear a future of increasing atrocities against women, their ever-greater marginalization from decision-making and ultimately a failure of the international community,” Bahous said. “That prospect should be, and I am confident is, unacceptable for all of us.”