Democratic Republic of the Congo
Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to face widespread sexual violence, disease, and displacement in conflict situations arising from clashes between dozens of armed groups. Often, sexual violence and rape are used as terror tactics and weapons of war, and despite the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Women’s Platform for the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, women are still largely underrepresented in peacebuilding efforts. Additionally, women activists face rape as a form of torture by government actors who disagree with their political activity. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) aims to provide protection for civilians, including reducing the threat of armed groups perpetrating sexual and gender-based violence, monitoring and reporting on sexual violence and ensuring women’s participation in stabilization and national political dialogue.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to face widespread sexual violence, disease, and displacement in conflict situations arising from clashes between dozens of armed groups. Often, sexual violence and rape are used as terror tactics and weapons of war, and despite the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Women’s Platform for the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, women are still largely underrepresented in peacebuilding efforts.
Additionally, women activists face rape as a form of torture by government actors who disagree with their political activity. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) aims to provide protection for civilians, including reducing the threat of armed groups perpetrating sexual and gender-based violence, monitoring and reporting on sexual violence and ensuring women’s participation in stabilization and national political dialogue.
Current and Past Recommendations to the UN Security Council (Monthly Action Points)
Great Lakes Region – Democratic Republic of the Congo (March 2016)
The Security Council will renew the mandate for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in March. The mandate should maintain its existing language on mainstreaming gender as a cross-cutting issue. The most recent mandate adopted in SCR 2211 (2015) is strong in its calls for attention to women, peace and security issues; however, implementation remains inconsistent, and the Council should reiterate the importance of WPS in all mission activities. In the mandate renewal, the Council should:
- Support the establishment of a formal channel for civil society and women’s organizations to monitor and implement the PSC Framework in the form of the consultative committee and mechanisms to track funding for women’s participation in implementation or monitoring, the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework;
- Ensure women are engaged in broader, political processes, including preparations for elections and the strategic dialogue on MONUSCO’s progressive withdrawal, as well as all disarmament and security sector reform efforts; and
- Call for an external evaluation of the Great Lakes Women’s Platform, to ensure inclusive, participative, transparent and accountable processes in the future of the platform.
In its consideration of reports on MONSUCO and the PSC Framework, and in ongoing discussions, the Council should ensure both the participation and protection aspects of the WPS agenda are considered equally. In this regard, the Council should inquire as to:
- Efforts to implement the participation components of the WPS agenda, given lack of information in reporting on activities related to women’s participation and empowerment;
- MONUSCO’s efforts to provide protection from SGBV, including coordinated monitoring and analysis arrangements to track SGBV, availability of services for SGBV survivors and deployment of Women Protection Advisers; and
- The extent to which gender considerations are fully integrated as a cross-cutting issue throughout MONUSCO’s operations, with the provision of sex and age disaggregated data on all those impacted by the conflict and the gender training of all MONUSCO staff as key priorities.
The Security Council will renew the mandate for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in March. The mandate should maintain its existing language on mainstreaming gender as a cross-cutting issue. The most recent mandate adopted in SCR 2211 (2015) is strong in its calls for attention to women, peace and security issues; however, implementation remains inconsistent, and the Council should reiterate the importance of WPS in all mission activities. In the mandate renewal, the Council should:
- Support the establishment of a formal channel for civil society and women’s organizations to monitor and implement the PSC Framework in the form of the consultative committee and mechanisms to track funding for women’s participation in implementation or monitoring, the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework;
- Ensure women are engaged in broader, political processes, including preparations for elections and the strategic dialogue on MONUSCO’s progressive withdrawal, as well as all disarmament and security sector reform efforts; and
- Call for an external evaluation of the Great Lakes Women’s Platform, to ensure inclusive, participative, transparent and accountable processes in the future of the platform.
In its consideration of reports on MONSUCO and the PSC Framework, and in ongoing discussions, the Council should ensure both the participation and protection aspects of the WPS agenda are considered equally. In this regard, the Council should inquire as to:
- Efforts to implement the participation components of the WPS agenda, given lack of information in reporting on activities related to women’s participation and empowerment;
- MONUSCO’s efforts to provide protection from SGBV, including coordinated monitoring and analysis arrangements to track SGBV, availability of services for SGBV survivors and deployment of Women Protection Advisers; and
- The extent to which gender considerations are fully integrated as a cross-cutting issue throughout MONUSCO’s operations, with the provision of sex and age disaggregated data on all those impacted by the conflict and the gender training of all MONUSCO staff as key priorities.
Relevant Resources
